Preparing Future Faculty
Information for Current PFF Participants and Mentors
Mentoring First Meeting: Suggested Items for Discussion
List of Mentor-Mentee Activities
Further information about PFF at ISU:
Forms and contact information:
Mentoring First Meeting: Suggested Items for Discussion
Please try to schedule your first meeting as early as possible during the semester. You are expected to meet with your mentor at least 8 times during the semester, so the earlier you begin, the easier it will be to schedule activities that will be meaningful for you and your mentor.
Suggested Agenda Items For First Meeting
- Share academic histories.
A. Describe your educational background, including teaching and research experience. Share information about your professional goals and why you entered the PFF program.
B. Have your mentor tell you about his or her teaching and research responsibilities and interests. Find out about your mentor's professional goals and why he or she agreed to serve as a PFF mentor. - Discuss useful activities in which you might participate.
- Prioritize the list of useful activities.
- Complete the PFF Memorandum of Understanding.
- Set a firm time for the next meeting.
- Exchange telephone numbers, email addresses, teaching schedules, office hours, etc.
Adapted from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln PFF Handbook
TopQuestions to Ask your Mentor
About teaching…
- What types of classes do you teach?
- What can you tell me about your pedagogical philosophy and your classroom strategies?
- What role does technology play in your teaching?
- How do you approach grading/evaluation?
- What skills should I develop now to prepare for my own teaching career?
- What types of classes might I expect to teach in my graduate career and/or as a junior faculty member?
- What opportunities are there for me to observe some aspects of your teaching?
- Are there opportunities for me to assist you with some aspect of your teaching?
About research…
- What is your research agenda?
- How did you develop your research agenda?
- How is your research funded? What did you do to get this funding?
- What are the biggest challenges you face in research and how do you overcome them?
- What skills should I develop now to prepare for my own research as a junior faculty member?
- Are you able to incorporate undergraduate and graduate students into your teaching? If so, how?
- What opportunities are there for me to observe some aspect of your research process?
About service…
- What kind of service responsibilities do you have in the department? In the institution? In your discipline?
- What types of service are most valued by the institution and the discipline?
- What skills should I develop now to prepare me for my own service responsibilities as a junior faculty member?
- What opportunities are there for me to observe or assist you with some aspect of your service responsibilities?
About the job search…
- What was your process for finding and applying for your faculty position?
- What did you do to prepare for interviews and presentations related to the job search?
- What was the biggest challenge you faced during the job search process?
- What should I be doing now to prepare for my own job search?
- What opportunities are there for me to work with you or another qualified faculty member in preparing my job application materials and/or presentations?
About the institution…
- Why did you choose to teach at this institution?
- What are the biggest challenges and rewards from teaching at this type of institution?
- What can you tell me about the tenure and promotion process at this institution? What types of activities are most valued?
- What type of person do you think is most suited to a faculty position at this institution?
About professional life…
- How do you maintain balance between research, teaching, and service?
- How do you make time for a personal life?
- How far ahead do you plan your career? Are you making plans for your next tenure and promotion review? For retirement?What can I do to make this semester productive for you as well as for me?
List of mentor-mentee activities
Below is a list of the activities that mentors have found useful in the past:
Teaching
- Mentee assists mentor with grading—mentor talks about the grading process and criteria
- Mentee attends the mentor’s classes (or vice versa) followed by discussion of what occurred
- Mentee teaches a unit or works with small groups in the mentor’s class
- Mentor assists the mentee with developing teaching documents, such as a syllabus, course policy sheet, assignment sheets, handouts, tests, ordering textbooks, etc.
- Mentor arranges a practice lecture for mentee
- Mentee assists mentor with undergraduate tutoring
- Mentor and mentee attend CTE seminars together
- Mentor and mentee explore technology issues related to teaching
- Mentor takes mentee to Project LEA/RN meetings
- Mentor and mentee teach an honors seminar together
Service
- Mentee attends meetings—Faculty Senate, departmental committees, etc—with mentor
- Mentee participates in university extension activities with mentor
Research
- Mentee and mentor work on a grant together
- Mentor provides an article for the mentee to read and then discuss
- Mentor and mentee discuss the process of setting up research projects
- Mentee assists mentor with research-writing
- Mentee completes teaching-related research, assisted by mentor
- Mentee assists mentor in locating new texts in the field
- Mentor and mentee explore technology issues related to researching
- Mentor assists mentee in preparing a presentation or presentation proposal for upcoming conferences in the field
Job-Search Related
- Mentor arranges a mock job interview for mentee
- Mentor and mentee discuss strategies on how to network
- Mentor goes through the mentee’s job portfolio such as the vita, cover letter, research agenda, and philosophy of teaching
Other
- Mentor and mentee discuss the unique concerns of faculty of color, international faculty, and/or women faculty in the field
- Mentor and mentee discuss current graduate student concerns
- Mentee job shadows mentor for a day
- Mentor participates in one or more PFF seminars with mentee
- Mentor and mentee discuss the information covered in PFF seminar
- Mentor and mentee have lunch together
