BEST PRACTICES- II

MENTOR-MENTEE

1. Title of the Practice: ‘MENTOR-MENTEE’

2. Objectives of the Practice

• To help students understand the various dimensions of opportunities and challenges they face during campus life.
• To provide student community with positive role models and motivate them to tap their potential to the fullest creating positive changes in terms of understanding and attitude.
• To develop and nurture core competencies and skills.
• To create trust and confidence in the minds of students by helping them understand that a system is in place to assist their development and address their grievances and personal issues.
• To explain how to establish and nurture a relationship with accountability and responsibility.

3. The Context

• In our diverse society, teachers are interacting with a diverse group that includes students from different levels of socio-economic status.
• Understanding diversity doesn't only relate to race and ethnicity; it includes understanding students of different religion, economic status, gender identity, rural, urban and language background.
• Mentoring system demands right understanding of issues along with their background, and ensures that each and every student receives the same kind and level of attention and counselling irrespective of their background and status.
• Students from various backgrounds and status are treated at par and given necessary counselling.
• Mentoring system aims at leveraging the abundant practical wisdom of the faculty for the good of student community.
• The mentor, besides helping to settle issues, strive to educate students how to balance various roles with right understanding, ethics, and emotional balance during challenging times.

4. The Practice

• Every year, in response to the circular issued by the principal's office requesting mentors list, all the heads of the departments prepare a list of faculty members who will act as mentors.
• Upon approval of the same, based on the number of students, a mentor is allotted for every 20 students.
• The mentor and mentee meet once in a fortnight to discuss personal issues, learning environment, career guidance etc.,
• After completion of each session, the mentor submits a report in the specified format provided.
• Any other issue that demands intervention of the Dean and the Principal is taken to their notice immediately.
• The parents stay informed about the performance of their wards throughout their stay in the campus, and parents are given all possible assistance whenever they seek help to sort out issues.
• Strict confidentiality professional boundaries are maintained throughout.
• Each mentee has different values, perspectives, experiences, and interests that may or may not align with the standard norms and practices and our mentors have learnt the strategy of guiding even non cooperative students who demand extensive counselling.
• It is important for mentors to set goals. Goal setting is an important mentoring tool that helps the mentor and the mentee to have a clear idea about the destination they are moving towards.
• Be it academic progress or acquisition of employability skills, our mentors, with the help of the wisdom they have gathered over years can give clear roadmaps to attain the destination.
• Sometimes unrealistic expectations by the mentee prove to be a very big challenge for the mentor.
• During such situations, the mentor seeks the help of his/her fellow mentors for guidance.
• These type of discussions result in sharing of experiences and that leads to the mentor becoming more efficient than before.
• Occasionally, parents are invited and mentors justify the action of their mentee if such actions are not condemnable.
• Due to generation gap, the parents are not in a position to understand or accept their wards' actions. In such situations, the mentors by citing apt examples, convince the parents and make them accept reality.
• Mentoring helps not only the mentee but also the mentors since it provides an opportunity to interact with the younger generation.
• The mentor is able to read the minds of the youngsters and that helps the mentors to stay young mentally.
• Staying young mentally is indeed one of the pre-requisites of any teacher who is supposed to understand and guide the younger generation.

5. Evidence of Success

• Timely advice of the mentors plays a crucial role in boosting the morale of rural students from Tamil medium and students with low cut off marks. Higher scores in subsequent assessments underline the value of mentorship.
• Students who need language training are identified. Necessary training is provided to improve the language competency of the students as a result of which many of our students from rural background have got placements in MNCs.
• Mentors play a crucial role in guiding and helping slow learners, students with attendance issues and personal grievances. Timely intervention has resulted in improvement in performance and regularity in attendance. Mentors also monitor whether the slow learners attend remedial classes regularly for their improvement.
• Students are motivated to take part in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Mentors ensure that students are in the process of holistic development. Every year more and more number of students participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Growing number of certificates and prizes won each year bear testimony to the fact.

6.Problems Encountered and Resources Required

• Occasionally, it takes too long to establish trust in the mind of the mentee.
• Knowledge of the mother tongue of the mentee plays a crucial role and the issue has to be sorted out to ensure efficiency of the system.
• Mentoring demands quality time with the mentee, and it is one of the key challenges a mentor encounters amidst all other academic duties.
• Sometimes the mentee seems uninterested due to reasons unknown, and the mentor needs a lot of patience to convince the mentee.

7.Notes

Mentoring system in VCET has emerged as one of the best practices of the college, given its reach and impact. It has yielded very encouraging results since its implementation and alumni of VCET will remember with pride and appreciate with gratitude the mentors who have shaped their lives and personality. VCET is always keen on the holistic development of its student community, and mentoring system is one of its key tools that ensure any obstacle in the developmental path is identified and cleared without delay.

8. Contact Details

Name of the Principal: Dr.M.Jayaraman
Name of the Institution:Velalar College of Engineering and Technology
City:Erode
Pin Code:638012
Work Phone: 0424-2244201,204,206
Fax:0424-2244205
Website www.velalarengg.ac.in
E-mail:principal@velalarengg.ac.in
Mobile:9750924402