Catalyst: a peer mentoring model supporting new academics

Authors

  • Barbara Kensington-Miller University of Auckland, New Zealand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v2i3.122

Keywords:

Early-career academics, peer mentoring, Support, Community of practice, Mentoring

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of a group of new academics from different disciplines in a research-intensive university, involved in a pilot peer-mentoring programme known as Catalyst. The critical function of this programme, as reflected by the name, was to speed up their introduction to the university and make the transition into their departments smoother, with the knowledge and support that new academics require when beginning academia. The model consists of weaving one-to-one peer mentoring simultaneously with one-to-many peer mentoring, a synergy which provided continuous, sustainable, economical and easily implemented support. The two types of peer mentoring became interdependent, which generated sustainability. The paper discusses details of the model and the benefits gained by the new academics through their involvement over their initial semester. As a result, the isolation many felt as they began their new academic roles was reduced, and they were able to cope with the institution and departmental expectations more quickly and effectively than left on their own.

Author Biography

Barbara Kensington-Miller, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Barbara is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education at the University of Auckland. In this role, Barbara works with academics across all disciplines on a variety of teaching and research initiatives.

She has specific responsibility for supporting early-career academics and leads the University of Auckland’s Induction Programme to Teaching and Learning, and a Peer Mentoring Programme for new academics. Barbara lectures on the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, and supervises Doctoral students.

Barbara’s research projects foster and promote teaching and research for early-career academics from a range of cultural and academic backgrounds, and this also extends into the area of identity. With a background in Mathematics, she is currently researching ways to improve teaching and learning in large undergraduate mathematics lectures, and how this can be transferred to other disciplines.

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Published

2014-12-08

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2014)

Section

Original Research

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