Grow | Reverse Mentoring Scheme
Reverse Mentoring
Reverse Mentoring provides a platform for students to share their experience of learning at the university with faculty - what works, what doesn't, and what their challenges and chief concerns are. They introduce academics to the broad range of apps and websites that they use to acquire and create learning and knowledge.
With the potential to help make DCU a more imaginative and equitable environment for all, Reverse Mentoring is the latest in a range of mentoring programmes offered by Learning and Development, HR, this time connecting students and staff in a full circle of development.
Reverse mentoring offers an effective way of capturing the student voice and in helping to advance the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion across universities.
While mentoring is a widely-used development approach in higher education, reverse mentoring is a more recent phenomenon. The method is growing in popularity and holds potential in helping academics understand the perspective of students and the potential of technology in enhancing teaching and learning.
The Programme aligns with a number of dimensions in DCU's career frameworks and holds range of benefits for staff (see below). After the a successful pilot with heads and deans (watch Derek Hand, Head of the School of English talk about his experence), we're extending the scheme to all staff professional and academics.
- Sept 2024 to March 2025
- 6 one-hour meetings with a student mentor (option to extend)
- New MentorMatch app launching in August 2024 will allow you to register
Mentoring is vital to the intellectual and academic vitality of the university. Reverse mentoring provides an innovation on traditional mentoring, offering many advantages in the areas of technology and generational values:
- Supports the university’s efforts to promote of diversity and inclusion, increasing communication and engagement across generations.
- Reinforces a commitment to student engagement and respecting the student voice, ensuring we maintain a high quality student experience and aligning with the National Student Engagement Programme (NSTEP)
- Facilitates the foundation of fruitful, cross-generation relationships that offer new perspectives for both participants.
- Gives academics an opportunity to gather insights into teaching, learning and technology from students.
- Provides occasion to adapt how Schools work with younger generations and potentially implement changes in work culture.
- Mentoring programmes have been shown to connect participants to organisations and to improve job satisfaction and engagement.
| MENTORING BEST PRACTICE | HOW WE APPLY IT |
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Create a plan up front for the mentoring partnership |
We’ve created a programme framework to provide participants with a starting point and a set of guidelines to help you get started.
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| Make sure you have a clear goal for the mentoring |
We help you define your purpose and goal so that you and your mentor recognise what you want to achieve.
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| Pair students and staff intentionally |
Learning and development match mentors to staff mentee’s specific needs, taking into account personalities and skills.
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| Communicate the process and desired outcomes | We clearly communicate the process, expectations, number of meetings and expectations. |
- YouTube Video: Tips for Reverse Mentoring
- Developing Leaders Through Mentoring: A Brief Literature Review
- Ted Talks: How to be a good mentor
- Association for Psychological Science: How To Be a Good Mentee
- New York Times: Executive Mentors Wanted. Only Millennials Need Apply
- Characteristics of Successful and Failed Mentoring Relationships: A Qualitative Study Across
- JISC: Developing successful student-staff partnerships