An Integrating Model for Excellence: Mentorship to Enrich the Three Pillars of Education

Abstract

How does one progress from protégé to professional to master? For thousands of years, it was accomplished by apprenticeship to a master, on a one-to-one or one-to-few basis. The advent of the industrial era necessitated training more people at a time than this model could accommodate; hence, the modern educational era. The traditional classroom model and coaching became standard. The disadvantage of this model, however, is that the nuance of the “master” is lost because it can only develop over a long-term, individual, guided, mentoring relationship. Although our institutions of higher learning successfully develop accomplished professionals with their three-tiered model of teaching, service, and research, these authors propose moving educators closer to the “master” level of skill by reincorporating the individual mentorship model in conjunction with small cohort coaching.

Mentoring in Saudi higher education: considering the role of culture in academic development

“…Furthermore, Berk et al (2005) described mentoring programs in higher education as varying 'along a continuum from informal/short-term to formal/long-term in which faculty with useful experience, knowledge, skills and/or wisdom offers advice, information, guidance, support, or opportunity to another faculty member or student for that individual's professional development ' (p. 67). And Hallman et al (2020) recently connected mentorship with excellence in the three pillars of higher education -teaching, service, and research. There is ample evidence that suggests academics, particularly those who participate in mentoring programs at the beginning stage of their career, are much more successful with regard to their academic progress and enjoy greater stability at their respective institutions, than those without mentors (Bean et al, 2014;Lumpkin, 2011;Marcellino, 2011;Mullen & Hutinger, 2008;Savage et al, 2004;Sorcinelli & Yun, 2007;Xu & Payne, 2014).…”