Faculty Mentor Program

The past few years have emphasized pre-existing equity barriers in higher education, and have added pressure on everyone, which suggests a need for change. So, you might be wondering ‘where do we go from here?’ or ‘how can I support my students to succeed?’ and finally “how can I do this while taking care of myself at the same time?” That’s where we can help!

In this workshop, we will focus on why and how educators can embed key skills in their course(s) to help students and make learning more successful for everyone. Together we will “uncover the hidden curriculum”—the unwritten and unofficial lessons learners acquire implicitly but are not always taught formally. We will consider big and small ways to bring these skills into your course(s) in preparation for the 2023–2024 academic year. The session will be active and collaborative, using a design thinking approach to discuss experiences and share ideas. You will walk away from this session with resources, a plan, and a support network to help as you embed these skills in your course(s).

Facilitated by:
Drs. Nicole Campbell (Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences) and Lauren Barr (Sociology)

This in-person workshop is for instructors who are interested in improving their ability to supervise international graduate students. The goals of the workshop are to encourage mentorship practices introduced in the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here) and explore how these best practices improve student outcomes, such as through effective feedback and explicitly teaching the hidden curriculum.

This workshop is the first of three in a series focusing on supervising international graduate students. Each workshop is independent; you do not need to attend earlier workshops to participate in later workshops.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the role of culture, norms, and values in supervision
• produce effective feedback for supervisees
• identify effective mentorship practices to uncover the hidden curriculum.

What to expect:
Participants will have the opportunity to articulate their supervision preferences, practice bridging gaps when preferences differ, apply a framework for developing effective feedback, and explore how they can explicitly teach their students the specific, but often unspoken, learning skills of their program and discipline (which is also known as "the hidden curriculum"). Prior to the workshop, attendees should read pages 7-17, 23, and 27-30 of the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here). We will be exploring and applying these best practices in supervising international graduate students during the workshop.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL

This in-person workshop is for instructors who are interested in improving their ability to supervise international graduate students. The goals of the workshop are to encourage mentorship practices introduced in the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here) and explore how these best practices improve student outcomes, such as through use of varied communication styles (e.g., direct and indirect communication) and assisting students with acclimating to a new institution.

This workshop is the second of three in a series focusing on supervising international graduate students. Each workshop is independent; you do not need to attend earlier workshops to participate in later workshops.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• describe the role of culture, norms, and values in supervision
• employ inclusive communicative strategies
• formulate culturally informed feedback

What to expect:
Participants will have the opportunity to review best practices for supervising culturally and language diverse students and apply their knowledge to case studies in a small group setting. Prior to the workshop, attendees should read pages 18-22 and 31-35 of the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here). We will be exploring and applying these best practices in supervising international graduate students during the workshop.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL

This in-person workshop is for instructors who are interested in improving their ability to supervise international graduate students. The goals of the workshop are to encourage mentorship practices introduced in the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here) and explore how these best practices improve student outcomes, such as through the use of culturally diverse communication styles and the ORCA framework.

This workshop is the last of three in a series focusing on supervising international graduate students. Each workshop is independent; you do not need to attend earlier workshops to participate in later workshops.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• identify culturally diverse communication styles
• apply the ORCA framework to build a community of trust
• apply the ORCA framework to navigate challenging conversations

What to expect:
Participants will have the opportunity to learn the ORCA framework and apply it to case studies in a small group setting. Prior to the workshop, attendees should read pages 10-15 and 23-28 of the Western Guide to Mentoring Graduate Students Across Cultures (linked here). We will be exploring and applying these best practices in supervising international graduate students during the workshop.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL

This workshop is designed for educators who want to take an active role in destigmatizing mental illness and in encouraging help-seeking. All registrants will receive access to the brief eLearning module “Mental Health 101: Supporting Student Wellness”. Please plan to review the module contents, which we estimate will take about 1 hour, prior to the session. In our session together, we will take a strengths-based approach to consider how our own experiences with mental health can influence our goals and leadership styles as educators, and challenge stigmas and misconceptions around mental illness. Through case studies and discussion, we will work to design strategies to reach students who are less likely to request mental health support.

Please be advised that this workshop covers sensitive topics such as racially motivated hate-speech, disclosures of sexual and gender-based violence, and disclosures of self-harm. As facilitators we will do our best to ensure this workshop is a respectful and safe environment in which to explore these difficult topics.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL

Pre-requisite: Leadership in Wellness Part 1

In this interactive workshop, you will use the Notice-Listen-Connect model to practice and exchange feedback on several wellness-related conversations: initiating a mental health conversation with a struggling student; engaging in an authentic, strengths-based dialogue with a student; and referring a student to professional support.

Please be advised that this workshop covers sensitive topics such as racially motivated hate-speech, disclosures of sexual and gender-based violence, and disclosures of self-harm. As facilitators we will do our best to ensure this workshop is a respectful and safe environment in which to explore these difficult topics.

Facilitated by:
Kate Barnes, CTL