Developing and Implementing a Blended Faculty Teaching Mentorship Program: A Canadian Pilot Project - Article 13 - Fall 2023

Oct 15, 2026

This article reports the development and implementation of a blended faculty teaching mentorship program, operating in its sixth year, to strengthen professional development for faculty and contract instructors. The program combines formal and informal mentoring, including intra-departmental and inter-departmental mentoring, while integrating effective mentor-program elements identified in the literature. Results highlight increased post-participation support for teaching and greater faculty access to a mentor, indicating the program is meeting its goals and should continue. The authors also offer recommendations for adopting such a program at other institutions in Canada or elsewhere.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Mentorship program design and blended approach

Findings and intended goals

Recommendations for adoption

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 14 | Issue 2 | Article 13 | | --- | --- | | Fall 10-15-2023
Developing and Implementing a Blended Faculty Teaching Mentorship Program: A Canadian Pilot Project
Kim G. C. Hellemans
Carleton University, kim.hellemans@carleton.ca Wayne Horn
Carleton University, wayne.horn@carleton.ca Vincent Kazmierski
Carleton University, vincent.kazmierski@carleton.ca Martha Mullally
Carleton University, martha.mullally@carleton.ca Eileen Harris
Carleton University, eileen.harris@carleton.ca
Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca)
[https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.9344](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.9344) | | Recommended Citation Hellemans, K. G. C., Horn, W., Kazmierski, V., Mullally, M., & Harris, E. (2023). Developing and implementing a blended faculty teaching mentorship program: A Canadian pilot project The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(2). [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.9344](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.9344) Developing and Implementing a Blended Faculty Teaching Mentorship Program: A Canadian Pilot Project Abstract This article presents the results of the development and implementation of a mentorship program, now in its sixth year, designed to support the professional development of teaching skills for faculty and contract instructors. The program is unique in that it is a combination of a variety of other approaches such as formal and informal mentoring as well as intra-departmental and interdepartmental mentoring. This model incorporates the effective elements of a mentor program as identified in the literature, while eschewing the traditional model of one-to-one mentoring between senior and junior colleagues. The findings to date, which include more support for teaching after participating in the project as well as an increase in the amount of faculty accessing a mentor, indicate that the program is achieving its intended goals and should continue. The authors provide recommendations and suggestions for the inclusion of a teaching mentorship program at other institutions within (or outside of) Canada. Cet article présente les résultas du développement et de la mise en oeuvre d’un programme dementorat, actuellement dans sa sixième année, conçu pour soutenir le développement professionnel des compétences en enseignement des professeurs, des professeures, des enseignants contractuels et des enseignantes contractuelles. Le programme est unique en ce sens qu’il est une combinaison detoute une variété d’approches telles que le mentorat formel et informel ainsi que le mentorat intradépartemental et inter-départemental. Ce modèle incorpore les éléments efficaces d’un programme de mentorat tels qu’identifiés dans les publications de recherche, tout en renonçant au modèle traditionnel de mentorat entre collègues juniors et seniors. À ce jour, les résultats, qui comprennentune augmentation du soutien pour l’enseignement après la participation au projet ainsi qu’une augmentation du nombre de professeurs et de professeures ayant eu accès à un mentor, indiquent que le programme atteint les objectifs prévus et qu’il devrait continuer. Les auteurs présentent des recommandations et des suggestions pour l’inclusion d’un programme de mentorat d’enseignement dans d’autres établissements, au Canada ou ailleurs. Keywords mentoring, faculty development, higher education, teaching; mentorat, développement des professeurs, enseignement supérieur, enseignement Cover Page Footnote We would like to thank Dragana Polovina-Vukovic from Carleton University’s Teaching and Learning Services for her support and thoughtful feedback on this study. This research paper/Rapport de recherche is available in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: [https://doi.org/10.5206/cj

FAQs

What is the purpose of the blended faculty teaching mentorship program described in the article?

It was developed to support professional development of teaching skills for faculty and contract instructors.

How does the program differ from traditional one-to-one mentoring?

It blends formal and informal mentoring and includes intra-departmental and inter-departmental mentoring rather than only one-to-one mentoring between senior and junior colleagues.

What outcomes does the article report so far?

The findings to date include increased support for teaching after participation and a rise in the number of faculty accessing a mentor, suggesting the program is meeting its intended goals.

Oct 15, 2026

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