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1. Mentoring is not created equal: Doctoral STEM faculty perceptions of mentoring and implications for underrepresented STEM learners.

   Douglas, NC and (January 2021, CoNECD - Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity - Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   Underrepresented minority (URM) students have not been well represented within the ranks of doctoral degree holders or faculty in STEM disciplines despite the increased attention in recent years to this concern. URM students lag considerably behind White and Asian students in degree completion and faculty appointments. One intervention widely touted as effective in promoting positive outcomes is mentoring however URM students often lack access to mentoring and just as importantly mentors lack culturally responsive knowledge, skills and dispositions required to be effective mentors to URM students. A qualitative study was conducted to better understand how the knowledge, skills and dispositions of STEM faculty align with culturally responsive mentoring. Three themes were constructed from the data: role ambiguity, preparedness, and culture of doing. The study concluded that faculty need more and better training around cultural responsiveness to meet the needs of URM students. 

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2. Mentoring is not created equal: Doctoral STEM faculty perceptions of mentoring and implications for underrepresented STEM learners.

   Douglas, NC; Howell, C; Merriweather, LR; Sanczyk, A. (January 2021, CoNECD - Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity - Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   Underrepresented minority (URM) students have not been well represented within the ranks of doctoral degree holders or faculty in STEM disciplines despite the increased attention in recent years to this concern. URM students lag considerably behind White and Asian students in degree completion and faculty appointments. One intervention widely touted as effective in promoting positive outcomes is mentoring however URM students often lack access to mentoring and just as importantly mentors lack culturally responsive knowledge, skills and dispositions required to be effective mentors to URM students. A qualitative study was conducted to better understand how the knowledge, skills and dispositions of STEM faculty align with culturally responsive mentoring. Three themes were constructed from the data: role ambiguity, preparedness, and culture of doing. The study concluded that faculty need more and better training around cultural responsiveness to meet the needs of URM students. 

   more » « less
3. Mentoring is not created equal: Doctoral STEM faculty perceptions of mentoring and implications for underrepresented STEM learners.

   Douglas, N; Howell, C; Sanczyk, A; Merriweather, L. (January 2021, CoNECD - Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity - Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   Underrepresented minority (URM) students have not been well represented within the ranks of doctoral degree holders or faculty in STEM disciplines despite the increased attention in recent years to this concern. URM students lag considerably behind White and Asian students in degree completion and faculty appointments. One intervention widely touted as effective in promoting positive outcomes is mentoring however URM students often lack access to mentoring and just as importantly mentors lack culturally responsive knowledge, skills and dispositions required to be effective mentors to URM students. A qualitative study was conducted to better understand how the knowledge, skills and dispositions of STEM faculty align with culturally responsive mentoring. Three themes were constructed from the data: role ambiguity, preparedness, and culture of doing. The study concluded that faculty need more and better training around cultural responsiveness to meet the needs of URM students. 

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4. Board 140: Towards Servingness-Oriented Mentorship

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--46699  

   Glandorf, Christian; Way, Sandra; Brewer, Catherine; Chi, Wendy; Vincent-Ruz, Paulette (June 2024, ASEE Conferences)

   Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) present opportunities for social mobility of marginalized students in STEM. In the USA, Hispanic-Serving status is defined by enrollment of least 25 percent Hispanic students. As such, HSIs dedicated to increasing Hispanic representation in STEM would best serve their mission by preparing their students for longitudinal success, by focusing on educational opportunities beyond short-term retention. In other words, HSIs would best earn their status by moving beyond enrollment into true servingness. In pursuit of servingness, a program has been developed at an HSI which is designed to prepare students for success in postgraduate studies or the workforce while equipping them with skills related to self-directed learning. In this program, participating students are financially supported as they pursue industry-valued certifications, entrepreneurship training, and design project experiences. Students explore these opportunities under the guidance of industry mentors. The dynamics of mentorship have been well-explored in available literature, but there is a lack of characterization of servingness within a mentorship paradigm. To explore the mentorship process through a critical servingness lens, efforts were made to assess and understand mentors’ predispositions to the mentoring process. To accomplish this, we interviewed mentors before their participation in a mentoring training workshop. We interviewed 5 industry mentors using a semi structure qualitative interview focused on their experiences with mentoring, and ideas on how to support marginalized students. Data analysis was performed through reflexive thematic analysis via inductive and deductive coding. Deductive coding follows the recommendations/findings of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on effective mentoring in STEMM. Preliminary results indicate that because students are expected to be self-directed in the project, they should also be self-directed in the mentor-mentee relationship. This framing overestimates student’s cultural capital within a marginalized experience. Moreover, mentors acknowledge the effects of systemic racism and other forms of oppression on the experiences of their mentees, but frequently feel ill-equipped to help students navigate that oppression. As we characterize the mentors’ approach to and conception of mentorship before exposure to the workshop, we reveal opportunities to build structures of servingness within the mentoring training process. 

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5. Speaking up for the invisible minority: First‐generation students in higher education

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.31158  

   Kamalumpundi, Vijayvardhan; Silvers, Sophielle; Franklin, Latisha; Neikirk, Kit; Spencer, Elsie; Beasley, Heather K.; Wanajalla, Celestine N.; Vue, Zer; Crabtree, Amber; Kirabo, Annet; et al (January 2024, Journal of Cellular Physiology)

   Abstract A first‐generation college student is typically defined as a student whose biological parent(s) or guardian(s) never attended college or who started but did not finish college. However, “first‐generation” can represent diverse family education situations. The first‐generation student community is a multifaceted, and intersectional group of individuals who frequently lack educational/financial resources to succeed and, consequently, require supportive environments with rigorous mentorship. However, first‐generation students often do not make their identity as first‐generation students known to others due to several psychosocial and academic factors. Therefore, they are often “invisible minorities” in higher education. In this paper, we describe the diverse family situations of first‐generation students, further define “first‐generation,” and suggest five actions that first‐generation trainees at the undergraduate/graduate stages can engage in to succeed in an academic climate. We also provide suggestions for mentors to accommodate first‐generation students' unique experiences and equip them with tools to deliver intentional mentoring practices. We hope that this paper will help promote first‐generation student success throughout the academic pipeline. 

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