Mentor Mentee

Mentoring The First Generation Rural Students To Enhance Their Learning Capability(Coming under the focal Theme: Encouraging Good Communication Between Teachers and Learners)

1. Objectives of the practice:

    Mentoring is one of the key aspects of student support in higher education. It is an essential feature to render equitable service to all the students having heterogeneous background. Faculty members are expected to advise undergraduates and post-graduates.Student-mentorship has the following objectives:

  • a) To enhance teacher-student contact hours
  • b) To enhance students’ academic performance and attendance
  • c) To minimize student drop-out rates
  • d) To identify and understand the plight of slow learners and encourage advanced learners
  • e) To render equitable service to students
2. Need addressed and the context:

The college is situated in a rural surrounding with students hailing from downtrodden families. Most of the students are first generation students. The IQAC of our college had taken the initiative of implementing the mentoring of students. Students are categorized based on the streams of studies and also according to their core subjects. They are divided into groups of 10-15 depending on the number of students. Each group is assigned a teacher-mentor who would perform the mentoring duties. A Mentoring Format with Guidelines is prepared by the IQAC to ensure uniformity. The system is created to augment the student-centric teaching and development

3. The Practice:

The Department of English has introduced the Mentoring system and it follows the guidelines given below

  • 1 Mentors maintain and update the Mentoring Format which contains space for entering particulars and performance of students (class tests, monthly attendance records, etc.)
  • 2 After collecting all necessary information, Mentors are expected to offer guidance and counseling as and when required.
  • 3 It is the practice of Mentors to meet students individually or in groups.
  • 4 In isolated cases parents are called for counseling/special meetings with the Principal on the suggestion of the Mentor.
  • 5 If a student is identified as having weakness in particular subject, it is the duty of the Mentor to apprise the concerned subject teacher.

    4. Obstacles faced if any and strategies adopted to overcome them:

    Time factor as a Major constraint for Mentors Initially it was very difficult to have an exclusive time slot for mentoring. But we allocated the zero hour (8.30 a.m. t 9.30 a.m.) and post class hour (3.30 p.m. t 4.30 p.m.) for carrying out the mentoring practice effectively. Subsequently the plan worked out well.

    5. Evidence of Success:

    Though Student-Counselling system has been in practice since 2013-14, the Mentoring system has been implemented from2017-18. Significant improvement in the teacher-student relationship is evident through the records maintained by the college. The system has been useful in identifying slow learners and advanced learners. On the basis of the Mentor’s report, the department has organised remedial classes in the identified topics/subjects for slow learners. The Remedial Classes have been institutionalized after the implementation of the Mentoring System. Need-Based remedial classes have proved to be beneficial to the students in particular and the entire college in general. The institutional practice of Mentoring System has considerably enhanced the campus environment and brought about:

  • i. Enhanced contact hours between Mentors and Mentees.
  • ii. Regularity in students’ attendance records
  • iii. Minimized student drop-out rates
  • iv. Identification of slow learners for conducting Remedial Classes
  • v. Advanced learners identified and encouraged with additional assignments and changes &incentive prizes

    Resource required:

    A separate link in the college web site may be designed for helping the students (Mentees) to get connected with their Mentors.



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