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Volunteers call for latest LITE Mentoring Scheme

Date

VOLUNTEERS ARE being sought out for a new cohort of student education-focused mentoring programme run by the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE).

The LITE Mentoring Scheme provides a framework of support in key areas across the student education network at the University of Leeds.

Mentoring themes include scholarship and pedagogy, career development through student education and those who are progressing with curriculum design and project delivery.

It will run alongside the University's mentoring programme run by the Organsiational Development and Professional Learning which currently has 50 registered participants involved in 31 mentor-mentee relationships from across all services and facilities.

Andrea Jackson, Professor of Student Education and Engagement based in the School of Earth and Environment, who works with LITE and will be leading the scheme, said:

It’s encouraging to hear that the scheme is already having a positive impact on those involved and I hope that this call will attract even more staff so that we can further extend this active support network

If you would like to volunteer as a mentor or would like to support as a mentee, please complete this online registration form.

A workshop has also been scheduled on November 13 for anyone who wants to to learn more about the role of mentor.

For more information about this and the scheme in general please contact: LITE@leeds.ac.uk.

LITE Director Kelvin Tapley, said: "This scheme adds a valuable additional dimension to the work of LITE and I'm delighted to see how the LITE community is benefiting from continued engagement in this initiative."

OVERVIEW OF THE SCHEME

 The scheme is broken down into three areas.

  • Mentoring for those who want to pursue more formal teaching scholarship and pedagogy, will move beyond reflection, practice-sharing and report writing to more rigorous research. Advice includes support for developing scholarship project ideas; putting together funding applications; understanding and implementing research methods; research ethics, project management and project evaluation. Support for dissemination and publication routes such as journals, networks and conferences will also be part of this aspect.
  • Mentoring for those who are seeking career development through student education at Leeds including how to get involved in ongoing and new student education projects/developments across campus. Also contributing to the governance and committee structure; targeting student education roles and responsibilities; joining networks within the University; how to explore external, national and international networks of innovation and scholarship.
  • Mentoring for those who are progressing with curriculum design and student education project delivery: this might include significant module, programme and/or assessment design, student support development and digital developments. For this strand, mentees should also seek advice from structures of educational delivery, such as schools, faculties, units and from other centres of teaching innovation, where relevant. LITE’s community of University Student Education Fellows (USEFs), National Teaching Fellows (NTFS), LITE Excellence and Innovation Fellows and Teaching Enhancement Project Leaders will provide an additional valuable resource for advice, especially through LITE community activities and events.

The suggested time commitment is for a mentor – mentee meeting three to four times per year for 1.5 to 2 hours but this will vary in terms of the need, capacity and practicality from both mentor and mentee perspectives.