Enhancement of faculty skills through mentoring

Despite an extensive literature outlining the beneficial effects of faculty mentorship programs on undergraduate protégés, very little exists evaluating the impact of such activities on the faculty mentors themselves. This study employs grounded theory methods in a qualitative exploration of skills enhancement in faculty mentors involved in externally funded scholarship and mentorship programs for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors enrolled at Texas Tech University. The researcher collected data through in-person observations of mentoring sessions, open-ended surveys, and semi-guided interviews with faculty mentors. A relatively small participant pool somewhat restricted the breadth of conclusions; however, the depth and richness of the data collected indicate that participation resulted in varied levels of improvement in both pedagogical and interpersonal skills.