Graduate Student Mentors: Meeting the Challenges of the Ongoing Development of Graduate Student Instructors

Chris O'Neal, University of Michigan
Jennifer Karlin, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

License: CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

Training and mentoring Graduate Student Instructors (GS Instructors) at large institutions presents three challenges to instructional developers: 1) training numerous GS Instructors from multiple departments, 2) the vast array of duties GS Instructors need training in, and 3) the continual sophistication of GS Instructors. Here we describe how the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan has met these challenges through the use of Graduate Student Mentors (GS Mentors). GS Mentors are experienced GS Instructors who are trained to mentor and advise their peers. We discuss how the GS Mentors are selected, trained, and supervised, and how they have helped to meet the challenges outlined above.