TEACHING AND LEARNING CONFERENCE ‘TRANSITION AND SUPPORT’ SOHAR UNIVERSITY 7th of September 2016

A cross faculty workshop on mentoring students, with emphasis on the L1 students particular needs Session C - Activity 16 Dinesh Kumar Saini and Lakshmi Sunil Prakash Computing and Information Technology, Sohar University P.O.Box.-44, PC-311, Sohar, Sultanate of Oman E-mail: dinesh@soharuni.edu.om, Lakshmi@soharuni.edu.om

Transition In transition close observation is needed for the students entering into level-1, this transition is supported by academic advising, close observation under advisors, and individual mentoring. The issues that are observed for students are Learning Behaviors and styles, Determination, Environmental – At home or hostel, Cultural – Social media or in isolation, Marital status – Married or non-married Educational Resources – Availability

What need to be observed Competencies Participation Regular class room monitoring Parental pressure Geographical proximity Communication Perspectives

What need to be emphasized Influences Personnel Styles Professional Approach Consultation Process Credibility Students special needs Responsibilities

Mentoring Financial need and lack of financial support Lack of academic success Personal, emotional, and family problems Feelings of isolation, adjustment problems Lack of commitment Inadequate potential for success Inadequate language skills Definition and attitudes about success Responsibility for learning/motivation Maturity Lack of student services, counseling, tutoring, etc

Mentors across the Life Course Well established Institutional norms for mentoring Impact of Positive mentoring for academic motivation Implications of Poor mentoring on students’ confidence Positive role models Early on identification of potential mentors Strong Support structures for mentoring activities

Stephen Curry – poor score on athletics – NBA best Player Dr. Seuss- 27 publishers rejected – Best Seller in History Albert Einstein –couldn’t read till the age of 7 and his teachers says he cudn’t study – Nobel Prize winner Steven Spielberg- but was turned down from film school, because of his "C" grade average – Prolific Movie Director J.K.Rowling- 30 times her book was rejected – Best selling author Walt Disney- was fired from news paper for lack of imagination- Entertainment Moghul Oprah Winfrey- was fired from her job – Successful American media proprietor Ludwig Van Beethoven – His teachers said he was hopeless - Most famous and influential music composer of all time Steve Jobs – was a college dropout - Co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc.

Barriers to Effective Mentoring Mechanisms to measure effectiveness of mentoring programs Mentor dedication, interest in student research Emphasis on mentoring roles during staff and student induction Follow up mechanism on feedback provided from mentored staff /students. Importance of appropriateness during mentor allocation Mentoring services must be monitored and rewarded to encourage excellence.

Balancing Approach Develop conceptual understanding Enhances depth of understanding Acquisition of procedural knowledge, Declarative knowledge, and problem solving Promotes generalization Develop declarative knowledge