IMPROVING MENTORING OUTCOMES WITH MENTORING365

Mentoring365 is a virtual mentoring program providing a safe space for students and early career professionals to gain assistance and advice in their careers. Over the last 2 years, AGU has partnered with an external evaluator to understand the impact and use of Mentoring365. Evaluation considered existing program data and implemented targeted participant surveys using mixed methods. The results were used to better understand the impact that Mentoring365 engagement has on participants’ sense of belonging, career satisfaction, and overall mentoring interactions. Over 90% of mentees expressed satisfaction with their mentor and Mentoring365 experiences, with 75% meeting their goals for the mentoring experience. Analysis of open-ended responses indicates mentees are seeking multiple types of mentoring. These include academic mentoring tied to science content and technological skill; career mentoring, such as navigating the job market and networking; and psychosocial mentoring related to emotional support and sense of belonging. While mentors are generally able to provide all forms of mentoring, mentors indicated feeling most proficient in academic and career mentoring. Some mentors additionally expressed interest in receiving more training in how to most effectively mentor across diverse needs. Evaluation also suggests mentors and mentees would mutually benefit from explicit guidance in goal setting to establish expectations for the relationship. Overall, these results suggest engagement in Mentoring365 offers mentoring opportunities beneficial to mentees as well as directions to improve mentee-mentor interactions in the future.