7 - Reflections on an Innovative Mentoring Partnership Facilitators and Inhibitors to Success in Faculty Development

Marilyn Chapman; Tashmin Khamis

doi:10.57054/jhea.v15i1.1494

Abstract

The need for more interactive, learner-centred pedagogies at Aga Khan University in East Africa led to the development of a partnership with Academics without Borders (AWB). AWB recruited three nursing faculty volunteers to provide mentorship to the nursing faculty at the three Aga Khan University Advanced Nursing Studies campuses in East Africa. As part of the evaluation and as a strategy to improve the quality of the mentoring and the project, the authors developed an action research study to identify facilitators and inhibitors to the success of this inter-cultural initiative. In this article, the authors share their observations and reflections as recorded in journal entries and postings to an online site as well as the results of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis completed by mentees, mentors and project coordinators. Finally, the authors share their thoughts on the implications for future cross-cultural mentoring relationships at Aga Khan University and the potential for assisting others in similar relationships.

Reflections on an Innovative Mentoring Partnership Facilitators and Inhibitors to Success in Faculty Development

Le besoin de plus de pédagogies interactive, axées sur l’apprenant à l’Université Aga Khan en Afrique de l’Est a conduit au développement d’un partenariat avec Academics Without Borders (AWB). AWB a recruté trois volontaires de la faculté des sciences infirmières pour assurer un mentorat à ladite faculté au niveau des trois campus des Etudes supérieures en sciences infirmières de l’Université Aga Khan en Afrique de l’Est. Dans le cadre de ladite évaluation et comme stratégie visant à améliorer la qualité du mentorat et du projet, les auteurs ont développé une étude sur la recherche action pour identifier les facilitateurs et les inhibiteurs de succès de cette initiative interculturelle. Dans ce présent article, les auteurs partagent leurs observations et les réflexions telles qu’elles sont enregistrées dans les articles et les annonces à un site en ligne ainsi que les résultats d’une analyse des forces, faiblesses, opportunités et menaces (SWOT) menée par les poulains, les mentors et les coordinateurs de projet. En fin, les auteurs partagent leurs points de vue sur les implications des futures relations de mentorat interculturel à l’Université Aga Khan et offrent la possibilité d’assister les autres dans des relations similaires.

Keywords

inter-cultural mentorship action research learner-centred pedagogy academic partnerships teaching and learning

Statistics

Abstract views: 1,499
Downloads: 187

Citations

3 citations

See citing publications Google Scholar

Citations counted by OpenAlex, an open index of scholarly literature, updated weekly. Google Scholar may count more.

Author Biographies

Marilyn Chapman

Academics without Borders volunteer, Vancouver Island University, retired.
Tashmin Khamis

Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya

References

Allan, H., 2010, ‘Mentoring overseas nurses: barriers to effective and non- discriminatory mentoring practices’, Nursing Ethics, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 603–613. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733010368747
Brookfield, S., 1995, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Carew, A.L., Lefoe, G., Bell, M., and Armour, L., 2008,‘Elastic practice in academic developers, International Journal for Academic Development, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/13601440701860250
Darling, L., 1984, ‘What do nurses want in a mentor?’, Journal of Nursing Administration,Vol. 14, No. 10, pp. 42–44. https://doi.or/10.1097/00005110-198410000-00009
Ellis, C. and Bochner, A., 1996, Composing Ethnography, Berkley, CA: Altamira Press.
Fexias, M. and Euler, D., 2013, ‘Academics as teachers: new approaches to teaching and learning and implications for professional development programmes’, International HETL Review, Vol. 2, No. 12.
Freire, P., 1992, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, NewYork, NY: Continuum Publishing Company.
Heron, J., and Reason, P., 2001, ‘The practice of co-operative inquiry: research “with” people rather than “on” people’, in P. Reason, and H. Bradbury, eds, Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice, London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Hnatiuk, C., 2012, ‘Mentoring nurses towards success’, Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp. 9–11.
Keiter Humbert, T., Burket, A., Deveney, R., and Kennedy, K., 2011,‘Occupational therapy practitioners’ perspectives regarding international cross-cultural work’, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, No. 58, pp. 300–309. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2010.00915.x
Lee, V.S., DeZure, D., Debowski, S., Ho, A., and Li, K., 2013, ‘Enhancing international collaboration among academic developers in established and emerging contexts: moving toward a post-colonial perspective’, International Journal for Academic Development, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2011.616590
Metcalfe, S., 2010, ‘Educational innovation: collaborative mentoring for future leaders’, Creative
Nursing, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 167–170. https://doi.org/10.1891/1078-4535.16.4.167 Mezirow, J., 2000, Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress,San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Naidoo, J., and Wills, J., 2009, Foundations of Community Health, 3rd ed., Edinburgh, Scotland: Bailliere Tindall.
Pritchard, E., and Gidman, J., 2012, ‘Effective mentoring in the community’, British Journal of Community Nursing, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 119–124. https://doi. org/10.12968/bjcn.2012.17.3.119
Purnell, L., 2005, ‘The Purnell model of cultural competence’, The Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 7–15.
Randall, N., Heaslip, P., and Morrison, D., 2013, ‘Campus-based Educational Development and Professional Learning: Dimensions & Directions’, Vancouver, BC, Canada: BC campus wiki.
Rogers, Y., Sharp, H., and Preece, J., 2011, ‘Data gathering’, In, Interaction Design: Beyond Human- computer Interaction, 3rd ed., p. 222–268, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Tobin, M., 2004, ‘Mentoring: seven roles and some specifics’, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, No. 170, pp. 114–117. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.2405004 Waterman, M., Weber, J., Pracht, C., Conway, K., Kunz, D., Evans, B., Hoffman, S., Smentkowski, B., and Starrett, D., 2010, ‘Preparing scholars of teaching and learning using a model of collaborative peer
consulting and action research’, InternationalJournal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 140–151.
Wroten, S., and Waite, R., 2009, ‘A call to action: mentoring within the nursing profession– a wonderful gift to give and share’, ABNF Journal, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 106–8.