CapSource Experiential Mentoring Technology
Introduction
Growing numbers of people and organizations have recognized the tremendous power of mentoring for college student success, and many institutions offer some form of mentoring program to their students. When we set out to design the mentoring platform of the future, we started by identifying that the process of matching with mentors and developing a real, valuable relationship can be challenging for students, particularly first-generation and minority students. Mentors, on the other hand, often are uncertain about how to carry out the mentoring process effectively and need guidance and resources to engage and nurture their mentees. These challenges are magnified by the difficulties of connecting virtually given the recent shift to online or hybrid interaction in the context of the coronavirus.
At CapSource, we work with university and industry partners to design and deliver experiential learning and hiring programs that engage, educate, and train our next generation workforce.
CapSource recognizes the increasing need for a plug-and-play, curriculum-guided mentorship framework that
adheres to sound pedagogy, is amenable to virtual and in-person modalities, and offers a flexible structure for facilitating positive interaction and outcomes for participants. Drawing upon proven models and best practices for experiential learning and professional development mentoring, CapSource has created an innovative formal mentoring program to meet the needs of educators pursuing initiatives to connect students with suitable mentors in order to help them explore career options and achieve their professional goals.
CapSource Experiential Mentor Technology is a formal mentoring framework that pairs mentors from a range of industries and professions with student mentees and provides a structure for engaging in one-on-one mentoring to develop students’ talent, networks, and readiness to meet their academic and professional goals.
What is the CapSource “Experiential Mentoring” approach?
Our technology aligns mentors and mentees using Professional Development Topics, which are carefully designed modules that guide mentees through discussion topics that are paired with a series of deliverables designed to help mentees demonstrate and showcase meaningful progress to their mentors. Participants match based on topics in areas of career and professional identity development, supporting academic achievement, in addition to developing leadership capacity, including:
- Achieving Work Life Balance (Curriculum Sample Linked)
- Cover Letter Review
- Crushing Job Interviews
- Goal Setting
- Exploring Majors & Careers
- Industry Insights
- Industry Tools & Techniques
- Job Role Insights
- Maximizing the College Experience
- Negotiating Salary & Benefits
- Personal Branding
- Professional Communication
- Public Speaking
- Relocating for Work
- Resume Review
- The Job Search
- The Post-Covid Workplace
Principles of the Kolb model for experiential learning are incorporated into the product. Mentors help students reflect on, integrate, and showcase learning through outcomes such as mind maps and action plans while gaining feedback from their mentor for future decision-making and action.
Mentoring is fully managed and tracked through the CapSource Experiential Learning Management System. Students and mentors can register, build comprehensive profiles, browse the network, request matches, schedule kickoff meetings, submit pre-work, and follow carefully designed curriculum to ensure outcomes accomplish key professional development goals.
Evaluating mentor program effectiveness is easy through participant satisfaction surveys and deliverable archives. We incorporate a post-engagement survey of participants to collect their perception of the mentoring experience and program based on satisfaction and growth.
How does the Mentoring Program work?
CapSource Experiential Mentor Technology is available to all CapSource LITE customers and is customizable and private for partners that choose the CapSource CONNECT system!
❶ Register for the platform.
❷ Share with students so they can build their profile, including their education and professional backgrounds as well as other basic info that improves matching quality.
❸ Indicate mentorship preferences. Once registered, mentors and students are matched based upon their interests, preferences, and availability.
❹ Get matched and start working through the mentorship curricular experience!
Matched participants are provided a topic-focused mentoring module to guide the engagement that facilitates mentor-mentee interactions and fosters a mentoring relationship (see format example on following pages).
Engagements typically last three weeks but are adjustable through the CONNECT System. Though the structured engagement is time-limited, paired mentors may choose to work together on another topic, continue meeting independently, or be matched with another participant.
1-Month, 3-Meeting Mentor Program Curriculum Example
What are the benefits of our unique mentoring technology?
Benefits to Mentees
- Build skills that are useful in academic and professional life.
- Develop a sharper understanding of what is needed to grow professionally.
- Increase professional network.
- Learn to effectively express expectations, goals, and concerns.
- Increase self-confidence.
- Discover the power of creating deliverables to demonstrate progress; iterate on deliverables to showcase growth.
Benefits to Mentors
- Renew enthusiasm for profession.
- Demonstrate expertise and share knowledge.
- Raise awareness of generational differences in the workplace.
- Enhance skills in coaching, counseling, listening and modeling.
- Develop and practice a more personal style of leadership.
- Enhance professional networks.
- Create meaningful connections with alma mater and next-Gen students.
Benefits to Colleges & Universities
- Increase alumni involvement and connection
- Increase student retention and graduation rates
- Higher levels of academic achievement
- Guided career exploration
- Analyzed program data for accreditation purposes
Ready to get started?
Register to explore the feature
or
Schedule time for a demo with our team
Venable, J. (2020). How College Mentors Can Foster Student Success. Best Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/college-mentor-student-success/