Mentoring

How to use mentoring in teaching, research supervision and university career development: academics explain coaching, support and skills development in the mentor-mentee relationship

Detail of hands collecting river water

Celebrating failure and other advice for PhD supervisors

PhD researchers should be given space to work independently, share their results and test their own limits with the support of supervisors who see them as people first and scientists second, explains Hannah Cloke

Hannah Cloke

University of Reading

Two young women at a laptop having a conversation

Five steps to finding effective mentors in academia

Five steps to help you find a mentor who aligns with your goals and can help you achieve academic success

Lyn R. Keith

The University of the West Indies

A young female researcher working in the lab

How can PhD researchers be supported to complete an alternative format thesis?

How universities can best support PhD researchers who wish to produce alternative format theses, based on a review of institutional policies

Caitlin Robinson

The University of Bristol

THE podcast graphic

THE podcast: how to be a good mentor and mentee

Contributors from across the globe offer their advice on how to make these critical relationships work for everyone involved

Campus contributors

Campus

virtual mentoring

How mentor and mentee can help each other

Mentorship is a symbiotic relationship. Here, two scientists look at steps in the meeting process and benefits from both sides

Greta Faccio, Maria Koumouri

Independent academic, University of Cyprus

Mentoring session

Six lessons from facilitating a formalised mentoring programme

An institutional formalised mentoring scheme can offer invaluable career guidance for early- and mid-career academics. Here, based on 15 years of managing a programme for academic staff, Karen Mather offers her key takeaways

Karen Mather

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

peer mentoring

Why micro-mentoring works for Generation Z

Breaking the support experience into bite-size exchanges does more to increase younger students’ appetite to keep going than the traditional one-to-one mentoring model

Raphaella Prange

Maryville University

A white male academic talking to a young Black female student

Tips and tricks for impactful reverse mentoring

How to structure and manage effective reverse mentoring programmes which can bring benefits for participants and the wider sector

Rachael O’Connor

University of Leeds

University staff member talking to a female student

The case for reverse mentoring in higher education

Reverse mentoring can drive progress on many challenges faced in higher education today, if planned with care, as Rachael O’Connor explains

Rachael O’Connor

University of Leeds

Detail of woman being interviewed

Engaging in controversial topics in teaching and research

Sensitive subjects such as trolling and sexual assault require a careful approach at all points – from examining your motivation before you begin and setting up support to sharing findings, writes Ekant Veer

Ekant Veer

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Darwin and teaching originality in university

Teaching originality: an essential skill in the age of ChatGPT

Academic originality is not about chance, genius or magic. It is about engagement and a clear sense of scholarly contribution. And it can be taught, writes Alastair Bonnett

Alastair Bonnett

Newcastle University

A university tutor talking to a male student

Five characteristics of effective supervisor training

What constitutes effective training to ensure research supervisors are well equipped to work with doctoral students? Sioux McKenna and Puleng Motshoane share advice based on their research in South Africa

Sioux McKenna, Puleng Motshoane

Rhodes University, University of Johannesburg

A female tutor speaks to a younger woman

Giving and receiving doctoral writing feedback

Advice for PhD supervisors on setting out clear expectations and strategies for delivering effective feedback to their doctoral students

Susan Carter

The University of Auckland

A man and two women in a meeting around a laptop

How professional supervision can benefit academics

Common in health professions, supervision has much to offer faculty and higher education institutions – whether it takes place one-on-one or in groups. Here, Anita Volkert explains how to use the 3Cs of effective supervision to get started

Anita Volkert

Glasgow Caledonian University

Two colleagues speaking to one another by a computer

A mentoring scheme for graduate teaching assistants

How to shape a mentoring scheme to help graduate teaching assistants develop their instructional practice and gain professional qualifications

Thomas Rodgers, Claudia E Henninger

The University of Manchester

Diverse team of scientists in a competition

How supervisors can use research competitions to inspire lifetime learning

While some may think that entering student science competitions is all about the gold medals, the long-term nature of such projects is perfect fodder for learning meaningful skills

Zheng Pai

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A man standing on a rock, staring out into the distance

A vision for graduate supervision

Supervising graduate students is a responsibility and skill that goes far beyond the mere transmission of knowledge, as Daniel Jutras explains

Daniel Jutras

University of Montreal

Research competitions and university sutdents

Tactics for leading and engaging students in research competitions

Research competitions can motivate, encourage and inspire students, but we must align their expectations and encourage teamwork throughout the project

Zheng Pai

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Young Asian man jumping through circular obstacles

Building resilience in students: give them roots and wings

Teachers can act as their students’ strongest supporters and life coaches, assisting them in acquiring the knowledge, abilities and resilience they need to face life’s challenges

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

Older professional woman and young professional woman working together at laptop

How reverse mentoring helps co-create institutional knowledge

Reverse mentoring flips traditional power hierarchies, seeks connections across generations and offers opportunities to build relationships between students and faculty. The result boosts leadership skills and institutional knowledge

Monika Foster

Northumbria University

Two women sitting talk to one another

Supervising neurodiverse postgraduate researchers

Advice for supervisors to tailor their support and guidance for neurodiverse postgraduate researchers, based on conversations with two autistic PGRs

Kelly Louise Preece

The University of Exeter

Inspiring lecturer at university

It’s worth rethinking how we engage graduates – they can be teaching gold

National teaching fellow James Derounian highlights the potential for recycling graduate contributions back into university teaching

James Derounian

University of Bolton

Women mentoring

The power of gender-sensitive mentoring

Mentoring is a powerful tool to enhance job satisfaction and work-life balance. This guide aims to help mentors adopt a gender-sensitive approach to support women and people who identify as women in teaching-focused roles

Marion Coderch

Durham University

Mentoring postgrad students well requires much planning

Setting up right is crucial for supervision success – here’s how

Successful supervision requires careful planning. Tania Crotti and Anna Szorenyi share road-tested approaches to establishing and maintaining effective supervisory practices

Tania Crotti , Anna Szorenyi

The University of Adelaide

Illustration of mentoring tree of lightbulbs

Career mentoring can support student employability

Support for students extends beyond the classroom. Here’s how to develop a successful mentoring programme to help students take their first steps into the workplace

Zurria Qureshi

The University of Westminster

Improving research culture at universities

To improve research culture, we must change the way we measure performance

Jo Cresswell explains how universities can support more collaborative cultures by changing the way academics are reviewed, assessed and rewarded

Jo Cresswell

Dr Joanne Cresswell Coaching

Midwife hands baby to mother after hospital birth

Ways to support research students in nursing and midwifery

PhD supervision requires a specific skill set – from communication to emotional intelligence – to meet its challenges and secure its rewards. Here, Helen Allan shares her advice based on more than 20 years of experience

Helen Allan

Middlesex University

Peer mentoring at university can make a difference to student confidence

As a black, female student, I wish I’d had a peer-mentoring scheme

Asking more experienced students to volunteer to help first-years navigate their university journey can make all the difference in terms of belonging and confidence

Bernadine Idowu

University of West London

Diverse hands illustrating inclusive student-staff partnership concept

Student-staff partnerships: seven strategies for adopting inclusive practices

Student-staff partnerships can support skills development and enrich courses, as well as offer life-changing professional and academic opportunities for diverse students. Here, Madelaine-Marie Judd and Brooke Szücs encourage others to embrace this ethos

Madelaine-Marie Judd, Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

Diverse group of students in discussion

Four steps to robust and respectful classroom discussion

This video offers a four-part approach that gives space for students to speak up eagerly in classroom debates and shows them how to disagree well. Brian Ray, director of the Poe Business Ethics Center at the University of Florida, explains how to put it into practice

Brian Ray

University of Florida

Signposts for help, support, advice and guidance

Tips for new PhD supervisors: how to hold effective meetings

Supervisory meetings should be planned, regular and positive in tone. Here are key elements to include in thesis supervision meetings for academics new to the role

Alice Ling Jiang

Macau University of Science and Technology

Image showing collaboration between doctoral students and supervisors

Co-creation: how to find the ‘super’ in supervision

Co-creation can bring together research supervisors and doctoral students to unpick the tensions and challenges in the supervisory relationship and seek solutions, researchers from the University of Warwick explain

Elena Riva, Louise Gracia, Rebecca Limb

The University of Warwick

Image showing peer mentoring in action

The role of peer mentoring in the design and development of online learning

Peer mentoring is an effective way to support faculty in the development and delivery of quality online courses. Jonathan Muir explains when and how best to use it

Jonathan Muir

University of Leeds

Illustration of heads with lightbulb and leaves, mentorship

Ten platinum rules for PhD supervisors

Is it time to add PhD supervision to your skill set? Tara Brabazon explains the pitfalls, challenges and rewards of this key academic role for the rookie mentor

Tara Brabazon

Flinders University

Diversity statements in higher education can embed inequality more deeply

Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion within public policy training for academics

Steps higher education institutions can take to make their policy engagement training programmes as diverse and inclusive as possible, based on the experience of a UK university

Audrey Tan

UCL

Figures with light bulb

Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered

From how to choose a topic to writing the abstract and managing work-life balance through the years it takes to complete a doctorate, here we collect expert advice to get you through the PhD writing process

Campus team

Campus

Working alongside students can have positive impacts on research time and also student outcomes

Research time disappearing before your eyes? Try student collaborations

Working alongside students can help academics to both protect their research time and boost student employability, say Dean Fido and Louise Wallace

Dean Fido, Louise Wallace

University of Derby

How to set up university mentorship schemes to support students to become the socially responsible leaders of the future

Foster mentorship skills to create the socially responsible leaders of the future

Institutions should look to set up mentorship practices that help students develop the skills they will need to create successful and sustainable companies. Laura-Jane Silverman explains how

Laura-Jane Silverman

The London School of Economics and Political Science

The relationship between supervisor and early career researcher is crucial

Lessons learned from supervising more than 150 researchers

The transition from PhD candidate to ECR is when the relationship between researcher and supervisor comes to the fore, say Tara Moore and Louise Robertson

Tara Moore, Louise Robertson

Ulster University

paper boats illustrating different pathways to PhD

Fostering freedom in PhD students: how supervisors can shape accessible paths for doctoral research

Clive Palmer looks at alternative approaches to PhDs that open postgraduate research to more candidates – for professional development, career change or just love of learning

Clive Palmer

University of Central Lancashire

Advice on what matters most to students in effective research supervision

Lessons from students on effective research supervision

Richard Godwin shares lessons in effective research supervision based on his former students’ feedback

Richard Godwin

Harper Adams University

Yellow butterfly in a group of blue butterflies

Research supervision: working with the individual in front of you

Lorraine Hope explains how to mitigate student anxiety and avoid toxic competition with a person-centred approach to supervision

Lorraine Hope

The University of Portsmouth

The importance of a structured mentorship programme for ECRs cannot be overstated

How to ensure your mentorship programme isn’t one of the (many) bad ones

Structured mentorship programmes offer a non-judgemental setting in which to ask those pesky questions whose answers shape careers, says Lia Paola Zambetti

Lia Paola Zambetti

University of Sydney