Mentor Influence Methods

Mentors are responsible for directly influencing students' attitudes and behaviors toward improved course outcomes. Below are specific recommendations for ways mentors can increase motivation and engagement in a course.

Engaging

Attention

Demonstrate an infectious passion for your contentBe an appealing and credible role model Encourage and follow up with students during the onboarding process

Nudging

Social

Relationship building

Communicate trustworthiness
- Communicate trust in students
Be likable
Show empathy
Leverage reciprocity
Create immediacy
- Use name
- Plural pronouns
- Humor
- Ask questions
- Greetings
- Positive evaluations
- Make and keep promises
- Positive title key words
- Self disclosure
- Emotional reference
- Calmness
- Illustrations
- Apologize

To change attitude, help students recall a situation to which the attitude applies, present an appealing and credible role model, use the model to communicate or demonstrate the desired choices or actions for the given situation, and communicate or demonstrate satisfaction the model obtains as a result of the selected choices or actions.

Supporting

Learning Identity

Promote effective learning habitsBe optimisticLeverage Inertia

Build a high performing culture early on

Support a positive learning identity

Provide social credibility and recognition for academic achievements that might otherwise be invisible or denigrated by peers
Help students Reinterpret negative past experiences as opportunities for growth
Teach about and support growth mindsets
Provide a learning environment that helps students develop positive self-efficacy

Emotions and Moods

Provide for positive emotional experiences (e.g., curiosity, joy, optimism, pride)Help students persist through negative emotional experiences (e.g., frustration, failure, anxiety, fear, helplessness, overwhelmed)Avoid creating negative emotional experiencesHelp Reinterpret negative past experiences as opportunities for growth

Socio-economic Influences

Create a learning community

Promote citizenship and loyalty

Consider how socio- economic and cultural influences affect your students

Personality

Accommodate different personality types

Inventive and curious vs Consistent and cautious
Efficient and organized vs Easy going and careless
Solitary and reserved vs outgoing and energetic
Challenging and detached vs friendly and compassionate
Secure and confident vs sensitive and nervous

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