COMM 421 -- Senior Colloquium

Dr. Lee McGaan  

  Office:  WH 308  (ph. 309-457-2155);  email:  lee@monmouthcollege.edu
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Junior Mentoring Assignment
last updated 10/12/2011

The mentoring assignment for Senior Colloquium asks you to make use of your experience as a COMM Major by guiding and advising students following in your footsteps.  The assignment involves advising and sharing your experiences with the major and with the COMM Professional digital portfolio with the Juniors in COMM 321 - Junior Colloquium.

 

 Part I - Junior Mentoring

  1. Seniors, in groups, will meet with the members of Junior Colloquium (in groups of 6 or so) on Wednesday, October 5 in WH 316 and nearby rooms (groupings to be assigned - see link below).

  2. There are two general goals for this mentoring experience.  The first is to help the Juniors begin planning and designing their COMM Professional Portfolios both technically and conceptually.  The second is to help the Juniors plan to get the most out of their final two years of college as COMM majors.

  3. Prior to the session with the Juniors, you and your teammates should get together and plan an agenda detailing

    1. what knowledge, experience, tips, etc. you want to share with your assigned Juniors

    2. what questions you want to ask them or encourage them to ask you.

    3. what materials you may wish to show them.

  4. In planning your agenda and in having the discussion consider the items listed below.  Save a copy of the agenda as you will need to include it in your "Mentoring Report" to me.

    1. Remember, the most important part of mentoring is being sure you are meeting the needs of your "Mentees."

    2. You may want to be sure they understand what an artifact is and what kinds of course-related and non-course-related materials can serve as artifacts.

    3. Help them understand the meaning of the various goals they need to meet for completion of the portfolio

    4. Perhaps you and your teammates may want to brainstorm ideas on the theme, "Early in my Junior year I wish I had known . . ."

    5. Talk about Internships (or independent studies), what you did and wish you had done differently in getting the internship and getting the most out of it.

    6. Think about the kinds of skills you now recognize as important ones for COMM majors in the post-graduate world.

    7. Chat about courses you think were especially useful (or could have been useful if approached differently) or courses you wish you had taken but didn't. Include both COMM and non-COMM courses that might support long-term goals. Be conscious of the limits on time and the need to seek long-term benefits from the major and other college course work.

    8. Remember, they are at the beginning of the process.  They may not have many good questions.  It is your job to guide them not critique their lack of knowledge about portfolios, upper-level courses and internships.

  5. During your meeting it is probably best to be in a location where you can show the Juniors examples of your portfolios as a way to provide concrete advice and stimulate questions. 

  6. After your mentoring meeting, submit answers to the three questions your Senior Colloquium "Junior Mentoring Report" to Professor McGaan by email on or before Wednesday, October 12.  (link to report form)

Junior-Senior Mentoring Groups