Mentoring Policy

The college life of students is changing very fast with pressures to achieve the best in academics, secure jobs with respectable earnings, build their careers according their choice, and integrate learning of various skills with curriculum to ensure job security and to cope up with the information available on the social media. At the same time, with the fast advancement in international relations and developments in science and the sudden onset of pandemic COVID19, higher education has become more complex and challenging. This created a lot of anxiety and uncertainties among college students about their success during college and their in near future. It is a well-defined fact that the turning point in the career of students is not the curriculum topics but the relationship with the mentors who may be their peers or teachers or professionals. Karnataka College of Pharmacy admits students across India and abroad with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Hence, there is a stringent need for persistent monitoring and mentoring of students for academic, social, personal and career guidance. Looking at all these essentialities of students, the college devised a Mentor-Mentee system where a group of students (Mentees) are assigned to a faculty (Mentor) from the respective courses. The IQAC will conduct sessions every year for faculty members on mentoring. The Following policy has been adopted by the college for its mentorship program

Mentor Mentee Mechanism

Faculty members (Mentors) will be assigned a group of 05 to 25 students from the respective courses.
The mentee once assigned to a mentor will continue with the mentor throughout the semester of the program.
Every Year, First Year students will be allotted to the respective subject teachers.
In case of International students, Foreign students in charge from the faculty for each year is allotted in addition to their program mentors who will look after of their special needs.
Student Mentors will be assigned to slow learners in the format of a buddy system.
Peer or student mentors will be felicitated at a suitable platform and the number of hours spent by them will be considered towards completion of NSS program.

Responsibilities of Mentor

At least one meeting should be conducted (online/offline) in a month. Totally a mentor should spend at least 8 hours with their mentees in a semester.
Assess mentee’s background, knowledge, skill, motivation, experience, hobbies, etc.
Help to improve upon communication skills and shed hesitation.
Counsel, guide and advice mentee to accomplish their goal in academic and career development.
Help them to solve their concerns with appropriate support and referral available.
Encourage their interest in academic, extracurricular and social works.
Discussions on socio-cultural aspect of the country to make good citizen.
If situation demands contact parent/guardians and provide the information about the achievements of their wards.
Update them on various scholarships, fellowships, competitions, internships, research projects, job opportunities, etc.
Develop leadership quality, team work among mentee.
Develop a long term relationship and keep in contact to see the effects of mentoring and the progression of the mentee.
After completion of each session, submit the meeting records and a brief report to IQAC keeping the information and discussions with the mentees confidential.
Consult the college psychologist about the needs of any mentee and take necessary action.
Listen to the mentees, be flexible, be empathetic, be respectful and invest time and efforts
Identify the learning abilities of their mentees and suggest necessary action programs to the IQAC e.g. requirements of any skill development programs, career counseling sessions from professionals, preparation for various entrance examinations, etc.
Reaching out to other colleagues to request to conduct special/remedial classes for slow learners in the group.

Responsibilities of Mentee

Attend meetings regularly
Be respectful towards everyone and the mentor
Share details of her/his performances in academic, extra-curricular activities, etc with mentors
Share his/her career plans and specific needs with mentor.
Focus on the guidance or advice provided by the mentor.

Outcome of the Mentor-Mentee Program

To empower students through imparting skills for self-awareness, self- management, social awareness and relationship management
Identification of the learning abilities of the students and requirements of special needs.
Identification of slow and advanced learners and take appropriate steps.
Proposal for augmenting curriculum as per the requirement of the students.
Initiating new courses for career advancement of students based on student requirements.
Forwarding suggestions for changes in the curriculum to University for necessary action.
Modifications in the pedagogy system.

Faculty and college responsibility towards Slow learners

Slow learners cannot be defined as poor achievers or suffering from any kind of illness. The slow learning may be because of social background, lesser exposure to society, academic facilities, field, hesitation to ask questions in the class, medium of instruction, previous knowledge of the subject due to different curriculum in state boards, etc. mentors can help mentees to overcome many of their problems. The following strategies of more may be adopted by the faculty to motivate and guide slow learners.

Making provisions of easy lecture notes/study materials.
Recording their lectures and providing the same to the students so that the students can listen to the class content at their pace.
Arranging special classes in the form of remedial classes.
Peer education strategies can be used by following buddy system or peer mentors.
Provide academic and personal counseling.
Encourage group learning activities.
Encouraging the students to join or participate in Co-Curricular activities
Teaching Learning through examples and case studies related to their social background.
Encouraging students to be more inquisitive and to join the skill development courses on life communication skills.

Faculty and college responsibility towards advanced learners

Advanced learners are those students who have better Intelligence Quotient and faster understanding of the subject. Such students require to be groomed beyond curriculum to explore their full potential.

Providing extra facilities and academic input for better career growth.
Encouragement to join various research projects run by the college to inculcate research orientation.
Encouragement to write and publish research/popular/review papers or book chapters under the guidance of faculty members.
Must be guided to read research papers and make presentations before the class.
Motivate to participate in National/International Conferences, Seminar and workshop so that they can present their works as well as interact with renowned academician.
Provide scholarships/Awards to acknowledge their efforts and to enhance their performance.
Offer a range of texts with more difficult books other than the peers.
Initiatives to train the minds with moving from factual to conceptual thoughts.
Nurture and support innovative thinking and transforming innovative ideas into products or models.
Pedagogy must justify the principles of teaching and learning in the form of exploration and creation and provide envision, support, improve and exhibit.

Mechanism of Mentor-Mentee System