:ELIXIR-GOBLET Train-the-Trainer Mentorship Programme

Description

The Programme is an objective set out in the ELIXIR-GOBLET TtT Commissioned Service as part of ELIXIR’s Scientific Programme 2024–28. The Commissioned Service aims to sustain and further develop the TtT instructor’s community through the Mentorship Programme.

The Mentorship Programme will build Node capacity by giving members autonomy to organise and teach ELIXIR-GOBLET TtT courses. Developing mentor-mentee relationships is a key part of the TtT MP, and monthly meetings will provide an opportunity to critically reflect and elaborate on ELIXIR-GOBLET TtT materials.

What can you do with ELIXIR-GOBLET Train-the-Trainer Mentorship Programme

By the end of the mentorship programme, mentees will:

• Be able to teach TtT course materials effectively
• Have significantly improved their teaching approach as a result of the Programme’s frequent formative assessment and reflection practice

Resource licenses

Publications

How this programme will function

Open call and duration of the mentorship training

• Open the call for 6 mentee nodes in October 2024.
• The call will stay open until 6 mentee nodes are selected and in any case no later than September 2025
• Each training can start at any time in the period 15/01/2025 - 31/10/2025, depending on the mentor and mentee availability.
• Each training will last 6 months. The 2nd TtT delivery (at the mentee’s node) must be taught within the following 2 months.
• Each Node can only apply once.
• Selected Nodes will receive 1 PM for their participation in the TtT MP.
• Further resources will be available for the local organisation of TtT courses.

Structure of the mentorship training

• Each Mentor-Mentee pair will have to meet at least once a month (overall six times)
• In each meeting, the mentor will assign the mentee the tasks to be completed within the following month and provide feedback about the tasks completed in the previous month.
• The mentee will maintain their writings in digital format (e.g. blog, shared document)
• One TtT course will be held at the mentor’s node during the 6 months training
• One TtT course will be held at the mentee’s node in the two month following the training

Mentorship Tasks

• Studying materials.
• For each piece of material, write how it relates to mentee personal experience (as a trainer and/or as a trainee) and any other reflection. Some structure to help the writing will be provided (in the form of general questions).
• The mentor will provide written feedback to the mentee’s reported experience and reflections
• The mentor will support mentees in developing metacognitive and self-evaluation abilities.

Final feedback

• Both mentor and mentee will provide final and rich feedback and lesson learned about the experience of working together
• The mentee will have to provide self-assessment after the TtT delivery at the mentee’s node
• (Separately) The mentor will have to provide structured feedback (positive vs to improve; content vs presentation) to their mentee after the TtT delivery at the mentee’s node

Definition of a mentor

Mentor prerequisites

• Must have taught entire TtT courses in the past
• Must be an active participant of the ELIXIR TtT community
• Must be up to date with current pedagogical best practices
• Must commit to travel to mentees’ country
• Must be endorsed by their Node (via the TrC)

Mentor commitments

• Get familiar with the programme materials
• Meet with WP leads and other mentors to:
  • discuss the programme and how to best implement it and adapt it based on feedback received
  • collectively define the questions that will guide the mentee’s writing along with any other assignments
  • share their experience with other mentors
• Make a work plan:
  • Who is doing what
  • Timeline
  • Decide the digital format (blog, GDoc) for mentee’s writing
• Meet at least once a month with mentees
• Assign tasks to be completed
• Provide feedback and comments to mentees
• Collect feedback from mentees
• Support mentees in their progress towards the achievement of learning outcomes
• Organise, together with mentees, a TtT course at their node
• Support mentees in organising a TtT course in their node

Potential mentors who fulfil the prerequisites will be invited. Additionally, those who have demonstrable experience in establishing TtT programmes in their or other Nodes, who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise with another Node and is committed to providing mentorship to their assigned mentees and empower them to become a TtT trainer, are welcome to contact the work package leads.

Definition of a mentee

Mentee prerequisites

• Must be a member of the Node with training responsibilities.
• Must be endorsed by their Node (via TrC).
• Must commit to co-organising a TtT course in mentor’s node
• Must commit to co-organise a TtT course in their Node by the end of the programme.

Anyone from the TtT community who fulfils the prerequisites, who does want to teach TtT courses, who wishes to be autonomous in delivering TtT courses, and become able to reflect, understand, own the materials of the TtT as if they were authors of this, and really feels comfortable to teach, and not only recite by heart the slides.

Learning goals and learning outcomes

The learning goals for this programme is that the mentees be autonomous in delivering TtT courses, and that they are able to reflect, understand, own the materials of the TtT as if they were authors of this, and really feel comfortable to teach, and not only recite by heart the slides.

Moreover, based on the 7th principle of learning from “How learning works” Lovett et al. (“To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning”), TtT trainers should become able to engage in a variety of metacognitive processes to monitor and control their teaching. In particular, they should learn how to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses, plan their teaching approaches, apply and monitor various strategies, and reflect on the degree to which their current approaches are working.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the mentorship programme, mentees will be able to:

1. Teach TtT course materials effectively, e.g.. to the satisfaction of both the mentor and the trainees
2. To constantly improve their teaching approach as a result of frequent formative assessment and reflection practice.

What are the rules for the programme

• Each round will last six months + two additional months to deliver the final TtT course.
• The number of mentees per mentor is two. They can be from different nodes. However, priority will be given to nodes endorsing two mentees. If a node can endorse only one mentee the second mentee could be selected from the mentor’s node, provided mentor and mentee are not geographically co-located.
• The end of each mentor-mentee’s cycle will include the delivery of at least two Train-the-Trainer courses, held in person or hybrid.
• At least one mentee per node must travel to the mentor’s country for the final TtT delivery course. If a mentee is not travelling, they will teach remotely.
• The mentor must travel to the mentees’ country for the final TtT delivery course.
• Each Mentor-Mentee pair will have to meet at least once a month (overall six times).
• Both mentees will study and practise TtT course materials.
• Each mentee will work on at least a book. If mentees work on a single book, the two books should be different.
• The mentor will define a lesson plan, including defining tasks, the timeline, and the digital format for writing and feedback.

Mentorship programme materials

• TtT available materials (slides, available narrative, Practical Guides)
• Understanding How We Learn by Weinstein et al.
• How Learning Works by Lovett et al.
• Instructor training material from The Carpentries
• Additional (non mandatory) articles and books proposed by mentor and/or mentees

What would be the matching criteria?

We propose that the mentor and their mentees are matched randomly.

Open Call Mentorship programme

Subsequently, a call for mentors and mentees will be open, following the rules of the new programme. The mentors and mentees will be selected and matched together with mentors.

Contacts

Contributors