Sustained Improvement of Faculty Mentoring Competency with a Mentor Development Program.

Abstract

The greatest challenge to forming faculty developmental networks is the limited availability of skilled mentors, emphasizing the need for mentor development programs. Limited data indicate that mentor development intervention improves mentors' self-reported mentoring competency over the short term. However, the impact on long-term mentoring competency is unknown, constituting a critical gap in the literature. The study used a randomized controlled design with multiple post-test measures to compare the effectiveness of a combined online asynchronous plus virtual synchronous mentor development program vs. an online asynchronous program alone. It tested the hypothesis that mentor development intervention results in greater and sustained improvement in self-assessed mentor competency than the control group in four Southwestern and Mountain West universities. Self-assessed mentor competency was examined using the MCA-21 Mentoring Competency Assessment scale at baseline, and 3-, 12- and 24-months. MCA-21 was rated on a seven-point Likert-type scale as 1, 'Not at all skilled' to 7, 'Extremely skilled'. The composite score was the 21-item average. Linear mixed models examined the intervention effect while accounting for repeated measures, with the main intervention effect operationalized by the intervention x period interaction. 47 intervention and 39 control faculty mentor-mentee dyads, mostly underrepresented in science, were recruited without pre-requirement for research competency. Compared to controls, MCA-21 for intervention mentors improved significantly from baseline at 3-months (Estimate (SE), 0.58 (0.19), 12 months (0.58 (0.21) and 24 months 0.74 (0.23), interaction p ≤0.005). By demonstrating sustained improvement in mentors' competency over 24 months, our findings provide the rationale for academic institutions to invest in faculty mentor development programs and will help the nation support the development of a skilled, diverse academic workforce.