In 2021/2022 we are welcoming our second cohort of Global Studies. Because of the great interest in the programme, we are looking for new mentors!
GS students have their own mentor and we’ll try to match students to a suitable role model. During their entire programme, so for 3 years, we would like for the student and mentor to have a meeting or call quite regularly during the period of September to May.
Teaching hours: 9 hours per student.
What does the mentor do?
The mentor is primarily a discussion partner for the student as they navigate through the program. Our primary goals for the mentoring track are:
- giving feedback on how to integrate, adjust, and participate in such a diverse environment
- providing additional individual assistance as students tackle the challenges of working interdisciplinary
- supporting students in structuring their study progress, and to resolve any problems early and quickly.
The mentors directly contribute to the students’ attainment of two Intended Learning Outcomes — global citizenship and interpersonal communication — by providing direct advice, helping them make sense of their experiences and reflecting with them in the writing of their portfolio.
Why do we meet so frequently?
Mentors in Global Studies have a different role than academic advisers (e.g. at UCM) or student advisers (most faculties). We see mentors as coaches: the goals outlined above are hard to attain without regular and frequent discussions that allow the mentor to see how the student’s thinking evolves, and provides repeated nudges to the student to focus on longer-term goals. Global Studies mentors are much more central to the learning process, so a model of re-active schedule (the student requests a meeting) or meetings at pre-determined decision points (e.g. to discuss the next semester) does not work well for us.
How is this scheduled and compensated?
We are building the mentoring track to be as accommodating as possible since the demands of our various teaching schedules, personal research initiatives, and our lives are quite diverse across the Global Studies community.
We would like you to meet or call with the student approximately 7 times a year for a half-hour. You don’t need to be in Maastricht, the meetings can be scheduled whenever it fits your and their schedule, and we can be flexible in situations where you need to step out of the rhythm on occasion, e.g. due to a field study in a low-connectivity area. Our Mentor Coordinator, who is also the Student Care Officer of the programme, will be in charge of facilitating the process and will be polling you regarding your needs and preferred way of working.
If you would like to sign up or get more information, please contact the mentor coordinator of Global Studies: Saskia van Bergen (s.vanbergen@maastrichtuniversity.nl)
