The Process

Through observations of small-group mentoring sessions, I discovered that mentors approached their role in highly inconsistent ways. Some:

• Focused heavily on one section of the career plan while neglecting others.

• Used timers to pace students, while others let time run unchecked.

• Chunked instructions into smaller steps, while others gave large, overwhelming tasks.

• Allowed productive struggle, while others over-directed and completed tasks for students.

These inconsistencies extended to session structure, pacing, and instructional approach — likely contributing to the uneven quality of student work.

Additionally, to diagnose the problem, I conducted mentor interviews, asking questions like:

• How prepared did you feel for your session?

• How confident are you in supporting learners with the material?

• What concepts do you need help understanding?

Key findings emerged:

1. Varying levels of preparedness — Some mentors admitted they didn’t fully understand the material themselves.

2. Unclear expectations and processes — No standard approach to time management, scaffolding, or session flow.

3. Lack of internalization — Mentors hadn’t personally gone through the process of creating a career plan, making it harder to model and explain steps to learners.

I used a combination of analysis techniques:

• Should–Is Gap Analysis – Compared the ideal learner outputs to the actual outputs to identify skill gaps.

• Perception Alignment Analysis – Compared what mentors thought students should produce to organizational expectations.

• High-Performer Inventory – Interviewed top-performing mentors to identify strategies contributing to higher-quality plans.

The Solution

I designed and facilitated a structured mentor training and support program to create consistency, improve mentor preparedness, and strengthen coaching skills.

1. Internalization Exercise – Each mentor created their own career exploration plan to better understand the steps and quality expectations.

2. Coaching Guide – Developed a reference document for each objective containing:

   • The objective and its importance.

   • An exemplar career plan section and rationale.

   • Common learner misconceptions and how to course-correct.

   • Scaffolded questions to support struggling learners.

3. Professional Development Series – Facilitated approximately six workshops over three months covering topics such as:

   • Creating urgency with time management tools and strategies.

   • Chunking complex tasks into manageable steps.

   • Modeling and think-aloud instructional techniques.

   • Additional topics tailored to ongoing mentor needs and feedback.

4. Coaching Rubric & Sessions – Created a detailed coaching rubric to observe and assess mentor practices during sessions. Using trends identified from observations, I led group coaching sessions focused on addressing common challenges and reinforcing effective strategies.