Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (AIM)

A Mentor Training Program Tailored for Faculty Members of Undergraduate Researchers

The overarching goals of AIM are to provide a variety of engaging faculty training resources to promote student success through positive and inclusive mentoring. Because student involvement in high impact practices such as research, scholarly, and creative activities boost student success – particularly when associated with strong mentorship, learning the best practices for mentoring is a critical component of facilitating student success. The AIM Program works towards that goal by providing a hybrid program: 35 videos across six learning modules (topics listed below) are accompanied by six synchronous discussions to build a community of practice around mentoring on your campus. AIM provides videos featuring faculty and staff members from around the É«ÖÐÉ« campus who share tips and ideas on best practices in mentoring, along with re-enactments (actors and animation scenes) of student/professor scenarios that are based on real mentoring stories collected from the É«ÖÐÉ« campus community. These modules not only cover critical topics that promote social justice and culturally aware mentoring, they also help to define the broad role(s) of an undergraduate mentor. In addition, AIM ‘Top Tips’ handouts and other outside resources are provided for each of the 35 episodes. A Leader’s Manual has been created to encourage sharing of experiences and expertise within the discussion group. The manual provides group activities, discussion prompts, and session notes for these facilitated discussions.

If you are part of the CSU system and would like information on how to bring AIM to your campus, please contact Dr. Kelly Young (kelly.young@csulb.edu) for train-the-facilitator sessions. 

See the complete listing of AIM Modules below :

  • 1.1  Non-verbal communication
  • 1.2  Favoritism
  • 1.3  Constructive criticism
  • 1.4  Professional communication limits
  • 1.5  Virtual mentoring
  • 1.6  Power differential
  • 1.7  Communicating across differences
  • 1.8  Active listening
  • 1.9  Communication personalities

  • 2.1 Why equity and inclusion matter
  • 2.2 Understanding privilege
  • 2.3 Unconscious bias
  • 2.4 Managing microaggressions
  • 2.5 Confronting discrimination
  • 2.6 Culturally aware mentoring

  • 3.1 Supporting professional development
  • 3.2 Establishing a professional identity in your mentees
  • 3.3 Promoting effective mentee time management
  • 3.4 Mentoring professional communication
  • 3.5 Balancing mentee independence with guidance

  • 4.1 Establishing trust and building confidence in your mentees
  • 4.2 Surviving challenging conversations with your mentees
  • 4.3 Modeling and promoting work life balance
  • 4.4 Recognizing signs of depression and anxiety in your mentees
  • 4.5 Ethical mentoring

  • 5.1 Expectation management
  • 5.2 Social justice mentoring
  • 5.3 Comprehension check-ins
  • 5.4 Avoiding mentoring meltdowns
  • 5.5 Transitions in mentoring

  • 6.1 Mentoring Frames
  • 6.2 Documenting your mentoring
  • 6.3 Assessing your mentees and your own mentoring
  • 6.4 Mentoring myths
  • 6.5 Sustaining your Mentoring