CEP Faculty Mentors
Faculty mentors serve a critical role in ensuring that courses meet M State rigor, outcomes and quality. The high school instructor must be committed to meeting program guidelines to teach college-level courses in the high school.
Mentor Responsibilities
Classroom observations are normally done in-person. Ideas are listed below in the teacher/mentor meeting and observation topics.
New mentoring relationship
(either the CEP instructor or course is new)
The mentor completes two classroom observations.
Repeat mentoring
(CEP instructor has taught the course before)
The mentor completes one classroom observation.
Mentor meetings can be done using technology or in person. See the list of teacher/mentor meeting and observation topics below for ideas.
New mentoring relationship
The mentor will complete a total of three meetings: one pre-class orientation meeting and two other meetings.
Repeat mentoring
The mentor will complete two meetings.
New mentoring relationship
Mentors will provide course-specific training in course philosophy, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment before the high school instructor begins teaching the course. This will be done during the pre-class meeting and documented on the New Instructor Training and Orientation Form. This is only required when the CEP instructor is new or teaching a course for the first time.
Mentors will review and discuss the following with all CEP instructors to ensure the delivery of a quality, collegiate-level learning experience for concurrent enrollment students:
- Course syllabus and course outline to ensure consistency in course outcomes and expectations
- Grading practices to ensure standards are similar to those in on-campus courses
- Assignments and assessments to ensure students are being assessed using methods similar to those in on-campus courses
- Other college-level subject matters, course guidelines, required materials, grading, student engagement and academic rigor
Mentors will provide support and guidance to CEP high school instructors that includes:
- Understanding and referencing the M State Concurrent Enrollment Handbook and other mentor and teacher resources found on M State's Concurrent Enrollment website and in the Employee Portal > Academic Affairs > Extended Learning > K12 Collaborations
- Ensuring students have access to library and other college services to assist them in their academic success
- Providing relevant M State academic policies and procedures to the instructor upon request
Mentors will attend and participate in the annual professional development day (Concurrent Enrollment Day) and/or provide one-on-one discipline-specific professional development to CEP instructors. Annual professional development and ongoing collegial interaction is a NACEP accreditation requirement which serves to enhance instructor pedagogy and breadth of knowledge in the discipline.
Mentors will document annual discipline-specific professional development topics and discussions, including any materials used or activities engaged in, on the Annual Professional Development Form and mentor reports.
Mentors will submit a mentor report for every course, at the end of every term, via the link in the Employee Portal > Files and Forms > K12 Collaborations.
New mentoring relationship report requirements
- Upload New Instructor Training and Orientation Form
- Upload the CEP instructor's syllabus
- Enter classroom observation, annual discipline-specific training and other meeting dates and notes
Repeat mentoring relationship report requirements
- Upload the CEP instructor's syllabus
- Enter classroom observation, annual discipline-specific training and other meeting dates and notes
Mentors will comply with NACEP accreditation requirements to provide evidence of paired students assessments, paired syllabi and a signed statement of equivalency upon request by CEP staff.
Forms and resources
- Annual Professional Development Form
- New Instructor Training and Orientation Form
- M State Concurrent Enrollment Handbook
- New Mentor Orientation Checklist
- StarID Activation Instructions for CE Instructors
- Syllabus Checklist and Template [Word]
- Syllabus Checklist and Template [PDF]
Instructor/mentor meeting and observation topics
Meeting topics may include:
- Syllabus development and requirements
- Course outline
- Assignments and assessment criteria
- Course curriculum (including materials and resources)
- Pedagogy
- Course philosophy and theory
- Plagiarism
- Grading
- Overview of the CEP and Concurrent Handbook
- Concurrent Enrollment Day
- The length and number of classes and how they will be used to cover the subject matter of the course
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and MN Government Data Privacy Act
- Accessibility Resources (formerly called Disability Services)
Classroom observation topics may include:
- Clarity of the lesson objectives
- Organization of the presentation
- Communication of subject matter
- Demonstration of concept or principles examples
- The monitoring of student learning and adjusting instruction appropriately
- Receptiveness to students' views and responses
- Answering student questions clearly and positively
- Summarization of key points
- Definition of terms and background information given when necessary
- Student engagement and/or involvement in classroom activities
- The methodology used to assess student learning
New instructor training and orientation
For new CEP instructors or a new CEP course, a minimum of one planning meeting between the faculty mentor and high school instructor will occur prior to the start of the course. This meeting will include a comprehensive New Instructor Training and Orientation with discipline-specific training in topics including, but not limited to:
- Syllabus development
- Course curriculum
- Course outcomes
- Assessment equivalency
- Grading and rigor equivalency
- Pedagogy
- Course philosophy and theory
- Textbook/materials options/requirements
- Concurrent Enrollment Handbook
- Administrative responsibilities
- Mentor/Mentee roles and responsibilities
- Programmatic and institutional policy and procedures
- Annual professional development (CE Day)
Mentors will use the New Instructor Training and Orientation Form as documentation and submit it with the mentor report at the end of the term.
New faculty mentor orientation
New faculty mentors will receive orientation training provided by the program director, before their mentoring work commences. This is an opportunity for open dialog and Q&A. Discussions and overview will include:
- New Mentor Orientation
- Concurrent Enrollment Program
- Concurrent Enrollment Handbook
- CEP webpages, forms and resources
- Mentor/mentee relationship (number of observations/visits and meetings and how they will occur, etc.)
- Mentor and CEP instructor (roles and responsibilities)
- Methods to monitor and ensure rigor
- Methods to monitor and ensure equivalent student assessment
- Methods to monitor and ensure equivalent grading practices
- Importance of quality and ongoing communication and sharing
- Importance of pairing and sharing assessment instruments
- Mentee syllabus (requirements vs suggestions)
- A sample syllabus, and syllabus checklist and template can be found at High School CEP Instructors
- Mentor reports
- NACEP accreditation
- Concurrent Enrollment Day (annual professional development)
