There are many benefits to mentorship, extending beyond individual mentoring relationships and into the larger academic teaching and learning community, in classrooms, academic programs and institutions. First and foremost, making a positive impact on student experience is central to teaching and learning mentorship; students are the ultimate beneficiaries. Second, mentoring relationships have mutual benefits for mentors and mentees, including that of helping create communities committed to helping one another develop professionally, whether as academics at the beginning of their careers or as those with more experience. The socialization that accompanies mentorship mitigates feelings of isolation that can occur in teaching in higher education, reinforcing the importance of teaching as community property (Shulman, 1993). Third, the reciprocal experience of learning from one another strengthens the teaching practice of both mentors and mentees, not only methodologically, but importantly, in the cultivation of reflection. This also becomes a means of developing mentorship practice.

Benefits for mentors

Mentorship may help mentors to:

• Reflect on and improve their own teaching practice as they interact with and learn from their mentees.
• Experience the pleasure of helping a colleague begin his or her career, choose a new career path, or reach a desired goal (Kanaskie, 2006).
• Gain satisfaction from assisting less experienced professionals while also improving their own leadership skills (Leners, Wilson, Connor & Fenton, 2006; McKinley, 2004).
• Experience professional development, personal satisfaction, improved interpersonal skills, improved job satisfaction and enjoyment of the stimulation and challenge (van Eps, Cooke, Creedy & Walker, 2006).
• Develop a renewed sense of commitment to job, continuous learning and career development, building of reputational capital, enhanced leadership skills and satisfaction of giving back to the community (Bower & Hums, 2008; Kay & Wallace, 2010; Soklaridis et al., 2014).

Benefits for mentees

Mentorship may help mentees to:

• Gain feelings of being valued team members and develop sense of belonging.
• Share their own expertise with their mentors.
• Develop confidence, learn more effectively and acquire new perspectives (McKinley, 2004).
• Receive advice and guidance on how to succeed within organizations and have effective role models and sounding boards for their concerns and ideas.
• Benefit from hearing about pertinent encounters and feelings experienced by mentors (Kanaskie, 2006).
• Expand professionally through networking opportunities and by having additional insights into career transitions and organizational knowledge (McKinley, 2004).
• Gain increased access to educational programs, recognition, job satisfaction, increased learning skills and potential career advancement (Higgins, 2000; Huybrecht, Loeckx, Quaehaegens, De Tobel & Mistiaen, 2011; Soklaridis et al., 2014).

Benefits for institutions

For institutions, mentorship may help to:

• Develop future leaders from within the institution who nurture commitment, retention and teamwork (Haynes, Adams & Boss, 2008; Huybrecht et al., 2011; Kanaskie, 2006; McKinley, 2004).
• Orient new staff in understanding the values of the organization (McKinley, 2004).
• Increase collegiality and a sense of belonging among faculty (Pololli & Knight, 2005).
• Foster loyalty and commitment, renewed enthusiasm and increased productivity (Butyn, 2003; Payne & Huffman, 2005).
• Improve the quality of teaching across the institution (Leimkuhler Grimes & White, 2015).

Benefits for community development

Mentorship may help teaching and learning communities:

• Gain perspectives on mentorship as valuable to the development of the community as a whole.
• See mentorship as a manifestation of the commitment to lifelong, ongoing learning.

adapted from “The Mentorship Guide for Teaching and Learning,” by Barrette-Ng et al,  Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary, shared with a CC BY NC 4.0 license.