Board 111: A Systematic Review of Instruments Used to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Entering Mentoring Curriculum

Abstract

Mentorship has been shown to significantly impact students' academic careers, research skills, productivity, mental health, and persistence in STEM fields. Recognizing this, many universities and research institutions offer faculty training programs to improve their mentoring skills and relationships. The Entering Mentoring training curriculum is a popular evidence-based approach used by many mentor programs. Determining the effectiveness of the Entering Mentoring training curriculum involves measuring a training program's results and determining whether intended outcomes have been achieved. Thus, it is essential to understand assessment tools and their appropriate usage when planning and evaluating mentorship programs. Since its introduction in 2005, the Entering Mentoring training curriculum has been evaluated using various assessment tools and approaches. This study aims to systematically review empirical studies conducted in STEM fields, including intervention and program evaluation studies using the Entering Mentoring training curriculum. The review seeks to identify the outcome variables that have been assessed to indicate the effectiveness of the Entering Mentoring training curriculum and the measurement instruments used to quantify those variables. Additionally, the study provides a discussion on selecting the appropriate tool based on research goals and resources. The findings of this study provide timely insights into research trends on the evaluation of the Entering Mentoring training curriculum in STEM fields.