Doctoral students in KAM programs are assigned a faculty mentor. This individual is a member of the faculty of the student’s academic program. Faculty mentors are assigned based on the academic, research, and professional interests of the individual student, and based on the instructors’ other mentoring, teaching, scholarship, and university service commitments. Students may express a preference for assignment to a specific faculty mentor, but the final decision rests with the associate dean or the associate dean’s designee.

Once a faculty mentor is appointed to a student, the student will be enrolled in the faculty mentor’s section of SBSF 7100 Research Forum. This course provides links to all KAM and dissertation support materials, quarterly planning materials, and discussions and community forums with other students. It also provides a dropbox for submitting all assignments and direct contact with the faculty mentor via email and live chat.

Faculty mentors become facilitators, partners, coaches, and colleagues to their students and are the main source of guidance and support for students in doctoral programs. Faculty mentors also evaluate student work and progress through the program. Walden encourages students and instructors to foster the mentor relationship equally. Students will gain the most from this relationship if they communicate frequently with their faculty mentor, solicit clarification from their mentor whenever necessary, and clearly articulate goals for their working relationship with the mentor.

Faculty Mentoring and Teaching Responsibilities

• Facilitating, guiding, and evaluating student learning and professional development.
• Facilitating frequent and regular interaction with students, as specified by the guidelines posted in the electronic classroom.
• Providing timely and substantive feedback in the electronic classroom and to all student assignments and final products.
• Maintaining high ethical and quality standards in their evaluation of student work.
• Participating in scholarly, university service, and professional development activities.
• Completing appropriate action on materials received from students within 10 working days of their receipt.
• Notifying students when they plan to be unavailable for longer than a week and arranging instructional coverage during their absence.