Mentoring and IT Education: Program Planning and Evaluation

Increasingly, universities are developing and implementing mentoring programs in an attempt to bridge the gap between classroom theory and its application in the real world. Participating in mentoring programs also allows students to develop a realistic view of the workplace, identify careers that are suitable for them and network with industry professionals. However, to date, evaluations of mentoring programs to support learning in Information Technology (IT) programs have been limited. This paper discusses the importance of university mentoring programs. It describes a pilot project for a mentoring program in Information Technology Management (ITM) at a Canadian University, outlines the components and design of a comprehensive evaluation program and identifies areas for further research. The objectives of this research are to explore the importance of mentoring in IT education, to describe the mentoring process and to discuss the evaluation of mentoring programs. A framework for evaluating mentoring is provided.