Certificate of Completion

Now, more than ever, students engaged in research expect to receive effective mentoring as a part of their entry into the scholarly community. The Entering Mentoring training is an evidence-based, interactive approach to becoming an effective mentor that will help develop the skills for engaging in productive, culturally responsive mentoring relationships, relationships that optimize success for the mentor and the mentee.

Program Requirements

Faculty, instructors, and graduate assistants who wish to earn the certificate of completion must complete two (2) required workshops and four (4) elective workshops within three (3) major semesters.

Individuals who successfully complete Entering Mentoring will receive a certificate of completion and a digital badge which can be added to the trained Mentor’s personal website.

Required Workshops Offered Spring 2026

Expand allAPR 14 — Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy and Plan

Tuesday, April 14, 2:50pm - 4:05pm

Reflecting upon your mentoring relationships is a vital part of becoming a more effective mentor. This is especially important immediately following a mentor-mentee training sequence like Entering Mentoring as it allows you to consider how to implement changes in your mentoring practice based on the training you have received. The ability and practice of reflecting on your mentoring at regular intervals is strongly encouraged.  Register

Elective Workshops Offered Spring 2026

Expand allJAN 20 — Assessing Understanding

Tuesday, January 20, 2:50pm - 4:05pm

Assessing whether mentees truly understand the core concepts of their research is crucial to a productive mentoring relationship, yet it can be surprisingly challenging. This session will help mentors develop strategies to evaluate their mentees’ grasp of the research purpose, underlying principles, experimental techniques, and the broader context. Additionally, it will help mentors identify sources of confusion and employ strategies to address any misunderstandings, ensuring clarity and growth in the mentoring process. Register

FEB 17 — Cultivating Ethical Behavior

Tuesday, February 17, 2:50pm - 4:05pm

Mentors play a vital role in both teaching and modeling ethical behavior. There are ethical issues centering on the research itself – how to conduct, report, and writeup research – as well as relationships between mentors and mentees. Most relationships in academia establish a power dynamic, and it is a mentor’s responsibility to learn how to manage their power. Reflecting upon and discussing ethical behavior is an important part of becoming an effective mentor.  Register

MAR 31— Fostering Independence

Tuesday, March 31, 2:50pm - 4:05pm

An important goal of any mentoring relationship is helping the mentee become independent; yet, defining what an independent mentee knows and can do is often not articulated by the mentor or the mentee. Defining what independence looks like and developing the skills to foster that independence are important to becoming an effective mentor. Defining independence becomes increasingly complex in the context of a larger research team.  Register

About the Program

Entering Mentoring accelerates the process of becoming an effective mentor by introducing a framework for mentoring, providing opportunities to experiment with different methods of mentoring, and a forum for peer-to-peer problem solving. This allows new and experienced mentors alike to benefit from each other’s perspectives as well as extended reflection on fundamental principles of mentoring. By the conclusion of training, mentors will be able to articulate a personal style and philosophy of mentoring and develop a set of strategies they can use to engage with challenging mentoring situations.

Entering Mentoring training, based on the work done by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin, has been shown to be effective in increasing mentor knowledge, skills, and behavior. Furthermore, the emphasis on culturally sensitive interactions between mentors and mentees can help historically underrepresented groups successfully progress in their own careers and, in turn, become successful mentors and leaders in their own right. The Entering Mentoring curriculum addresses the NIGMS and NIH guidelines for the preparation of mentors who are involved with training grants.

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How to Earn a Certificate of Completion

1. Select a certificate you want to earn.
2. Review the required workshops.
3. Register for and attend all required workshops within the time frame specified.
4. Look for an email from cte@sc.edu with your digital certificate.

How to Check Your Progress

Participants can check their progress online by following the steps below. 

1. Log into Registration and Tracking System for Workshops and Events using your CTE Training Account credentials.
2. Click on the specific learning plan for the certificate of completion program you would like to view.  The learning plan button is located on the left-hand side in the menu screen.
3. Click “View” to generate a personalized learning plan status report. The report will show the workshops you have taken, and remaining workshop requirements.

The learning plans also provide a status progress update. 

• Partial means you have met some of the requirements for a specific certificate of completion program.
• Complete means you have met all the requirements for a specific certificate of completion program.
• Not Started means you have not completed any of the requirements for a specific certificate of completion program.

Completed your certificate?

At the conclusion of each semester, reports are run to determine who has completed each certificate. Digital Certificates will be emailed. If you do not receive your certificate by the middle of the following semester, kindly contact cte@sc.edu for assistance.