What effective mentoring looks like for Practice Tutors

What does great mentoring look like when your role spans teaching, assessment, and employer engagement?

Mentoring has long been recognised as a powerful way to support educators’ professional growth - building confidence, reinforcing professional identity, and improving retention (Ingersoll and Strong, 2011; Hobson, 2016). Yet in higher education, particularly in apprenticeship and work-based learning contexts, mentoring needs can be more complex and less clearly defined.

Practice Tutors (PTs), who support higher and degree-level apprenticeships, often navigate multifaceted responsibilities that extend beyond traditional academic tutoring roles (Goodman, 2019). Following earlier research into PT induction within the Faculty of Business and Law, this project explored what effective mentoring might look like for PTs, how they currently experience mentoring, and what support they feel is essential to thrive in a demanding teaching and assessment environment.

Funded through SCiLAB seedcorn funding (small-scale scholarship funding), the study aimed to identify the characteristics of impactful mentoring, understand current practice, and establish principles to guide future tutor mentoring development within the Faculty.

Context

At the Open University (OU), mentoring support currently forms part of the induction process for tutors who make up the university’s large teaching workforce. New tutors are allocated one day for mentoring, while existing tutors joining a new module receive half a day. PTs working on higher and degree-level apprenticeships occupy a more complex role, acting as academic tutors, assessors, and liaisons between employers, students, and the University (Goodman, 2019). This combination of responsibilities means their mentoring needs often differ from those of traditional university teaching staff. Research on mentoring in higher education highlights the importance of mentoring relationships that are sustained, contextual, and developmental, rather than limited to one-off induction activity (Hudson, 2013).

The research approach

The project adopted a qualitative approach, drawing on focus groups and a questionnaire to explore PTs’ experiences of mentoring.

• Focus Group 1 explored PTs’ experiences of mentoring, both as mentors and as mentees. The purpose was to identify key themes and priorities.
• An anonymous questionnaire was then distributed to all PTs in the Faculty (68 invited, 13 responses). The survey focused on what PTs considered most important in an effective mentoring relationship, following their review of mentoring guidance and frameworks currently used within the OU, some of which reflect wider sector approaches to supporting teaching staff.
• Focus Group 2 brought together PTs again to interpret the survey results collaboratively, helping to validate the findings and reduce potential researcher bias.

This approach aligns with participatory and co-design principles that value practitioner experience and collaboration in developing contextually relevant practice (Blomkamp, 2018; Steen, Manschot and de Koning, 2011). It ensured that PT voices guided both the data collection and interpretation, producing grounded, practice-based insights.

What we found

Despite a small sample size, strong alignment emerged between survey and focus group findings.

• Mentoring is viewed as essential and ongoing, not a one-off induction activity. Most PTs felt mentoring should continue throughout the first year. They also valued the flexibility to revisit the relationship as their confidence and responsibilities evolve - a finding consistent with research emphasising sustained mentoring relationships (Hobson et al., 2009).
• Experience and institutional knowledge matter most. PTs placed high value on mentors with direct OU experience, system expertise, and familiarity with apprenticeship processes. This aligns with findings by Huber et al. (2011), who emphasise the importance of mentors bringing relevant contextual knowledge and experience to support new staff effectively.
• Flexibility is key. PTs preferred a model that allows mentoring to adapt to context and individual needs, rather than rigid, scheduled sessions.
• Peer mentoring already happens informally. A strong “co-practice tutoring” culture exists, where tutors support one another with systems, employer issues, and time management - yet this valuable practice remains largely unrecognised in formal mentoring provision or workload allocation discussions. Informal peer mentoring can enhance professional belonging and reflective practice, supporting the development of communities of practice among staff (Lave and Wenger, 1991).
• Workload remains a barrier. Several PTs noted that mentoring can only be effective if protected time is allocated for both mentors and mentees. Ensuring this is visible within workload planning is a wider challenge across the higher education sector and is consistently reflected in mentoring literature (Ingersoll and Strong, 2011).

What this means for practice

The findings highlight mentoring as a cornerstone of effective professional development for PTs, reinforcing the importance of relationship-based and practice-informed support. They also suggest opportunities for the OU to build on what already works.

Recommendations include:

• Reviewing and aligning existing mentoring provision for both tutors and PTs to ensure equity and relevance.
• Recognising peer mentoring as a valuable form of professional learning, encouraging communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991).
• Embedding mentoring within workload planning, particularly during major programme transitions such as teach-out phases.

Next steps

As the Faculty’s apprenticeship programmes entered a ‘teach-out’ phase (the planned closure of programmes where enrolled students continue to be supported until completion), the proposed pilot of a new mentoring framework could not proceed. Such programme transitions are common across the higher education sector and often influence the timing or feasibility of staff development initiatives. Nonetheless, the research provided valuable evidence on what PTs value in mentoring and what might be improved in future approaches to professional development.

Although the project did not reach implementation, its outputs are informing discussions about mentoring and workload, helping to shape future professional development planning within the Faculty. Mentoring should be positioned not as a compliance activity or short-term induction measure, but as an ongoing, collegial process of professional growth. This, in turn, supports high-quality learning and student success. As the OU continues to evolve its approaches to hybrid and work-based learning, these insights provide a strong foundation for rethinking how we support our tutors to support our students.

Declaration of AI use

This blog was developed with support from a generative AI tool (Microsoft Copilot, https://copilot.microsoft.com). The tool was used to assist with refining structure and clarity. All ideas, analysis, and final editorial decisions are the author’s own. Content generated: November 2025.

Angelique Johnstone

Angelique's recent scholarship and research have interrogated the induction and development of tutors on apprenticeship programmes, leading to the redesign of the induction of Practice Tutors. 

She continues her research in staff development and the introduction of new technologies, aligning with her passion for supporting her colleagues in their personal and professional development and using technology to enhance practices.