Faculty Mentors

Each concurrent enrollment instructor is paired with a PTCC faculty mentor, who serves as the academic partner supporting course alignment and quality.

Faculty mentors:

• Ensure alignment with PTCC curriculum and expectations
• Support instructors in delivering college-level instruction
• Maintain consistency across course sections
• Uphold program quality and accreditation standards

Mentors play a critical role in ensuring concurrent enrollment courses mirror the expectations and outcomes of on-campus courses.

Faculty mentors ensure that concurrent enrollment courses:

• Reflect the learning objectives and course outcomes of on-campus courses
• Align with the discipline’s pedagogy, philosophy, and instructional approach
• Use comparable assignments, assessments, and grading standards
• Collect and review paired syllabi and paired assessments from both the high school and on-campus course to verify alignment

Faculty mentors are responsible for providing course-specific training for all new concurrent enrollment instructors and new course offerings.

Prior to the start of the course, mentors will:

• Lead a required planning meeting and New Teacher Orientation
• Provide discipline-specific training that prepares the instructor to teach the course at a college level

This training includes:

• Course curriculum and learning outcomes
• Assessment criteria, assignments, and grading practices
• Pedagogy, course philosophy, and instructional approach
• Syllabus expectations and course materials
• Program expectations, policies, procedures, and documentation requirements

This process ensures instructors are fully prepared to deliver a course that reflects the rigor, expectations, and student experience of PTCC’s on-campus courses.

Faculty mentors are responsible for providing and supporting annual discipline-specific professional development.

This includes:

• Leading or coordinating professional development opportunities
• Supporting instructor participation
• Tracking and documenting attendance and activities

Required documentation includes:

• Participant lists
• Agendas or materials
• Summary of how the activity supports course quality and instruction

Mentors are responsible for scheduling and completing site visits throughout the partnership:

• New instructors/new courses:
  • Classroom observation required early in the semester
• Established partnerships:
  • Classroom observation at least once every three years
  • Alternate site visits in non-observation years

Alternate Site Visit Options

• Grade norming activities
• Assignment or assessment review
• Faculty mentor guest lectures

All visits must be documented and submitted to PTCC

At the conclusion of each concurrent enrollment course, faculty mentors and high school instructors come together for a post-course wrap-up conversation. This is an important opportunity to reflect, review, and plan for continuous improvement.

Wrap-up meetings may take place:

• In person
• Virtually
• By phone

Mentors are encouraged to:

• Stay connected with instructors through regular, meaningful communication
• Share updates on curriculum, textbooks, and program expectations to keep everyone aligned
• Participate in check-ins, conversations, and post-course reflections to support continuous improvement
• Look for opportunities to collaborate on student engagement—helping students feel connected to PTCC and their college experience

The role of a faculty mentor is essential to:

• Upholding academic standards
• Maintaining accreditation requirements
• Supporting instructor success
• Ensuring a consistent, high-quality student experience

PTCC values the expertise and commitment of faculty mentors and recognizes the important role they play in strengthening partnerships with high schools.

Pine Technical & Community College (PTCC) is proud to be an accredited member of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP).

NACEP accreditation ensures that courses offered through concurrent enrollment are equivalent in rigor, content, and outcomes to those taught on campus.

To maintain accreditation, PTCC aligns its program with national standards in areas such as:

• Faculty qualifications and support
• Curriculum alignment
• Assessment practices
• Professional development
• Program evaluation and continuous improvement

These standards guide the expectations and processes outlined on this page and help ensure that students receive a high-quality, college-level experience while still in high school.