Guiding Learners to Overcome Any Odds
By Jillian Skelton, Ed.D.
Going through the educational journey to earn a doctorate is a life-changing experience. As someone who has earned a doctoral degree, I can personally attest to that. But it is as a doctoral mentor in the School of Advanced Studies at University of Phoenix where I am inspired by every students’ own doctoral journey and privileged to help guide them along the way.
Learners need more than an education
Throughout my career, I have seen many challenges that students face, and not just at the doctoral level. In my five years in elementary education, some of my students and their parents sought my help for various personal challenges. It was my responsibility to show them that they had the tools necessary to earn an education and use it to transform their lives. Even though the experience of dealing with the tough realities of co-workers and even elementary-aged students was challenging, it prepared me to help doctoral learners through the various challenges they face in their daily lives.
The learners that I have had the privilege of mentoring have many responsibilities. These doctoral learners come from all over the world and already have careers and families. These responsibilities make it tough to balance challenging courses, in-depth residencies and a cumulative dissertation with their every day responsibilities. Thankfully, the online platform at University of Phoenix helps me serve these learners.
The mentor-mentee model
In the same way that I helped my elementary-aged students and their parents push past their difficult circumstances, I am guiding doctoral learners to overcome the obstacles they face as working adults earning their doctoral degree. The School of Advanced Studies’ unique mentor model allows these learners from all around the world to choose their dissertation mentor based on the mentor’s experience in the field and in the dissertation process. When I am selected as a mentor, it is because the learner wants to work with me and knows that I can be a reliable source of information.
Most learners come into this mentoring relationship, excited, full of ideas but also overwhelmed with the amount of work that is expected from them on their dissertations. This is because the dissertation study can seem impossible at first. It challenges learners to use what they have learned over the course of their doctoral studies and apply that knowledge to developing solutions to problems occurring in their field.
Once students start focusing on their dissertation, they come to me to bounce ideas off of, get help outlining what they hope to accomplish, get ideas on how to go about completing it and to get advice on what comes after the dissertation. Through email and phone conversations, I am able to build a strong relationship with them. It is in my role as a mentor where students really open up and rely on me to help them achieve their goals and overcome their obstacles.
Even though I understand what it takes to be successful in a doctoral program, I never imagined I would be in the position I am now. To be able to have an impact on the lives of learners around the globe, and to get to know more about their personal experiences as working adults is an honor. Even though I am the one who is helping them reach their goal, it is their stories and ambition that pushes me to not only become a better mentor, but to continue pushing myself as a scholar.
To learn more about Jillian Skelton’s work, visit phoenix.edu.
About the Author
Jillian Skelton is a faculty member and doctoral mentor at University of Phoenix as well as a marketing consultant for a start-up software company. While at the School of Advanced Studies, Jillian has focused her research on the areas of leadership, mentoring, business models, educational administration and the history of public education.