eCanada: measuring mentoring programs on Canadian postsecondary websites

Abstract

ABSTRACT No studies have analyzed the presence of mentoring programs on Canadian postsecondary websites. Filling this crucial gap, this study examined the official websites of 96 Canadian postsecondary institutions – which accounts for every university in Canada – to assess the presence of mentoring programs. Results suggest that public institutions (n = 88) were three times as likely to publish mentoring program information on their website (4.7 programs per institution) than private peers (1.5 programs, n = 8 institutions). By province, institutions in British Columbia (7.9 programs per institution, n = 12 institutions) and Ontario (6.2 programs per institution, n = 30 institutions) published the most mentoring program information on their websites. Regression analyses reveal that better rankings per Maclean’s 2018 rankings (p < 0.05) and larger institutions by total enrollment (p < 0.00) best predicted the total number of unique mentoring programs on institutional websites. Implications for research, practice, and policy are addressed in terms of Canadian and global institutions of higher education.