Preparing for distributed pedagogical leadership: mentor identity and readiness during institutional change

This qualitative study examines how a cohort-based faculty mentor program implemented in advance of a university-wide learning management system (LMS) transition shaped participants’ leadership identities, confidence, and readiness for change. Drawing on end-of-program and mid-program participant reflections, the analysis focuses on preparation rather than mentoring-in-practice. Although institutionally designated as ‘mentors’, participants described navigating uncertainty about readiness while positioning the role as a natural extension of existing leadership and support responsibilities. The program’s focus on hands-on exploration, cross-disciplinary dialogue, and collaboration contributed to shifts in how participants understood their expertise and legitimacy. The cohort model provided a relational space for collective sensemaking, enabling participants to negotiate responsibility, authority, and institutional citizenship, and ultimately navigate distributed pedagogical leadership during technological change. Findings suggest that leadership development during technological transitions is not solely technical but relational, identity-driven, and shaped by institutional expectations. Implications include designing cohort-based professional learning initiatives that intentionally cultivate leadership identity, clarify role boundaries, and recognize the labor involved in distributed pedagogical change.