Realising Opportunites Ementoring Programme

Tanya HarrisonAssistant Project Manager

Outline• Background and overview of Realising Opportunities

(RO)

• RO ementoring programme including:

– Aims

– Recruitment

– Training

– Matching

– Ementoring framework and delivery

• Discussion groups

• Maximising engagement and student/ementor support

• Evaluation

• Quality assurance

• Future developments/planning

Overview of RO

What does RO involve?

The RO Programme

• Launch event• Ementoring• National Student Conference• An academic element - Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or the RO Academic Assignment• Skills4uni – an online study skills module• Events and activities at RO universities (must attend at least one).

Benefits

• Many partner universities will potentially give an alternative RO offer for successful applications to them through UCAS, worth up to 2 A Level grades, 40 UCAS points or 4 IB points. • All RO universities will give additional consideration to an application to them through UCAS • Skills development • Informed decisions about future• Understand what a research intensive university can offer• Access to careers information from professionals employed in the field

Progress to date

• Accolades– Awards

– Times Higher– Brightside Ementoring Awards

– Government reports

* Recruiting Autumn 2013

RO EmentoringAimsTo underpin all aspects of the RO programme including skills4uniOffer consistent and sustained supportOffer a structured programme with the flexibility individual students needTo be student focussedTo cover key issues/topics at key times that are of real use to studentsTo provide a student perspective on universityTo offer a safe and secure online environment for exchanges

Who are our ementors?

• Undergraduates at RO Partner

universities• Variety of subject areas• Some are previous RO students

Recruitment of Ementors

• Recruited by RO Partner Universities• Follow HR/student worker recruitment practices• Job description and person specification advertised• Case studies• Application form and potentially an interview• CRB check• Employment contract with recruiting university• Paid Ementor position (part time)

Training• Aims

– Increase understanding, skills development, clarify role and responsibilities, practical sessions

• Content– Overview of RO

– Understanding and awareness of target group

– Understanding and awareness of RO Partners

– Ementor role and responsibility

– Ementoring framework/programme (input from former ementor)

– Child Protection

– Ementoring boundaries and code of conduct

– Online ementoring system and practice session

• Other training resources– Mentor handbook

– Ementoring Site Guide

Matching

• Matched by RO Central Team• 1:7 ratio• Subject match (if possible)• Encourage geographical mobility

RO Ementoring Framework• Main structured programme (compulsory)

– February of year 12 to end of December of year 13

• Extended programme (voluntary)– January of year 13 to end of August year 13 (after results

day)

• Structure programme of key topics at key times • New topic each month • Supported with interactive articles and resources

(Brightside and RO) and professions ‘experts’• Using Brightside online

secure portal.

Role of RO Ementor• Log in at least once a week• Guide students through the ementoring programme• Support with skills4uni online study skills module • Respond to students’ needs• Provide support for the programme as a whole –

information and advice• Support at RO National Student Conference• Use own experiences

• Be impartial and supportive

• Positive role model• Work within the boundaries outlined in Code of Conduct and

maintain professionalism

Challenges

• Engagement• Student/ementor

• Hours of work (insufficient)• Remote nature • Ementor leaving post• Matching• Evaluation

Discussion topics

Group 1•What constitutes good engagement?

Group 2•How can we maximise on engagement? (Student and ementor)

Group 3•How can we measure and evaluate meaningful outcomes?

Maximising Engagement• Clear, structured programme reflecting student need

• Sufficiently flexible to accommodate individual need

• Content of programme – Clear link to topics of importance to students– Key topics at key times

• Manage expectations

• Interactive and engaging

• Paid post for ementor

• Good training for ementors

• Share experience of former ementor

• Compulsory part of RO for students

• Agreed log in time

• Engagement reviews with follow up emails to students

• Good communications between all stakeholders– Monthly update emails and student KIT calls– Teacher updates– Partner updates

SupportStudents Ementors

Ementoring Programme

Programme Guide (including RO ementoring) and student timeline

Monthly updates from Central Team

Resources on Brightside site (activities & articles)

Resources on RO website

RO Central Team

RO team at Partner University

Brightside (technical support)

Child SafeguardingTrainingDesignated Senior PersonsOut of hours Child Safeguarding Service

Facebook

Evaluation Project Area Data Sources

Contextual Data

POLAR2/3 Data (postcode checker) NS-SEC Parental Occupation (coded by HEFCE) GCSE Point Score data (verified, National Pupil Database (NPD) Free School Meal data (verified, NPD) Parental Higher Education Qualification data (self declared)

Student Aspirations

Student Attitude Questionnaire - baseline and follow up (NFER Cohorts 1, 2 and 3; IEE Cohort 4 onwards)*

UCAS data. Summary report from UCAS detailing progression rates of RO students matched against a national dataset of similar students.

UCASDecisions

UCAS data on each RO student. UCAS summary reports

The Programme

Student Questionnaires* Ementor Questionnaires* Case Studies* Engagement Reports* Spring and Summer Health Check phone calls*

Student Progression

Data to be provided by each of the Partner universities (Cohort 1 students will complete 3 year degree programmes in 2014, Cohort 2 in 2015).

The Partnership

Partnership documents Partnership meetings Interviews with Partner colleagues Data indications performance against targets – UCAS data and student

data * Provide specific feedback on ementoring

Quality Assurance• 3 year pilot to test model

• Governance and management structures

• Partner expertise and best practice

• Evaluation by independent researcher

• Evaluation informed planning

• Robust recruitment processes

• Child Safeguarding– Training

– CRB checks

– Designated Persons and Out of Hours Service

• Full training

• Regular engagement reviews and KIT calls

• Feedback from students, ementors, schools/colleges, RO Partners

Future Developments/Planning

• Future post 2016• Expansion (partners/students)• Review RO programme and ementoring

programme – continued fit for purpose• Working hours• Discussion forums (subject specific)• Evaluation

– What works– Beneficiaries

Student comments

“My ementor is someone almost guaranteed to understand what I am going through and someone

who can give me real advice from a place of experience.”

“It increasingly helped to build my confidence and helped me to understand what would be expected of me in university.”

“It was really comforting knowing I had instant access to someone who’d been in my position once.”