symposium f: 'peer mentoring for outbound exchange students to enhance student experience'...
TRANSCRIPT
Annual Learning & Teaching Conference – LTRS Project:Peer mentoring for outbound exchange students to
enhance student experience Dr Nosheen Rachel-Naseem
Athanasios Mourikis Slide 1
Aims
1. Student engagement - (Recognition of academic and cultural experience of returned exchange students)
2. Enhanced student support• Before and during exchange• Increase in number of
Exchanges• Employability skills
3. Further development and visibility of the project
Slide 2
The Project: Peer Mentoring for Exchange Students
1. Theoretical Background: Action Research Project
2. Implementation
• Selection of Mentors and Training
• 1-1 Mentor-Mentee meetings
• Feedback and Evaluation
3. What our students say?
Slide 3
Methodology – Action Research
Slide 4
Carr and Kemmis (1986), Hudson (2000), Owen (2001), Cohen et al (2011) and Whitehead (2012)
Literature: Why student peers?
Learning Culture
Learning SiteLearning StyleAuthentic Learning
Site
(James and Bloomer, 2001)
Slide 5
Literature: why student peers?
Learning Culture
Learning SiteLearning Style
Learning Culture
Learning Site
Learning Style
Authentic learning site
Mentee
Learning Culture
Learning Site
Learning Style
Authentic learning site
Mentee
Authentic learning
site MentorAuthentic learning
site Mentor
Student peer mentoring catalyses the positioning of the mentees’ authentic learning site within the host university’s learning site through scaffolding provided by the mentors (Rachel, 2013).
Slide 6
Timeline and Implementation
• Application call and selection of Mentors (April/ September 2015)
Application Process
• Mentor Training (3 Repeat Sessions June, September & November 2015)
• Total=38 Mentors
Mentor Training
•January-June 2016
•Arrangements of the first meeting,•1-1 mentoring sessions
•Regular Appointments, Feedback
•"Refresh event" for Project Participants (March)Allocation
Mentees to Mentors
•Regular email correspondence
•Interim Evaluation (Mid-April)
•Mentoring for Work Placements (May)
•Final Evaluation (June/July)
•Certificate award ceremony & Focus Groups (June)
Feedback/ Evaluation
Slide 7
Training for the Participants
Mentors’ Training• 5 hours (role of mentors, case
studies, boundaries etc.)
Guidance during First Mentor-Mentee Meeting • Contracts
“Refresh event”• For Mentors and Mentees• Information about the Research
Project • Consent Forms
Workshops on how to find Work Placements• Three repeat sessions
Slide 8
Data Collection
Qualitative Quantitative
Final Evaluation (Focus groups, Questionnaire, Logbooks)
Interim Evaluation (Online survey/questionnaire)
Mentors’ training FeedbackTotal number of Students on Exchange
Number of Withdrawals
Slide 9
• Understanding of Mentoring prior to and after the Training. • Relevance of training to the mentoring programme• Suggestions for improvement
Feedback from the Mentors on Training Sessions
Slide 10
Interim Evaluation (Mentors)
- Relevance of Mentors’ Training Sessions- Skills development- Experience- Expectations- Support from the Exchanges Office- Suggestions for improvement
Mentors
20%
60%
10%
10%
Q3: How would you describe your experience as a Mentor so far?
Excellent GoodFair Poor
Slide 11
Interim Evaluation (Mentees)
- Reasons for participating and expectations- Feedback on the Mentoring Programme- Experience - Support from the Exchanges Office- Suggestions for improvement
Mentees
78%
22%
Q4: How would you describe your exper-ience as a Mentee so far?
ExcellentGoodFair Poor
Slide 12
Final evaluation (Mentors)
Q2: Which are the core skills you
believe you have gained from the
Mentoring Programme, if
any?
Cultural Skills
Organisational Skills
Guiding/ advising
Patience
LeadershipCommunication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Setting boundaries
Volunteering
Mentors- Overall experience - Skills gained- Challenges- Suggestions/recommendations- Participation in future promotional activities
Slide 13
Final Evaluation (Mentees)
Mentees- Overall Experience- Impact from support received- Challenging situation- Become a Mentor- Suggestions/recommendations
75%
25%
Q1: How would you describe your overall experience as a Mentee?
Excellent GoodFair Poor
50%
25%
25%
Q2: How useful was the support/guidance you re-ceived from your Mentor towards your preparation for
exchange study?
Extremely importantVery importantNeutralSlightly importantNot important
Slide 14
Quantitative Analysis
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/170
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Total Numbers of Exchange Students and Mentors
Exchanges Withdrawals Mentors
Slide 15
What Students Say?
“I was given a Mentor who came for an exchange to Middlesex from Beijing International Studies University (…) she was my first experience with China.”Kaja Wisniewska-BA International Business and Mandarin
Slide 16
What Students Say?
“After having “the time of my life” and benefiting so much from my exchange time at BISU in China, I was pleased when the Exchange Team at Middlesex University offered me the opportunity to become a Mentor.”
Slide 17
What Students Say?
Slide 18
Skills Gained• Independency.• Commitment.• Persistency.• Photography.• Hiking.• Dancing.
Aisha Mohamud, BA Creative Writing and English Literature. On exchange at California State University, Sacramento.
Dissemination
• Presentation of results at the European Association for International Education (EAIE) conference Liverpool (15th September 2016)
• Publication in Journal of Mentoring and Tutoring; Journal of International Education
• Basis for a bid for future ERASMUS+ funding under the Key Action 2 Capacity Building strand in collaboration with EU programme country partners
Slide 19
References
• James, D. and Bloomer, M. (2001). Cultures of learning and the learning of cultures. Paper presented to Cultures of Learning Conference, University of Bristol. Retrieved 15/03/2015 from http://education.exeter.ac.uk/tlc/docs/publications/BR_DJA_PUB_04.01.doc
• Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• MBF (2015). Mentoring and Befriending Foundation: Good practice examples. Retrieved 11/08/2015 from http://www.mandbf.org/guidance-and-support/good-practice-examples
• Rachel, N (2013). Structured peer mentoring for student support in higher education institutions in Pakistan; catalysing change in the culture of learning. PhD thesis, Middlesex University.
• Whitehead, J. (2012) Educational Research for Social Change with Living Educational Theories, Educational Research for Social Change, 1(1), 5-21.
Slide 20
