Building a Peer Mentoring Program For Transfer Students
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Transcript Building a Peer Mentoring Program For Transfer Students
Building a Peer Mentoring
Program For Transfer Students
From the Ground Up
Presented by Mary Von Kaenel, Associate Director for Transfer
Academic Programs Clemson University
Charlotte Jenkins, Transfer Council Director
Hannah Newton, Transfer Council Assistant Director
Today’s session
Welcome and Introductions
Overview of Campus Mentoring Programs
T2T Transfer to Tigers
New Approach: Academic Course as Framework
Timeline: Development to Present
Course Information
Undergraduate Research
Preliminary Data
Clemson University
4-Year
Public Research Institution
15,000
undergraduates
70+
undergraduate majors
3,500+
graduate students
1500
new transfer students each year
3300
new freshmen each year
T2T Mentoring Program
Transfers
Transfer
Broad
to Tigers
Council Student Government
program focused on email
connections to new transfers
Minimal
Basic
peer interaction
Training
Why A Peer Mentoring Program?
Research
suggests peer interactions
important for student success
Peer
mentors = popular support for new
student programs
Benefits
new students: more direct
connections to peers
Ease
transition issues
Campus Mentoring Programs
Program
overlap – multiple programs on
campus
Each
No
program independent
standard mentor training—each program
responsible for their own
Ground-Up Approach
Design
a new method for developing peer
mentors
Undergraduate
Teach
Research Component
students effective peer to peer
mentoring techniques
Collaborate
instead of compete
Academic Framework:
Creative inquiry
Creative
Already
7
Inquiry academic course
established rubrics
Mentoring Programs Collaborated
Two-semester
sequence Undergraduate
Research
Over
300 CI projects currently at Clemson
Creative Inquiry
Timeline: Development Process
Fall 2011
Initial Interest Meeting
Spring 2012
First Course Taught
Fall 2012
Research Course
Sequence Begins
Spring 2013
Research Completed
Fall 2011
Dr. Speziale CI Program Director
Hosted 1st Interest meeting ~ 12
programs interested
7 Mentor Programs collaborated
Developed curriculum and syllabus
for 1st course
Spring 2012
First
6
Mentor Training Course taught
week session in the Spring semester
15
mentors for transfer students
Total
class all mentors ~ 50+
Face
to Face class meeting each week
Fall 2012
Students
from the training course Spring
2012
Beginning
research course
Mentoring
activities focused on
connecting to new transfers
Spring 2013
2nd
Semester research on transfer students
Academic
Course will include conducting
Focus Groups
Roles
within Focus Groups:
Note-taker
Attendance
Room set-up
Food and incentives
Technical support and recorder
Final Project on Display at April Event for CI
Projects
Course Materials
Textbook
Students Helping Students
A Guide for Peer Educators
on College Campuses
2nd Edition
Newton & Ender
Research Materials
Focus Group Kit Series
6 Books on Qualitative
Research
Mentors
Academic Work
Qualitative
Research on
Transfer Student
Group
Peer Mentor for new
Transfer Students
Contact logs with
data
Undergraduate Research
Academic Assignments centered around research
Completed Human Subjects Research Training
Course online
Literature Review
Focus Group Questions
IRB draft
Mock Focus Group
Observations of Mentees
Student Mentors
Charlotte
Jenkins
Director Transfer Council
Senior, Secondary Education Math
Hannah
Newton
Assistant Director Transfer Council
Senior, Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
Preliminary Observations
Mentors
in CI Course had more consistent
contact with new students
Log
data indicate the most popular
methods of communication were:
Email
Text
Facebook
Twitter
Peer
to Peer interactions varied
due to mentor, mentee schedules
Variations
Some
also within mentors
more persistent
Anecdotal
feedback from mentees
positive
Qualitative
responses to be included
in final project Spring 2013
CI Course Results
All Transfer Mentors completed and passed
Developed skills in these areas:
Group interactions via course assignments
Writing: preliminary interview protocol for focus
groups
Problem solving: working to make connections
to new students
Next Steps
IRB submission February 2013
Student mentors conduct Focus Groups
March 2013
Data analysis March 2013
Final Presentation April 2013
Mentors continuing to work with mentees
New group of students taking 1st course
February 2013 8 week session
Questions?