Mixing It Up: A Hybrid Method of Mentoring First-Year Students - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mixing It Up: A Hybrid Method of Mentoring First-Year Students Michelle Buggs, Ed.D. Josh Adams, Ed.D. Kimberly Miloch, Ph.D. Heather Speed, Ed.D. Texas Woman’s University Concurrent Assessed Initiative at the 34 th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience

Agenda • Review of Literature on First-Year Student Success and Peer Mentoring • Overview of SUCCESS Mentoring Program • Overview of Relevant Program Assessment • Small Group Discussion • Questions

First-Year Student Success • Increased attention on the first-year experience since the 1980’s (AAC&U, 2006). • Extensive programming focused on first year students ▫ New student Orientation ▫ First-Year Seminar ▫ Residence Education ▫ Advising ▫ Learning Communities ▫ Tutoring Programs ▫ Mentoring Programs

First-Year Student Success • Student engagement is a factor in student success (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, & Associates, 2005). ▫ Purposeful student-faculty contact ▫ Purposeful peer-to-peer contact ▫ Inclusive campus environments ▫ Active and collaborative learning environments

But What Is Student Success? • According to Upcraft, Barefoot, and Gardner (2005), first-year student success is achieved when they… ▫ Develop academic and intellectual competence ▫ Establish and maintain interpersonal relationships ▫ Explore identity development ▫ Decide on a career and lifestyle ▫ Maintain personal health and wellness ▫ Develop civic responsibility ▫ Consider spiritual dimensions of life ▫ Deal with diversity

Peer Mentoring • Many definitions of mentoring in literature (Blackwell, 1989; Kram & Isabella, 1985; Schmidt & Wolfe, 1980; Shandley, 1989) • Three commonalities in mentoring definitions: ▫ Focus on growth and accomplishment of an individual and include several forms of assistance ▫ May include broad forms of support such as: – Professional and Career Development – Role Modeling – Psychological support ▫ Mentoring relationships are personal and reciprocal (Jacobi, 1991)

Peer Mentoring • A need to increase retention rates, specifically for low-income and underrepresented populations, has been a drive for increased formalized mentoring programs in higher education (Budge, 2006). • Prerequisites for mentoring include: ▫ Ability and willingness to commit time ▫ Gender and race ▫ University experience ▫ Academic achievement ▫ Prior mentoring experience (Terrion & Leonard, 2007)

SUCCESS Mentoring Program

SUCCESS Mentoring Program • Re-established in 2009 • Need for programmatic support of growing first-generation student population at TWU • Began with 30 students, currently 40 • No more than 5 mentees per peer mentor • Program Goals ▫ Guide and support first-generation college students at TWU ▫ Create a socially and academically supportive network of mentors and peers ▫ Facilitate social interaction, leadership development, educational success, and community involvement ▫ Assist in the retention and ultimate graduation of SUCCESS participants

3-Tier Peer Mentoring Process Tier 1 • One-on-one mentoring with an upper class peer mentor twice a month Tier 2 • Monthly activities with small mentor group Tier 3 • Cohort and program activities throughout the semester

What makes it a hybrid? 1:1 and small LLC group Program mentoring Benefits Living Peer Learning Mentoring Community (Intercultural (Student Life/ Services) Housing) SUCCESS Residential Programs Benefits First-Year Seminar (Academics) Program University Coordinator Information as FYS and Instructor Resources

Changes along the way… • Increase maximum program participation • Addition of the LLC and FYS components • Intentional selection of diverse mentee cohorts • Early selection of incoming mentee cohorts and mentor contact • Lots of trial and error!

GPA Tracking 3.5 3.4 3.3 09-10 CO S 10-11 CO S 3.2 3.1 3 11-12 CO S 12-13 CO S 2.9 2.8 13-14 CO S 14-15 CO S 2.7 2.6 2.5 09/FA 10/SP 10/FA 11/SP 11/FA 12/SP 12/FA 13/SP 13/FA 14/SP 14/FA

Retention Tracking 90.00% 80.00% 70.00% 09-10 CO S 10-11 CO S 60.00% 11-12 CO S 50.00% 12-13 CO S 13-14 CO S 40.00% 09-10 CO T 10-11 CO T 30.00% 11-12 CO T 12-13 CO T 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14

Other SUCCESS Measures • 204 total mentees since 2009 • Graduation Rate as of Dec. 2014=10.78% • Persistence Rate as of Fall 2014=56.37% • High student leadership involvement on campus ▫ Student Government ▫ Student Regent ▫ Greek Organizations ▫ Internships ▫ Student Leadership Recognition Awards

SUCCESS Program Assessment I felt supported through the SUCCESS Mentoring Program this year. SUCCESS made a difference in my transition to TWU.

SUCCESS helped me become socially engaged at TWU. SUCCESS offered academic support that helped me achieve my goals

SUCCESS introduced me to a variety of services and programs available for me at TWU. I took advantage of TWU programs and services (e.g. Career Services, the Write Site, Math/ Science Tutoring Labs, Counseling Center, Pioneer Center for Student Excellence, etc.

• “SUCCESS has made me feel comfortable and has made things easier for me. SUCCESS has shown and offered many opportunities that I feel like I wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to if it weren't for the program.” • “SUCCESS helped my transition because it helped my transition be smoother and it gave me a sense of belonging. I didn't feel as lost as other freshmen and I knew that if I needed help with anything I could ask my mentor, one of the other mentors, or Ms. Buggs herself. All of the resources offered through SUCCESS were extremely beneficial to me, including the university class. The part of the university class that I liked the most was the studying and organization skills.” • “SUCCESS made it easy for me to go around asking for help, it made me feel very important and that my success at the school was an utmost importance.”

Small Group Discussion • What student success programs or initiatives do you currently have at your institution? • What program elements contribute to student success? • Are there other retention initiatives on campus you can link to your program? • How do you assess program effectiveness? • Does your assessment support program goals?

Questions

References Association of American Colleges and Universities (2006). Fostering student learning and success through first-year programs. Peer Review, 5 (3), 4-7. Blackwell, J. E. (1989). Mentoring: An action strategy for increasing minority faculty. Academe, 75 , 8-14. Budge, S. (2006). Peer mentoring in post-secondary education: Implications for research and practice . Journal of College Reading and Learning, 37 (1), 73-87. Jacobi, M. (1991). Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature review. Review of Educational Research , 61 (4), 505-532. Kram, K. & Isabella, L. (1985) Mentoring alternatives: the role of peer relationships in career development, Academy of Management Journal, 28, 110–132. Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J. I., Schuh, J. H. Whitt, E. J., & Associates. (2005). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schmidt, J. A., & Wolfe, J. S. (1980). The mentor partnership: Discovery of professionalism. NASPA Journal, 17 , 45-51. Shandley, T. C. (1989). The use of mentors for leadership development . NASPA Journal, 27 , 59-66. Terrion, J. L, & Leonard, D. (2007). A taxonomy of the characteristics of student peer mentors in higher education: Findings from a literature review. Mentoring & Tutoring , 15(2), 149-164. doi: 10.1080/13611260601086311 Upcraft, M. L., Gardner, J. N., Barefoot, B. O., & Associates. (2005). Challenging and supporting the first- year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.