STEER: Developmental Pathways in Student Peer Mentoring Louise Bleakley + Rhona McCracken

Who We Are  Voluntary peer scheme  Unique in the UK  Student oriented  Moving towards fully student run

Who We Are Mentees (Undergrad. + Postgrad.) Mentors Senior Mentors Interns Lines of Communication =

New Mentoring Initiatives  Postgraduate Mentoring  Buddies  Alumni Mentors  New Responsibilities –  Training Developments – Senior Mentor involvement

Other Developments  Current website changes   Accessibility + New Roles  Social network - Facebook  Socials  Conferences  EduFair  Higher Education Academy (HEA) Annual Conference

Further Developments & Evaluation  HEA funded (1 year)  Purely for scheme development  Cost effective – based on student retention  31% of mentees have considered leaving  “People and especially my mentor constantly reminding me that I can do it” – Anon.

Further Development & Evaluation  Earlier evaluation  2-3 weeks into scheme  Automated mentee-mentor matching  Faster turnaround – mentored sooner  Closer ties with mentors

What The Mentors Think “The feeling of reward, knowing that even just for one student because of you, their time at university has been made that little bit easier/more enjoyable.” – Anon. “…I had a terrible time when I first came to university and wanted to help ensure others did not go through the same experience. The STEER training was informative, helpful and enabled me to confidently support others.” – Anon. “I feel more a part of the university now than before.” – Anon.