What role does Academic Peer Mentoring (APM) play in addressing the attainment gap? LOUISE FRITH & GINA MAY

Creating a positive campus environment: ‘whole student lifecycle’ (Ebdon,OFFA) 1.The experiences students have at a university can promote or discourage persistence 2.The challenge is in meeting the diverse needs of varying student demographics 3.Universities need to take a more 'student-centered' approach 4.To retain potentially at-risk students, institutions may need to shift their cultures 5.One approach is to create peer to peer models of learning development “When students have the opportunity to be a peer educator, they are not only engaged in valuable and beneficial experiential learning, but they also support the cultivation of a positive institutional environment for others”. (Olander& Lisetto-Smith, ALDinHE 2016)

Academic Peer Mentoring at Kent

Whole Kent student population by ethnicity (Canterbury campus)

Canterbury mentors by ethnicity

Whole Kent student population by ethnicity (Medway campus)

Medway mentors by ethnicity

Degree classification of previous mentors

What are the benefits for mentors? 91% of past mentors have graduate jobs in comparison with 80% of past Kent graduates Benefits of mentoringMentors responses It reinforces the learning of the mentor because they revise material from their first or second year Of our respondents 96% agreed or strongly agreed that mentoring reinforced their own learning It enables mentors to improve their soft skills such as communication, organisation and leadership. “I Learned how to support others and give helpful advice”. It enables students to form relationships and networks with students in other years and staff across the university “It was a great way to get to know others and was among the most full academic experiences I have had.” It improves students’ confidence95% of respondents said being a mentor improved their confidence “It was a really rewarding opportunity”

Mentees by ethnicity 2015/16 (across both campuses)

What do mentees learn from mentors? Through qualitative questionnaires and focus group feedback sessions we have gathered information on the types of support mentees receive from mentors. 33 of a possible 581 mentees responded: Why did you join the mentoring scheme? 52% said they either want to improve their grades or they want to get a first How often did you meet? Most mentees met their mentor once a week or once every two weeks, “It started off as once per week but as it continued I didn't need much help so became less frequent but I could meet them whenever I wanted to”

How does having a mentor help?

What impact does mentoring have on mentees?

Does a having a mentor influence retention?

Comments from mentees “It's a wonderful scheme, especially for first year students who may seem sceptical about it at first. I have received great advice & my understanding has also improved drastically.” “By joining this scheme, I have been able to improve on my mathematics immensely and I am truly grateful for that.” “Thanks to the third year students that helped me in the APM sessions, I stayed at university and continued my studies with a better understanding. They offer a lot of help which I found to be easier to understand in a smaller group. I think students like myself really benefit from this and possible a one to one mentor session throughout the year.”

Conclusion and recommendations 1.Academic Peer Mentoring plays an important role in supporting transition, and retention, as well as being good role models for diverse student populations. 2.Mentors’ degree results are significantly higher than the university results as a whole and the gap between the attainment levels of BME and white mentors is significantly narrower 3.The ethnic diversity of mentors and mentees is reflective of the student population as a whole in Canterbury and over representative in Medway. 4.Currently the ethnic diversity of mentees is broadly reflective of student diversity as a whole at the university. This will continue to be monitored 5.Feedback from mentees confirms that they find having a mentor influences their persistence at university and enables them to feel more confident in their studies.