Full Description
At a time when college completion is a major issue, and there is particular concern about the retention of underserved student populations, peer mentoring programs offer one solution to promoting student success. This is a comprehensive resource for creating, refining and sustaining effective student peer mentoring programs. While providing a blueprint for successfully designing programs for a wide range of audiences - from freshmen to doctoral students - it also offers specific guidance on developing programs targeting three large groups of under-served students: first-generation students, international students and student veterans.This guidebook is divided into two main sections. The opening section begins by reviewing the issue of degree non-completion, as well as college adjustment challenges that all students and those in each of the targeted groups face. Subsequent chapters in section one explore models of traditional and non-traditional student transition, persistence and belonging, address what peer mentoring can realistically achieve, and present a rubric for categorizing college student peer-mentoring programs. The final chapter in section one provides a detailed framework for assessing students' adjustment issues to determine which ones peer mentoring programs can appropriately address. Section two of the guidebook shifts from the theoretical to the practical by covering the nuts and bolts of developing a college student peer-mentoring program. The initial chapter in section two covers a range of design issues including establishing a program timeline, developing a budget, securing funding, getting commitments from stakeholders, hiring staff, recruiting mentors and mentees, and developing policies and procedures. Subsequent chapters analyze the strengths and limitations of different program delivery options, from paired and group face-to-face mentoring to their e-mentoring equivalents; offer guidance on the creation of program content and resources for mentors and mentees, and provide mentor training exercises and curricular guidelines. Section two concludes by outlining processes for evaluating programs, including setting goals, collecting appropriate data, and methods of analysis; and by offering advice on sustaining and institutionalizing programs. Each chapter opens with a case study illustrating its principal points. This book is primarily intended as a resource for student affairs professionals and program coordinators who are developing new peer-mentoring programs or considering refining existing ones. It may also serve as a text in courses designed to train future peer mentors and leaders.
Contents
Foreword Nora Domínguez Acknowledgments Introduction Part One. What is Peer Mentoring, and Why Does It Work to Promote Student Success? 1. What is peer mentoring, and how is it used in higher education? 2. How can peer mentoring help address the crisis of college students not completing their degrees? 3. What are the important adjustment issues college students must address to persist at college and complete their degrees? 4. How can peer mentoring help college students address specific adjustment issues and have a positive impact on persistence and degree completion? Part Two. What Are the Nuts and Bolts of Developing a College Student Peer Mentoring Program? Vignette 1. High School to College Transition-Focused Program. Retention Through an Academic Mentoring Program 5. What design issues must you consider in setting up a peer-mentoring program? Vignette 2. First-Generation Student-Focused Program. Students First Mentoring Program 6. How will you deliver mentoring support and services? Vignette 3. Transfer Student-Focused Program. Transfer Connections Program 7. What content materials will you share with mentees? Vignette4. Student Veteran-Focused Program. VETS to VETS Program 8. How are you going to train your peer mentors? Vignette 5. Undergraduate to Graduate School Transition-Focused Program. The Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color and Integrity in Graduate Training 9. How will you evaluate the impact of your peer mentoring program? Vignette 6. International Student-Focused Program. The International Student Mentoring Program 10. How will you care for and maintain your peer-mentoring program? References Index
