Peer Mentoring and other models of Mentoring

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Peer Mentoring and other models of Mentoring
West Mid Wales Widening Access Partnership

• Supporting retention

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Who we are

• Dr Sue Pester Director West Mid Wales
  Widening Access Partnership
• Rodney Parish Project Officer UWL Coleg Sir
  Gar
• Helen Lloyd Project Officer Coleg Ceredigion
  Coleg Powys
• Dr Debra Croft (Widening Participation
  Co-ordinator Aberystwyth)

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Main Issues for Mentoring

• Funding
• Pastoral support
• Personal contact
• Specific needs related support
• Attendance and monitoring
• Deferment
• Institutional Retention Strategies

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Short term v long term mentoring

• For some a short induction and being made to feel
  welcome
• For other continuous support, regular contact
  (e.g. Aspergers)
• Liaison and tracking
• Buddy system for all students in first year?

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Schemes that assist with retention

• Wales Summer University
• Signpost
• Peer Mentoring at Lampeter

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Wales Summer University

• Promotes equality in access to HE and raises
  awareness of benefits of HE
• Equips students with the necessary skills to
  succeed in HE
• Familiarise prospective students with life at
  university and enable them to apply with
  confidence to chosen HE institution
• Better informed better equipped

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Wales Summer University

• Raises aspirations and encourages a positive
  attitude to study
• Enhanced academic prospects
• Learning need or disabilities are assessed
• Support given liaison with other departments
  and support services

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Wales Summer University

• Issues to consider
• What support exists after Summer University when
  they return to school?
• What support is required if they return to
  Aberystywth/Lampeter?
• Improvements in student tracking?
• Awareness of students with disabilities by
  departments
• Development of a UCAS helpdesk?
• References to be given to students?

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Signpost

• What is the scheme?
• It is a peer support scheme for any first year
  Student (HND, Foundation or Undergraduate)
  designed to enable students to make the most of
  their time at University.
• The mentor can help with any aspect of life at
  university, whether academic, social, or
  financial.
• Acting as a link to services available for
  students within the university, the mentor can
  also help with organising mentees studies and
  raising levels of motivation motivation.

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Signpost

• How does it work?
• Mentors in the Signpost scheme are either 3rd
  year undergraduates, postgraduates, or young
  members of staff.
• They have been trained to deal with issues facing
  first year students, and they have all recently
  been 1st years themselves!
• Each student has at least 3 one-to-one meetings
  with their mentor each semester, and email
  support between meetings.

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Signpost

• Who can benefit?
• Any first year student can benefit from
  mentoring!
• Mentoring could help new students who are feeling
  homesick or just need more time to settle in
• need help with time-management
• would like to talk to someone about their
  progress
• are not sure about what UWA can offer
• have additional pressures outside their
  coursework

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A Peer Mentoring Model

• one to one support
• Confidential advice on Finances
• Pastoral Support
• General guidance and direction
• A familiar Face will talk to someone they know
  and trust
• Return to where they have been helped
  successfully before

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Peer Mentoring Model Contd

• Why is this support needed?
• Are there gaps in existing system?
• What about deferred students, part time, mature
  students, young people with disabilities, young
  people from Care or lack of parental support for
  students?
• Lack of co-ordination between departments and
  support systems?

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Further information

• Inclusion into Elitism Report
• UWL Student Retention reports
• Signpost http//www.aber.ac.uk/wpsi/en/in/signpost
  .shtml
• Summer University http//www.aber.ac.uk/wpsi/en/in
  /wap.shtml
• From Elitism to Inclusion From the Margins to
  the Mainstream (Universities UK Case Study of
  Good Practice in Widening Access)

Any Questions?