Implementing a Faculty Mentorship Program for Students with Disabilities

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Implementing a Faculty Mentorship Program for
Students with Disabilities

• Jacqueline Harris
• Larry Markle
• Taiping Ho
• Ball State University

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The Need for the FMP, Part 1

• Research has indicated that students who interact
  with faculty members
• Get better grades
• Are more satisfied with their education
• Are more likely to be retained
• Students who come to college less prepared
  benefit more from faculty engagement
• Source - National Survey of Student Engagement
  2006 report, Engaged Learning Fostering Success
  of All Students

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The Need for the FMP, Part 2

• Difficult transition to college for SWDs
• Legal differences
• Philosophical differences
• Differences in services provided
• Greater expectations of students in college
• Authority of teacher/faculty member is different

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Relevant Legislation

• Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act
  (2004 Reauthorization of IDEA)
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

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Otherwise Qualified

• ADA Eligibility
• Attending college is a privilege. Students must
  be eligible
• Emphasis on equal access (standards are not
  modified)

• IDEA Entitlement
• Student has a right to a free
  and appropriate public education
• Emphasis on success (modify standards)

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Differences in Responsibility
Source Brinckerhoff, L.B., Shaw, S.F.,
McGuire, JM
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Important Distinctions Between Disability
Services in K-12 Higher Education

• IEPs 504 plans do not carry over to college
• Colleges establish eligibility of services based
  on documentation of substantial limitation of one
  or more major life activities
• If more documentation is needed at the college
  level, it is the students responsibility to
  provide it and pay for it

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Goals of the FMP

• SWDs participating in the FMP will
• earn higher Grade Point Averages (GPA)
• have a higher retention rate towards graduation
• have an enhanced level of independence and
  self-advocacy skills
• Faculty participating in the FMP will have
• higher awareness about academic needs of SWDs
• greater knowledge about services and resources
  available on campus for SWDs

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Objectives of the FMP

• The faculty mentors will assist students in
  understanding and meeting the academic challenges
  and expectations of college students.
• The faculty mentors will provide expertise in
  connecting the departmental major to future
  occupational goals.
• The faculty mentors will inform students about
  requirements of the students majoring in the
  faculty mentors department, as well as student
  clubs, organizations, and internships available
  to students with that major.
• The faculty mentors will personalize the Ball
  State experience for students with disabilities.

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Objectives of the FMP, contd

• The students will actively communicate with the
  faculty mentor and discuss academic challenges
  and concerns the students may have.
• The FMP will provide a forum between faculty,
  students, and other relevant stakeholders to
  discuss issues involving students with
  disabilities on campus.
• Faculty members will gain an enhanced
  understanding of the challenges that students
  with disabilities encounter.
• The FMP will enhance cooperation and coordination
  between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs,
  including units such as the Office of Disabled
  Student Development, the Learning Center,
  Academic Advising, the Counseling Center, faculty
  members, and supporting staff.

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What is a Mentor?

• Dictionary definition A wise and trusted
  teacher or counselor.
• (American Heritage Dictionary, 3/E)
• Role model, advocate, sponsor, guide, listener,
  coach, challenger, counselor, visionary, friend
• (The Roles and Phases of Mentorship, Michael
  Galbraith Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski)

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Distinctions Between Freshman/Faculty Advisor
Mentor
Faculty Mentors
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Role of Freshman Advisor

• Provide leadership in the Freshman Learning
  Communities
• Plan class schedules
• Suggest resources
• Respond to Deficiency Reports

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Role of Faculty Advisor

• Provide guidance toward graduation
• Act as a resource person within the department
• Give information about internships and practicums

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Role of Faculty Mentor

• Provide tips on how to interact with professors
  (regarding college in general and disability
  issues in particular)
• Serve as a friend to help with transition
  questions
• Act as a resource person within the department to
  investigate the major and related career options
• Provide study tips for that major/department

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Process for Implementing the FMP Student
Recruitment

• Soliciting student involvement
• Brochure explaining FMP sent to all incoming SWDs
  who disclosed to DSD
• Response card sent with brochure interested
  students signed the response card returned it
  to DSD (38 students signed up last year, 37 so
  far this year)
• Promote FMP at new student meetings
• When mentors were assigned, students were sent
  letters giving names/contact info of mentors

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Process for Implementing the FMP Faculty
Recruitment

• FMP coordinators sought out faculty members in
  each of the seven colleges multiple departments
  within each college.
• 41 faculty members from 31 departments
  volunteered to participate.
• Faculty members attended training sessions
  explaining purpose of FMP specific challenges
  SWDs face.
• Mentors were assigned a student and asked to
  contact the student. The goal was to match each
  student with a mentor in the students major or
  area of interest.

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FMP Activities

• FMP creators have weekly meetings to coordinate
  the program and to plan events
• Emails sent to students
• Suggesting questions/talking points for meetings
  with mentors
• Reminding students of services available on
  campus
• End of semester survey of students mentors

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FMP Activities

• Regular lunch meetings with mentors
• Discuss the program and solicit feedback
• Guest speakers discuss campus services their
  assistance for SWDs
• Connect different academic disciplines assist
  other mentors with concerns students have outside
  of mentors area of expertise
• Internal grant received to help with costs of
  programming

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First-Year Results

• Data on SWDs who chose to participate SWDs who
  chose not to were compared at the end of academic
  year. Participants had
• Higher average GPAs (.3 higher)
• More credit hours earned (25.7/24.7)
• Higher retention rate (86/78)
• More extensive use of campus resources including
  DSD the Learning Center

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Student Feedback

• It felt great to know I had someone to go to for
  help.
• My mentor has taken me on a tour and has helped
  me develop a network of contacts on campus.
• A person I can talk to who knows the way through
  college.

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Benefits of Attempting FMP

• Mentoring is important for all students,
  especially SWDs
• Fosters collaboration across units
• Awareness in departments about services offered
  mentor becomes go to person in that department
• Gets word out about resources available on campus

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References

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English
  Language, Third Edition (1992). Houghton
  Mifflin. Boston MA
• Galbraith, M. Maslin-Ostrowski, P. (2000). The
  Roles and Phases of Mentorship. In J. Bess
  Associates, Teaching Alone, Teaching Together.
  Jossey Bass. San Francisco CA. 145-148.
• Hadley, W. (2006) L.D. Students Access to Higher
  Education Self-Advocacy and Support. Journal
  of Developmental Education 30 (2), 10-16.
• Light, R. (2001). Making the Most of College.
  Harvard University Press. Cambridge MA. 81-103.
• National Survey of Student Engagement (2006).
  Engaged Learning Fostering Success of All
  Students. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from
  www.nsse.iub.edu.

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Contact Information

• Dr. Taiping Ho, Professor of Criminal Justice
  Criminology taipingho_at_bsu.edu
• Dr. Jacqueline Harris, Coordinator for Study
  Strategies and Writing, The Learning Center
  jroberts_at_bsu.edu
• Larry Markle, Director of Disability Services
  lmarkle_at_bsu.edu
• DSD Website www.bsu.edu/dsd