Mentoring to Achieve Diversity

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Mentoring to Achieve Diversity

• Suzanne Devlin Susan Nicholson
• Student Support and Retention Officers
• University of Newcastle upon Tyne

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What is Diversity?

• The University of Newcastle upon Tyne is a
  'community of communities' national, ethnic,
  cultural, linguistic, religious and many more.
  TheUniversity is unequivocally committed to the
  goal of fostering mutual respect and
  understanding between its constituent communities
  and topromoting equality of opportunity among
  staff and students alike. It encourages all staff
  and students to enjoy and celebrate its diverse
  culture.
• Race Equality Policy, University of
  Newcastle upon Tyne

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Profile of University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Figures for Academic Year 2003/2004
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Student groups under-represented / vulnerable
to withdrawal

• Mature Students
• International Students
• Research postgraduate students
• Local students living with parents
• Widening participation students (incl.
  PARTNERS students)
• Disabled students
• British BME students

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Vulnerable groups supported through mentoring
our target groups

• Mature Students
• 12 of undergraduate population are mature at
  Newcastle, nearly 30 are mature nationally.
• Current withdrawal rate for mature students is
  10
• International Students
• High proportion of students accessing support
  services
• Rapidly increasing nos. of students, but
  increase not reflected in resources provided to
  support services to respond to need
• Poor performance of increasing numbers of
  students in 1st year
• Research Postgraduate Students
• 2003/4 18 of pg students are on research
  courses but they formed 41 of pgs who withdrew.
• Higher proportion than expected accessing support
  services

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Group Discussion

• What does diversity mean to you / your
  institution?
• Issues to consider
• Which groups of students in your institution do
  you consider to be vulnerable to withdrawal or
  under-represented?
• Why are these groups of students vulnerable?
• Could the retention of any of the above groups be
  improved by peer support?

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What is mentoring?

• Mentoring involves primarily listening with
  empathy, sharing experience (usually mutually),
  professional friendship, developing insight
  through reflection, being a sounding board,
  encouraging
• David Clutterbuck

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What is mentoring?

• A dynamic, two-way process between mentor and
  mentee, in which the specific purpose is to
  facilitate development, change or transition.
  Through this process mentees should be encourages
  to reflect on their own experiences, reach their
  own conclusions, explore future options and
  define their own directions, whilst recognising
  the constraints in which they are working
• Open University, 2000

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The Befriending / Mentoring Spectrum (Devised by
the Befriending Network (Scotland))
Befriending ______________________
__________________________ Mentoring

• More Structured
• Social Relationship is incidental
• Mentor works with mentee to meet objectives

• Informal
• Social Support / prevent isolation
• No objectives

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Overarching aims of mentoring schemes

• Breaking down real and perceived barriers to
  success in HE
• Smooth the transition for students from
  identified target groups
• Heightened self-awareness and focus for mentees
• Increased awareness of support services for
  students involved
• Employability skills for mentors

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Mature Student Mentoring scheme

• Aims of scheme
• Positive role models (confidence/self belief)
• Reduce isolation
• Sharing knowledge gained through experience eg.
  academic cycle/managing workload/juggling family
  commitments
• Increase awareness of general support services
  and dedicated support
• Develop a social network / mature student
  community

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Mentoring of International Students

• Aims of scheme
• Develop colloquial as well as academic language
  skills
• Cultural Adaptation
• Support in adapting to a new educational system
• Sharing knowledge gained through experience eg.
  academic cycle/managing workload
• To encourage integration with UK students / a
  feeling of belonging to the institution
• Increase awareness of general support services
  and dedicated support

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Research Postgraduate Student Mentoring Scheme

• Aims of scheme
• Reduce isolation from other research
  students/peers
• Smooth transition from undergraduate taught study
  to research
• Foster a sense of belonging at the University
• Create research communities within schools
• Increase awareness of general support services
  and dedicated support
• Sharing knowledge gained through experience eg.
  postgraduate academic cycle/managing
  workload/juggling work or family commitments

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Mentoring how it works 1

• More experienced students mentor new students eg
  stage 2 mentor stage 1, 2nd year PhD mentor 1st
  year research
• Ratio 13
• One to one mentoring sessions across semesters 1
  2 regular email contact
• Mentors/mentees matched according to age,
  subject of study, family situation, gender,
  individual need.

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Mentoring how it works 2

• Mentor initial training
• 6 hours
• Compulsory
• Covers definitions of mentoring ethical codes
  of practice mentoring skills and practice
• Benefits of mentoring to mentors?
• employability skills
• further their own social network
• option of academic credit

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Mentoring how it works 3

• Ongoing monitoring and evaluation
• Continual support and advice available to mentors
  from programme co-ordinator
• Regular email contact with mentors and mentees
• Group support sessions for mentors
• End of programme evaluation by questionnaire and
  focus groups

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Accreditation v Voluntary(from a co-ordinators
perspective)

• Mentoring for academic credit
• Pros formal degree level accreditation of
  skills, better qualified mentors, not relying on
  altruism of mentors, timetabled commitment
• Cons lack of flexibility due to Uni. Regs.,
  dependant on mentees commitment, can be
  perceived as an easy option, lack of recognition
  by academics
• Mentoring as a volunteer
• Pros open to all students, genuine desire to be
  a mentor, less administration, more flexibility
• Cons relying on altruism of mentors, more
  difficult to monitor, difficult to ensure
  consistency of approach and quality, difficult to
  certificate skill development

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Making it happen important players

• Academic Schools
• Approval for student participation, promotion,
  PGR involved in the development and monitoring
• Faculties
• Identify the needs of its students, approval at
  FTLC level, accreditation
• Central Administration
• Centre for Academic Development employability
  skills framework, publicity, administration of
  modules

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Evidence of Success

• Qualitative Feedback from mentors
• Feedback taken from post-relationship evaluation
  questionnaires and focus groups
• 100 of mentors would recommend or strongly
  recommend being a mentor to other students (PGR)
• an excellent programme, I have found its really
  helped to develop my listening and communication
  skills (mature student mentor, 2003/4)
• the scheme has really helped to create a
  postgraduate community within the School Head of
  Graduate Studies, School of English

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Evidence of Success

• Qualitative feedback from mentees
• I felt more confident knowing that there was
  always someone I could ask if I had any questions
  and this has definitely made it easier to be an
  international student in Newcastle
  (International mentee, 2004)
• my mentor provided excellent help and guidance
  was very supportive throughout (mature student
  mentee, 2003/4)

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Issues we still struggle with

• How can you collect accurate quantitative
  evidence of the impact of a mentoring scheme?
• How do you obtain the backing of Schools and
  Academic staff?
• Accredited schemes v Voluntary schemes