UNDERGRADUATE MENTORING

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UNDERGRADUATE MENTORING
Dr Neil Speirs The University of Edinburgh
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THE ORIGINS OF MENTORING
Traced back to Homers Odyssey where Mentor, an
elder from Ithaca, was asked by Ulysses to be
guide, advisor and teacher to his son Telemachus
while fighting the Trojan wars. Mentor was
actually the goddess Athena, the goddess of
wisdom, that had assumed Mentors form. Others
have indicated that the key to the currency of
the word in English and French is more likely to
come from the writer and educator Fenelon. In
Les Adventures de Telemaque (1699) Fenelon places
great emphasis on the role Mentor plays as a
counsellor. This work was one of the most
popular political novels of the time.
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MENTORING DEFINED
The action of advising or training another
person, esp. a less experienced colleague the
activity of a mentor. a process where
the mentee is motivated to develop their skills
and ambitions by communicating confidentially with
a student mentor.
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THE NEED FOR PEER-MENTORING
Exposure to often affluent and self confident
fellow freshers can make students with a WP
background often feel alienated All students find
the transition difficult. Feeling out of place
at an institution you have worked hard towards
and deserved to gain entry to may leave an
impression of being an outsider. From the
outlook it may also appear that the cost of
living and socialising in this foreign
environment will be too much, again leading to a
feeling of inadequacy.
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THE NEED FOR PEER-MENTORING
The support offered by HE institutions is
primarily through advisors/directors of studies.
Academic members of staff often not completely in
tune with their students. The issue of poor
advisors/directors of studies is often brought up
by students at various stages of their studies
and not just WP students. The next level of
support comes from university advice places,
these are often not known about. From here the
student is often referred to counselling services
or indeed their advisor of studies.
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THE ROLE OF PEER-MENTORING
Mentoring exists in the niche between the
formality and often inconclusiveness that a
director of studies offers and the apparent
unreliability that an immediate peer-group
offers. Trained mentors have the required
knowledge but have the approachability of a
peer. The mentor will spend the time to listen
but will also ask pertinent challenging questions
without the mentee feeling in any way judged.
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MENTORING IS NOT
A counselling service A drop in advice
centre An academic tutor The answer to all
problems
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THE PROGRAMME
The University of Edinburgh runs a University
wide mentoring programme for WP students called
m-power. A new first year is paired with a
second or third year student from a similar
background who can relate to the issues the new
student will face. A certain degree of
academic support principally directed through
learning and study development.
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THE PROGRAMME


Mentors are given training and support throughout
and given information on other relevant
University support services to recommend to
mentees if necessary. Expert referrrers
The student mentee will ideally return to the
scheme the following academic year in order to
act as a mentor where the insight they
have already gained is invaluable. M-Power
also offers social, financial and personal advice
to the student, matters that are often
intrinsically related to the students personal
academic success.
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FUNDING
The project is funded full time from SHEFC Wider
Access Premium Funding.
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EXPANSION
Due to the success of the project it was decided
to expand it to include our local schools.
Those students involved with the already
accomplished Pathways to the Professions were
assigned second year mentors from the Schools of
Law and Medicine, depending on the individuals
interest.
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EXPANSION
The programme involves mentoring meetings at the
pupils school that take place either side of a
shadowing day at the University where the pupil
can experience the whole lifestyle and
environment of a student. Any students called
for interview are given support and guidance from
staff and their mentor on the day of
interview. The students that gain entry to the
University then become part of m-power
undergraduate mentoring. They are paired with
the same mentor.
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STUDENT REACTION
..I have gained confidence, become more
independent and responsible. I have found it easy
to get on with people. Mentoring has help me
with this in getting on with it and taking
chances.
I hope Ive been able to help my mentee deal
with the variety of difficulties freshers can
face. Purely through giving advice based on my
own experiences and mistakes..
.having my mentor has aided me so much already,
and she is just one more extra friend to help me
a long. As I say, I would be happy to return the
favour next year and hopefully try and do a job
just as good
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STUDENT REACTION
I now have a better self image and dont fear
people as much this has actually helped me
a lot. I now know that there are people who felt
the way I did in first year. I now worry less
about those little things. I suppose Im just
happier.
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ELEMENTS OF GOOD PRACTICE
To understand the philosophy of widening
participation. A knowledge of the issues that
the student will face. Objectives of the
project must be stated clearly at the outset
Location, length and frequency of the meetings
must be outlined Approachability of staff is
essential. It is important to supplement
meetings with additional workshops and feedback
sessions.
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MENTORING CONTACTS
The National Mentoring Network and constituent
regional forums www.nmn.org.uk The National
Mentoring Partnership www.mentoring.org The UK
Mentors Forum www.mentorsforum.co.uk The
Mentors Peer Resources www.mentors.ca
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UNDERGRADUATE MENTORING