On-Line Summer Peer Mentoring:
g
Keeping the Connection from
Summer Orientation to Welcome Weekend
Presented at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience
Orlando, FL ~ February 9, 2009
F
From
new student…
d
…to successful graduate.
Presented by:
Christy Metzger
In collaboration with:
Sarah Maurer
Introductions
Christy
Ch
i t Metzger
M t
Associate Director
First Year Initiatives
[email protected]
502-852-3200
Sarah Maurer
Graduate Student
CAPS Leader Program Intern,
Summer 2008
[email protected]
Why create a summertime peer mentor program?
What is the CAPS Leader Mentor Program?
How have we assessed the program?
What lessons did we learn?
Why create a summertime
peer mentor program?
– 4 year metropolitan research
– 22,000
22 000 students total
~ 2,600 First Time Freshmen
~ 23% minority
y population
p p
– 15% residential (63% FYS)
– Decentralized
– Mandatory orientation course
S
Summer
Orientation
O i t ti (June)
(J
)
•
•
•
•
Excitement
Nervousness
Ending
d g the
e cycle
cyc e of
o contact
co ac
Information overload
Then we send them on their way…
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
…but
but do they really know
where they’re headed?
Student Experience
• Incomplete
• Inconsistent
• Disjointed
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Grounding
g a Solution in Research
• Tinto (1993) Student Departure Theory
• Timing is everything! (Kuh, et al., Student Success in
College)
• Importance of peer support in transition
(Upcraft, Gardner, & Assoc., The Freshman Year Experience)
• Student commitment to the institution (Wallace
et al., 2000))
ivic
Diversity and community
cademic
Traditions, expectations, and opportunities
ersonal
Individual development and well-being
ocial
Meet, develop, and maintain relationships with
students, faculty, and staff
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Take what we know and point them in
the right direction…
+
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
• Bridging the gap
• Forging student connections
• New students learn more
about the university
• Bottom Line:
• Strengthen ties and create new ones
• Better prepared = ease their transition
• Hasten integration into academic/social life
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
The Mentors
• Utilizing existing resources
(mentor programs) to recruit
• Paid $252 for the 7-week program
– For credit? Co-curricular credit? Volunteer?
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
The Platform
• Utilizing existing resources (Blackboard)
– Email & Discussion Board
– Tab to house resources
• Almost all incoming students enrolled in
an orientation course with Blackboard
shell
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
The Platform
• Assign 1 CAPS Leader to two
Blackboard orientation courses
– Avg
Avg. course = 25
25-30
30 students
– Try to assign like-majored Leaders
with courses
– Fall 2008: 72 sections
– CAPS Leader has “Instructor” level
access
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
The Structure
• Themed content each week: CAPS
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Introductions
Civic
Academic
Personal
Social
Other Mentor Programs at UofL
Final Words of Wisdom
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
The Program
g
• Weekly Lesson Plans
–
–
–
–
–
Group Email (Monday/Tuesday)
Cardinal Clue Email (Wednesday/Thursday)
(
y
y)
Discussion Board Activity
Resource List
Extras
• Weeks 1 & 2: How to access Blackboard (mandatory), Making
Facebook contact (optional)
• Week 3: Personalized emails to non-participants
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
The Program
g
• Other
Oth responsibilities
ibiliti off CAPS L
Leaders
d
– Promptly responding to emails/inquiries
– Completing
C
l ti administrative
d i i t ti ttasks
k
• Usage reports
• Contact Log
• Timesheet
– Mid-Point Check-in
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Meet Your Mentor Lunch
Marketing
g
• Summer Orientation
• Postcard delivered just
after program starts
• W
Welcome
l
Weekend
W k d promo
(Mentor Lunch)
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Supporting
pp
g the Leaders - Training
g
• Leader Manual
–
–
–
–
–
Mentoring 101
How the program works
Resources for UofL
Report running
Expectations and code of conduct
• Computer lab for practice
• Problem scenario
• Tips
p from returners
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Supporting
pp
g the Leaders - June
• In-person refresher sessions
• On-line Q&A
• Students prep shells and first email early
for intern check (imperative!)
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Supporting
pp
g the Leaders - Program
g
• Intern handles administrative tasks
• Intern/Assoc. Director available for Q&A
• Regular emails to Leaders with updates
and announcements
• Mid-Point check in with Leaders
– Prompt questions in advance
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
What are the elements of assessment?
• Blackboard Reports
– Usage by first year students
– CAPS Leader activity
• First Year Student Survey
• CAPS Leader Mentor Survey
y
• Sophomore survey developed
(not yet implemented)
First Year Student Survey
y
• Influences to participate
– Learning UofL technology
– Staying connected to UofL
– Meet other new students in their section
– Seemed like an important part of their
transition
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
• What are they getting out of it?
– Increased knowledge of campus and
community resources
– Understanding more about CAPS
aspects of UofL
– Making a positive connection with a
CAPS Leader
– Feeling
F li more prepared
d tto start
t t UofL
U fL
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Timing
g is Everything!
y
g
“It helped me transition to UofL life
oover
e thee summer.”
e
“It was vvery iinformative
f
tiv and
dh
helped
l d
me transition very quickly and
efficiently
ffi i tl iinto
t college
ll
lif
life.””
Importance
p
of Peer Connections
“It allowed me to prepare for college by
my CAPS Leader sending emails to
me about any issues she faced as an
incoming college freshman and a lot
of the issues I could relate with and it
made me feel more comfortable coming
to college.”
Institutional Support
pp
“The CAPS Leader program showed
f really
y does care ffor its
that UofL
students.”
“With the program, UofL is being
proactive and there
there’ss a feeling that
people on campus are waiting for the
new students to arrive.
arrive.”
First Year Student Survey
y
• What
Wh t are they
th missing?
i i ?
– Didn’t understand how the program worked
– Didn’t make a strong enough connection with their
Leader/with their classmates
– Information
I f
ti wasn’t’t useful
f l enough/was
h/
too
t generall
– Didn’t hear often enough from Leader/heard too much
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
CAPS Leader Mentor Survey
y
• What are they getting out of it?
– 100% Agree/Strongly Agree
• Being a CAPS Leader was a positive experience
• They strengthened their mentor skills
– Almost 75% learned something new about UofL
– Almost 70% made a connection they will continue after
the program ends
– 85% made a positive connection with faculty/staff
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
• What Worked
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Individualized emails
Prompt replies
Fun emails and icebreakers
Sharing their personal experience
Consistency
H
Honesty
t and
d “k
“keeping
i it real”
l”
The Meet Your Mentor Lunch
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
CAPS Leader Survey
y
• Challenges
– Knowing
g about the academic unit-specific
p
information,,
especially if they were working outside of their major
– Unresponsive mentees
– Making a REAL connection over email
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Lessons Learned
•
•
•
•
•
Work with existing resources
Incoming
g student familiarity
y with technology
gy
Pre-loading course material
Restricting activity to the CAPS Leader tab
Toning down Leader expectations for
participation
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
• Hold summer refresher sessions
• Encourage Leader creativity and focus on
their experiences
• Great opportunity for an intern
• Stress that leaders ask program
coordinators with questions/concerns
• CAPS Leaders should be careful giving out
phone numbers/personal info
Why ▪ What ▪ Assessment ▪ Lessons
Changes
g for 2009
• Refresher videos for Leaders
• Continuing the relationship beyond our
program
• Adding an undergraduate Student Lead
• Intern
te hours
ou s – needs
eeds more
o e to
toward
a d tthe
ee
end
d
• More discussions about when our incoming
students are our students
What would y
you need?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Online platform
Coordinator or Intern
Mentors
Identify most important content
Buy-in
y from other mentor p
programs
g
Money… how much?
Patience!
Thank you!
y
Questions?