Student Peer Mentoring in the Arts and Humanities GEN310 WELCOME!!!

Student Peer Mentoring in the Arts and HumanitiesGEN310WELCOME!!! Date: 5 April 2013 Event Name and Venue

The ‘arthistorybuddyscheme- reflections so far… Dr Gabriele Neher GEN310 Peer Mentoring in the Arts

The evolution of the scheme • Project on personal tutoring in the School of Humanities • University of Nottingham Senior Tutors’ Network

Departmental Context • Learning Community Forum- raised through student discussions • Project-based learning • http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/students/advantageaward/index.aspx • Opportunity for developing students’ employability skills

Recruiting the mentors • Extensive use of Facebook and social media • Formal application process • On acceptance, each mentor was asked to write a blog entry • Examples of social media use: • http://www.arthistorybuddyscheme.wordpress.com • http://arthistorybuddyscheme.wordpress.com/2012/08/

Summer 2012 • £650 grant awarded for the establishment of the scheme • Help with catering costs for two compulsory training sessions for mentors (provided by the department) and one welcome event where buddies and mentors are introduced to each other • Help with catering costs for a ‘meet your mentor ‘ meeting in Week One where incoming Year One students who have indicated a wish to be linked to the ‘Buddy’ scheme will attend a briefing session and be introduced to their mentor • Contribute to buying and printing branded hoodies for the mentors who are expected to help represent the department as ambassadors and also to allow buddies to identify them, especially in the first phase of the project. The branded garments will identify the student by surname, and display the ‘buddy scheme logo’ on the back.

Developing ‘the look’ • ‘The Look’

Recruiting the ‘mentees’ • Each incoming student was sent a description of the scheme, an invitation to join, and an application form • Voluntary scheme • Take up- 56% • Matching the mentors to the mentees • Need for a personal tutor/academic to be in charge

I hope that through participating in the mentoring scheme, to be able to balance my work load with interests etc. I am apprehensive about my move into University so advice on offer from fellow students would be helpful. I am particularly interested in the arts, including fashion and music.

I’d like help in making the transition from A levels to thinking critically and writing academically about art. I’m really interested in meeting someone with whom I can have an in-depth conversation with and who will stretch me to think differently and open me up to new points of view about art. Up to now most of what I have done has been practising art, therefore would like help with putting my thoughts about art into words.

I am looking forward to the course but have had a year out of formal study and feel a bit worried how to approach work at university. My interests include playing a majority of sports, music and art and socialising.

Expectations

Week One Training the mentors • Introductory meeting

‘There are some issues that fall in between what your friends can help you with and what you want to ask a lecturer you have never met before, and the Buddy Scheme fills those gaps wonderfully. Thanks to my mentor, on my third day at Nottingham, I already knew everything there was to know about the library, the online portal and how to make the most of my seminars. My mentor is a wonderful person who is incredibly helpful; she has made the difference between my first weeks at Nottingham being unproductive and achieving a good balance of social and academic life’.

The first term • Fifteen mentors looking after 4o first years • Varying sizes of mentoring groups, maximum ratio 1:3 • After initial group meeting, arrangements for mentoring up to each mentoring group

Training for the mentors • Nottingham Advantage Award Module • 3x 2 hours meetings with the mentors: on recognising diffiuclt situations and liaising with personal tutors; on social media; final debrief • Expected contact: 10 hours with mentees; to be logged • For assessment: 3x blog entry

Mentees • Important monitoring role played by personal tutors who use meetings to check on progress • Liaison with the two project leaders (ane academic, one administrator)

Success stories? • All first year students submitted their coursework on time for the first two assignments. UNPRECEDENTED… • Cross-level contact- first years more integrated in other departmental projects, such as Art History Society and Crop-Up • Indirect mentoring taking place, that is students with mentor talking to students without one

Problems? • Personality clashes between mentor and mentees • Instrumental use of mentors by some (‘please can I say your essays from last year?’)

Next steps • Wrapping up mentoring • Recruiting new mentors for 20-13/14 • Reviewing recommendations to date, e.g. provision of mentoring handbooks

Is it worth it? • YES. • gabriele.neher@nottingham.ac.uk • @gabrieleneher • @UoNArtH-Mentors

Student Peer Mentoring in the Arts and Humanities GEN310 WELCOME!!!