This Complete Evidence-Based Paper presents research about a layered peer mentorship
program for undergraduate engineering students at a public urban research university and ways
that students have made meaning from their mentorship experiences. This mentorship program
began in Fall 2019 and has grown to include the following layers: (a) first-year students who
receive mentorship, (b) sophomore- and junior-level students who serve as mentors (all of whom
received mentorship during their first year), (c) junior- and senior-level students who serve as
lead mentors who design the program for that academic year (including content, group meetings,
service projects, meeting schedules, etc.), (d) a graduate student who mentors and supervises the
lead mentors, and (e) a faculty member who oversees the overall program, provides general
guidance, and advises all the students. We will describe ways in which the participating students
have made meaning of their experience in the program, highlighting three key areas: (1) the web
of relationships formed, which cohere into a community; (2) students’ transitions from receiving
mentorship as first-year students to mentoring others in their sophomore and junior years; and (3)
the feedback and iteration process by which the program has continuously developed, which
forefronts student voice and agency. The paper will provide specific examples in each of the
three key areas described, with a special focus on students’ own descriptions of the meaning they
have made through their participation in the mentorship program. Recommendations will also be
shared for those interested in implementing similar programs on their campuses.
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This content will become publicly available on April 4, 2024
Give and gain: Black engineering students as near‐peer mentors
Engineering‐oriented bridge programs and camps are popular strategies for broadening participation. The students who often serve as counselors and mentors in these programs are integral to their success.
Predicated on the belief that mentoring contributes to positive outcomes for the mentors themselves, we sought to understand how undergraduate student mentors approached and experienced their work with a 6‐day overnight, NSF‐sponsored youth engineering camp (YEC). This study was guided by the question: How did YEC camp counselors approach and experience their roles as mentors?
We conducted an exploratory qualitative study of four Black undergraduate engineering students' experiences with and approaches to near‐peer mentorship in the YEC program. Data consisted of transcripts from two post‐program interviews and one written reflection from each participant. We analyzed data through abductive coding and the funds of knowledge framework.
Through subsequent interpretation of code categories, we found YEC mentors: (1) engaged in altruistic motivations as YEC mentors, (2) leveraged previous experiences to guide their approaches to mentorship, and (3) engaged in self‐directed learning and development.
This study highlights the knowledge and strategies that YEC mentors drew upon in their roles, and how they sought and achieved various personal, academic, and professional benefits. Insights from this study illustrate how near‐peer mentors can support their and others' engineering aspirations.
- Award ID(s):
- 1826181
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10406877
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Engineering Education
- Volume:
- 112
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1069-4730
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 365-381
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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