ACADEMIC MENTORING PROGRAM: Improving Instructional Support Practice in Working with Targeted Students

Center for Academic Excellence College of Letters and Science

Presentation Outline

What do you do to draw your students (especially students

identified as “at-risk”) to your instructional

support programs?

Problems with traditional tutoring approaches:

•Hold remedial image• Students expect re-teaching of the material• Tutor is viewed as an authority• Promote students’ reliance on tutors (“learned helplessness,” Seligman)• Solely subject-focused; don’t allow for addressing other student challenges

Additional Challenges of

Targeted Students• Finding safe space to learn on a big campus• Traditional tutoring groups are large•No role models to navigate higher education system• Fear of being negatively stereotyped• Finding a community where students belong, etc.

“The first step is to agree that most people share the goal of true diversity, with many races competing freely and successfully. But everyone wanting the same thing doesn’t tell us ‘how’ – how do we get there? How do we lift open

poorly educated minorities to an equal footing in the classroom? How do we do this while respecting that being singled

out for special attention – and often being ‘tracked’ at lower educational rung – can result in crippling doubts

about one’s abilities?” (Suskind. R. (1998). A Hope in the Unseen)

Background Information: University of Wisconsin-Madison: •Public, land-grant institution;•Offers a complete spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs and student activities;•Location: Madison, Wisconsin •Founded in 1848 •Enrollment: 42,595

Background Information:

College of Letters & Science:•Largest college at UW-Madison;•39 departments, 22 non-departmental academic programs, 5 professional schools, 70 interdisciplinary research and outreach centers;•Enrollment of more than 20000 undergraduate and graduate students; employment of more than 800 faculty;•56% of bachelor’s degrees;•Home to liberal art programs: 70 undergraduate majors, 47 certificate programs, 114 graduate programs.

Background Information:

Center for Academic Excellence (CAE)Launched by the College of Letters and Science and the Office of Student Academic Affairs in 2010, the CAE promotes the values of a liberal arts education and finds new ways for students to make a difference locally, nationally, and globally. The CAE works with first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students of color to make the Wisconsin Experience a reality.

The Four Pillars of CAE include:

•Academic Advising•High Impact Learning Experiences•Community Building•Integrated Approaches to Learning

Background Information: Center for Academic Excellence (CAE)

Brief History & Overview of CAE Tutoring Program:• Founded in 2008 to support students in the Academic Advancement Program• Expanded in 2011 to support students in the Pathways Student Academic Services• In 2012, peer learning initiative opened up to support all underrepresented students, with focus on Letters and Science students• Currently supports over 500 students; over 300 students utilize the service annually• Total of 50-60 tutors active each semester

What We Have Done:

Academic Mentoring Mission Statement:

Highlights of Academic Mentoring:

What is an academic mentor?

An academic mentor is a positive role model of successful student, who supports the mentee through academic advice, resources, caring, and sharing successful study habits of one’s own.

What is an Academic Mentor?

Differences between “a Tutor” and “an Academic Mentor”

Peer Learning Groups:

• Offer collaborative learning environment for students to study together outside of class • Support students in historically difficult subjects: math, chemistry, psychology, biology, economics, statistics, etc.• Are facilitated by experienced lead academic mentors• Provide safe space to learn outside of classroom

What is a Lead Academic Mentor?

A lead academic mentor is a positive role model of successful student, who provides leadership to other academic mentors and supports a group of mentees through academic advice, resources, caring, and sharing successful study habits of one’s own.

Differences between “a Group Tutor” and “a Lead Academic Mentor”

Academic Mentoring Framework:

Mindsets (Dweck, 2006)

Fixed mindset – believing that your qualities are carved in stone. Individuals who have a fixed mindset think everyone has a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality and certain abilities.

Growth mindset – believing that your qualities can be cultivated though your efforts. Individuals that have a growth mindset understand that everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Growth Mindset in Action:

Additional Research

• Learned Helplessness (Seligman, 1998): “the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do doesn’t matter.” • By giving the ownership of learning to our students,

we attempt to break the dependency cycle.

• Stereotype Threat (Steele, 2010): Merely being aware of a stereotype can bring down students’ performance. • Our goal is to help students build their confidence,

build the sense of self by fostering intergroup conversations & self-reflection.

Some Tips to Ensure Success under Stress

• Reaffirm your self-worth. • Map out your complexities. • Write about your worries. • Pause your choke. • The Obama effect. • Practice under pressure.

Choke (Beilock, 2010). Beilock suggests a number of techniques that could release the pressure in high-stakes situations:

Framework in Action – Some Examples:

• Having student write 1-page paper about what’s important • Devoting time at each session to talk about student • Writing about fears before the exam • Taking mentee to your favorite class• Walking mentee to the professor’s office hours• Relating to one’s own experience: “If I could do it, you can do it too”

Resources and Training

Average Score out of 5

Academic Mentor treated me in a respectful and professional manner

4.88

Academic Mentor is knowledgeable about the subject and course material covered

4.71

Academic Mentor is knowledgeable about other outside resources

4.47

During my sessions, I was able to find the answers on my own

3.93

What is your perceived impact of academic mentoring

4.56

Overall I would rate the quality of my academic mentor as

4.67

I will be able to apply the skills that I've learned during my sessions to other courses

4.37

OVERALL IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC MENTORING

Learning Environment:

Average Score out of 5

During my peer learning sessions, I was able to find the answers on my own or with the help of other students (not lead academic mentor).

4.54

What is your perceived impact of peer learning

4.45

Overall I would rate the quality of my lead academic mentor as

4.80

I will be able to apply the skills that I've learned during my peer learning sessions to other courses

4.29

I got the help I needed from my lead academic mentor

4.57

I will recommend peer learning to my friends and peers

95.7%

I was able to make friends during my peer learning sessions

95.9%

I was able to study outside of peer learning with students that attended peer learning with me

44.9%

OVERALL IMPACT OF PEER LEARNING

*Compare to perceived impact of group tutoring at 4.17 in Spring 2012Students' Perceived Impact of Peer

Learning

Freshman Survey Data: January 2013

27% of freshmen reported that academic mentoring/peer learning have had most impact on their academics in their first semester of freshmen year

Please indicate what has been most impactful on your performance level in classes:Peers/Friends 26Campus Learning Centers 3Peer Learning 12One-on-one Academic Mentoring 9Faculty 8Other 1Nothing - I did it on my own 20Grand Total 79

Student Comments: One-on-One Academic Mentoring

Student Comments: Peer Learning

Our goals for future semesters:

• Block scheduling for a number of courses• Build a better infrastructure for peer learning• Involve CAE students in Academic Mentoring

leadership positions• Continue expanding peer learning to support more

underrepresented students in the College of Letters & Science

• Create opportunities for more interaction between academic mentors: mentor groups by subject, students panels, Mentoring course, etc.

Resources:• Beilock, S. (2010). Choke: What the secrets of the brain reveal about getting it right when you have to.• Dweck, C. (2008). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.• Seligman M. (1998) Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. • Steele, C. (2010). Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (Issues of Our Time)• Supplemental Instruction materials, University of Missouri-Kansas City• Suskind, R. (1998). A Hope in the Unseen

Contact Information

Sara ScottLead Academic Mentor, ChemistryTutorial Program AssistantCenter for Academic Excellence, University of Wisconsin-Madisonsscott4@wisc.edu

Aygul Hoffman Tutorial Program CoordinatorCenter for Academic Excellence, University of Wisconsin-Madisonanhoffman2@wisc.edu