MENTORING MODELS FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION ABROADMeredith P. Field, Deborah Lake, Robin Pendoley

November 21, 2013

Meredith P. Field, Bucknell UniversityDeborah Lake, University of MarylandRobin Pendoley, Thinking Beyond Borders

Who are we?

- Mentors are essential to education abroad to support student development.  - We will share ways that we use mentors - including before, during, and after students are abroad.- We will discuss the mentoring models you use and ideas for new models.

Framing our context

Mentor

“a trusted counselor or guide.”

Mentor

“a trusted counselor or guide.” Contexts:

Educational Professional Community Athletics Hobbies Life

Mentoring – Relationship Characteristics

Helping relationships usually focused on achievement

Includes any or all of three broad components: Emotional and psychological

support Direct assistance with career and

professional development Role modeling

Mentoring – Relationship Characteristics

Are reciprocal Are personal Mentors are more experienced

than their protégés within a given context

Mentoring - Framework

Understand the similarities and differences between advising and mentoring.

How is it different from advising?

Advising

“to give (someone) a recommendation about what should be done.”

Advising

“to give (someone) a recommendation about what should be done.”

Contexts: Academic Career Study Abroad Student Organization Financial Legal Health

Advising vs. Mentoring

Relationship Characteristics

mutual respect, trust, ethical behavior

Matching assigned

Functions providing guidance, advice, support

Focus situation

Who Benefits?

student

Relationship Characteristics

mutual respect, trust, ethical behavior, personal, reciprocal

Matching mutually chosen

Functions providing guidance, advice, support, role modeling, development

Focus person

Who Benefits?

both parties

Advising Mentoring

Mentoring in Study Abroad Advising at Bucknell University

Mentoring Model 1

Bucknell University

Bucknell is: liberal arts residential primarily undergraduate student population: ~ 3,500 primarily Caucasian mostly upper-middle to upper class most originate in NY, NJ, CT, and PA

Study Abroad at Bucknell

50% of students go abroad Junior year or fall of senior year Process begins in fall of sophomore year Advising by academic discipline Advisers schedule 30 minute

appointments At least 3 meetings before submitting

application

Advising at Bucknell

My advising load... 100 students throughout each semester ~70% are business majors Coordinate Bucknell in London program

Advising at Bucknell

My advising schedule... 6 meetings per day Meetings cover academic issues,

policies, personal topics How to move from advising to

mentoring? How do I develop mentor

relationships with my students?

Intended Outcomes

Increase quality of education abroad.

Improve assessment results and support student development by: Helping students ask the right

questions and set goals. Guiding students to be more

intentional about their choices. Teaching students to be more

reflective in order to better articulate the transformational experience.

Design Principles

Education abroad intensifies student development.

Millennial Generation students need deeper, more reflective support.

Many aspects of advising are transactional.

Mentoring Model

Polices and procedureIntroduction video or group advising session.

Self-scheduling. Pre-advising survey. Appointment begins with brief

review of policies & procedures. Bulk of appointment focuses on

getting to know the student.

Outcomes

More questions than answers. Beginning of a dialogue. An ongoing relationship in which

we both learn. Students are more likely:

to open up to me. to be honest. to choose an “appropriate” program. to approach the experience with a

focus on learning and development.

Mentoring in Study Abroad at University of Maryland

Mentoring Model 2

University of Maryland

University of Maryland is: Large Public Research Institution Mostly residential 26,538 undergraduate (with about 10,000

graduate students) Maryland students

76% Maryland residents 33% minorities 137 countries of origin

Study Abroad

Ranked 12th in 2012 Open Doors

Programs pre-first-year - senior year

Advising mostly by region Students may not meet with

anyone Work with ~300 students each

term

Mentoring at Maryland

Two ways in which we use students as mentors Peer Mentors Teaching/Resident assistants on

first-year programs

Intended Outcomes

Improve personal attention and support of students

Increase outreach and connection to larger campus

Design Principles

Peer-to-peer mentoring relationships Provide a deeper connection to

the study abroad process Mentors have lived through the

experience Peer mentors can address

“hopes and dreams” Student perspective and

resources

Mentoring Model

Available for drop-in appointments

Represent office on campus Work with students to narrow

down choices before meeting with an advisor

TA/RAs create a link between students and staff, as well as a link to campus

Outcomes

Fewer limitations Peers can meet with students for a

longer period of time Students more likely to disclose

concerns Credibility 30% of spring 14 applicants heard

via word-of-mouth Resource for students and parents

before, during, and after

Mentoring in programming at Thinking Beyond Borders

Mentoring Model 3

Mentoring at Thinking Beyond Borders

International education non-profit Mission to empower and inspire to

address critical global issues Offer 1 and 2 semester programs to gap

year students/college freshmen Cohorts of 18 students + 3 educators

Intended Outcomes

Clear Purpose and Direction Ownership of Learning Critical Reflection on Assumptions, Ethics, &

Self Personal Growth Through Intentional

Relationships

Design Principles

Developmental Needs Peers Are Primary for Processing Independence Metacognitive Growth Emotion Dominant Responses

Students Responsible for Learning

Cross Discourse Boundaries

Mentoring Model

Group Therapy 6 Students with 1

Educator Set Initial Context Students Determine

Content Educator Provides

Support, Not Leadership

Meet Every 2 Weeks

Outcomes

Leverage Learning Moments Educators Provide Questions

and Reflective Comments Scaffolding Students into

Metacognition Critical Self-Reflection Building Intentional Relationships Managing Emotional Responses

Post-Program

Personalized Periodic Outreach Perspective on Stages of

Processing Offers of Support and Contact

Programs for Contextualized Mentoring Fellowship Programs Alumni at Graduation

1. How is your office addressing relationships within the context of advising or during programs? How are you managing the balance between relationships and tasks during the study abroad process?

Questions for discussion...

2. What are obstacles to implementing mentorship? Is it cost, resources, perceived value, time, etc.?  

Questions for discussion...

3. How can we overcome any of these obstacles? Suggestions on what people are doing already in their particular context?

Questions for discussion...

Questions and Comments?

Meredith P. Field, Bucknell Universitymfield@bucknell.edu

Deborah Lake, University of Marylanddmlake@umd.edu

Robin Pendoley, Thinking Beyond Borders

robin@thinkingbeyondborders.org

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