ASEE PEER - The Experiences of Students as Peer Mentors in Engineering: Agency, Learning, Persistence, Uncertainty, and Culture.
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The Experiences of Students as Peer Mentors in Engineering: Agency, Learning, Persistence, Uncertainty, and Culture.

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 8: Peers as Mentors & Instructors

Tagged Division

First-Year Programs Division (FYP)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/48096

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Paper Authors

biography

Jill Davishahl Western Washington University

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Jill Davishahl is Associate Professor and First Year Programs Director in the Engineering + Design department at Western Washington University. Jill’s teaching, service, and research activities focus on enhancing the first year student experience by providing the foundational technical skills, student engagement opportunities, and professional skill development necessary to improve success in the major. Her current research focuses on creating inclusive and equitable learning environments through the development and implementation of strategies geared towards increasing student sense of belonging.

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biography

Audrey Boklage University of Texas at Austin

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Audrey Boklage is research assistant in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Her current work is focused on exploring pedagogical moves and interactions within university makerspaces to create a theoretical lens to info

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Abstract

This complete research paper explores the multiple facets of student mentorship in an academic makerspace with a focus on better understanding the experience and perception of being a peer mentor. The results of this study provide insight into the development of four students as mentors during their first year of employment. The students experienced learning, agency, persistence/commitment, uncertainty, and the culture of engineering in their role as mentors. They all found learning to be part of being a mentor and experienced personal growth over the course of the year. The peer mentors all developed a sense of agency because of being a mentor and described it as a positive attribute of the job. Commitment to the work, the makerspace, and the students they supported was something all four mentors found motivating and important. All four students experienced uncertainty in the role and sometimes struggled with knowing the path forward. Interestingly, the mentors experienced both learning and uncertainty differently across gender lines which was attributed to how the mentors experienced and described the culture of engineering. This study may help us to understand how students’ stereotypes about the culture of engineering influence their experience as mentors. Through these findings, we can gain insight into how best to support peer mentors in their role including hiring, training, and supporting them in the position. Additionally, future research can implement a refined and focused lens on the culture of these academic makerspaces and how these peer mentors and students support (or ignore) the culture of engineering within academic makerspaces.

Davishahl, J., & Boklage, A. (2024, June), The Experiences of Students as Peer Mentors in Engineering: Agency, Learning, Persistence, Uncertainty, and Culture. Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48096

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