Work In Progress: Creating and building a Peer Advising Program to Increase Engagement with Pre-major Engineering Students

Maria Mosley; Kellie Scofield; Jennifer Saltsgiver; Christine B. Masters

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - WIPS 2: Advising & Mentoring
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
Page Count: 10
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44193
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44193
Download Count: 174

Paper Authors

biography

Maria Mosley The Pennsylvania State University, Academic Adviser, Engineering Advising Center

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Maria has worked in the Engineering Advising Center at Penn State for four years. She has worked in student support services at the University since 2008. Prior to her time at Penn State, Maria worked at several different universities in various roles within the world of Student Affairs. She has worked professionally in the field for 19 years. Maria graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts with an M.Ed. in Student Personnel Administration and has a Bachelors degree in Communication from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.

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Kellie Scofield

biography

Jennifer Saltsgiver The Pennsylvania State University Engineering Advising Center within the College of Engineering

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Jennifer Saltsgiver is the Assistant Director of the Engineering Advising Center at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus. She obtained her Masters degree in Education from Millersville University and her B.S. from DeSales University.

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biography

Christine B. Masters The Pennsylvania State University

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Christine Masters is the Assistant Dean for Academic Support and Global Programs and a Teaching Professor in the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at the Pennsylvania State University. In between raising 4 great kids with her husband of 35 years, she taught large enrollment statics and strength of materials courses for 12 years and has been leading the efforts focused on support, global engagement, and academic integrity as Assistant Dean since 2014.

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Abstract

This Work In Progress paper will describe how the engineering advising team at a large land-grant university has created and is building a Peer Advising Program. The Peer Advising Program is an innovative advising approach to increase the engagement of first-year engineering students. The Peer Advising Program serves to meet the students’ need for information and provides a peer system for this exchange. Peer Advisers offer technical and low-level advising support to promote academic excellence for student success. Participating students grow through the realization of enhanced self-advocacy skills. During development, the program designers used several similar existing programs as benchmarks, consulted with other institutions within the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), and explored academic advising literature on the role that peer advisers play in the undergraduate experience, guided by the university and college values and mission as well as the NACADA Core Values. In the Fall of 2018, a Graduate Assistant was hired to lead the program's development efforts and supervise the Peer Advisers in the first year of implementation. Peer Advisers were trained through several formal sessions focusing on available resources, academic timelines, role boundaries, diversity/inclusion, and technical knowledge of online student platforms such as Starfish, Canvas, and the University registration system. The program was implemented in Fall 2019 with nine rising Junior-level Peer Advisors in varying Engineering majors and has grown to 23 currently serving this year, with several experienced Peer Advisers serving as Leads with additional responsibilities such as planning social and professional development events for the Peer Adviser group. In addition to talking with students one-on-one, peer advisers give presentations throughout the year to increase awareness about the program and offer information about their experiences to current and prospective engineering students. A one-credit course has recently been developed to formalize the development of peer mentoring skills through self-evaluation and reflection of soft skills, strengths, and self-purpose. This course has been offered as an experimental section and is currently being submitted for university curricular review. Structured individual touchpoints throughout the semester monitor that Peer Advisers are experiencing successful student interactions and feel supported in their role. Current assessment of the program is conducted surveys that students complete at the conclusion of their individual peer advising appointment. This paper will present details of the authors’ experience creating, implementing and assessing this program with the goal of gathering thoughts and suggestions from the broader community that can positively influence the continued implementation and evolution of this impactful student support program.

Citation
Format

Mosley, M., & Scofield, K., & Saltsgiver, J., & Masters, C. B. (2023, June), Work In Progress: Creating and building a Peer Advising Program to Increase Engagement with Pre-major Engineering Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44193

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This Work In Progress paper will describe how the engineering advising team at a large land-grant university has created and is building a Peer Advising Program. The Peer Advising Program is an innovative advising approach to increase the engagement of first-year engineering students. 
The Peer Advising Program serves to meet the students’ need for information and provides a peer system for this exchange. Peer Advisers offer technical and low-level advising support to promote academic excellence for student success. Participating students grow through the realization of enhanced self-advocacy skills.
During development, the program designers used several similar existing programs as benchmarks, consulted with other institutions within the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), and explored academic advising literature on the role that peer advisers play in the undergraduate experience, guided by the university and college values and mission as well as the NACADA Core Values.
In the Fall of 2018, a Graduate Assistant was hired to lead the program&#39;s development efforts and supervise the Peer Advisers in the first year of implementation. Peer Advisers were trained through several formal sessions focusing on available resources, academic timelines, role boundaries, diversity/inclusion, and technical knowledge of online student platforms such as Starfish, Canvas, and the University registration system. The program was implemented in Fall 2019 with nine rising Junior-level Peer Advisors in varying Engineering majors and has grown to 23 currently serving this year, with several experienced Peer Advisers serving as Leads with additional responsibilities such as planning social and professional development events for the Peer Adviser group. In addition to talking with students one-on-one, peer advisers give presentations throughout the year to increase awareness about the program and offer information about their experiences to current and prospective engineering students.
A one-credit course has recently been developed to formalize the development of peer mentoring skills through self-evaluation and reflection of soft skills, strengths, and self-purpose. This course has been offered as an experimental section and is currently being submitted for university curricular review. 
Structured individual touchpoints throughout the semester monitor that Peer Advisers are experiencing successful student interactions and feel supported in their role. Current assessment of the program is conducted surveys that students complete at the conclusion of their individual peer advising appointment. 
This paper will present details of the authors’ experience creating, implementing and assessing this program with the goal of gathering thoughts and suggestions from the broader community that can positively influence the continued implementation and evolution of this impactful student support program. 

AU  - Maria Mosley
AU  - Kellie Scofield
AU  - Jennifer Saltsgiver
AU  - Christine B. Masters
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Work In Progress: Creating and building a Peer Advising Program to Increase Engagement with Pre-major Engineering Students 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44193
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44193
ER  -