Mentoring Models for Student Development in Education Abroad

1. Mentoring Models for Student Development in Education Abroad Meredith P. Field, Deborah Lake, Robin Pendoley November 21, 2013

2. Who are we? Meredith P. Field, Bucknell University Deborah Lake, University of Maryland Robin Pendoley, Thinking Beyond Borders

3. Framing our context - 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.

4. Mentor “a trusted counselor or guide.”

5. Mentor • “a trusted counselor or guide.” • Contexts: • Educational • Professional • Community • Athletics • Hobbies • Life

6. 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

7. Mentoring – Relationship Characteristics • Are reciprocal • Are personal • Mentors are more experienced than their protégés within a given context

8. Mentoring - Framework

9. How is it different from advising? Understand the similarities and differences between advising and mentoring.

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

11. Advising • “to give (someone) a recommendation about what should be done.” • Contexts: • Academic • Career • Study Abroad • Student Organization • Financial • Legal • Health

12. Advising vs. Mentoring Advising Mentoring

13. Mentoring Model 1 Mentoring in Study Abroad Advising at Bucknell University

14. 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

15. 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

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

17. 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?

18. 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.

19. Design Principles • Education abroad intensifies student development. • Millennial Generation students need deeper, more reflective support. • Many aspects of advising are transactional.

20. Mentoring Model • Polices and procedureIntroductionvideo 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.

21. Outcomes • More questions than answers. • Beginning of a dialogue. • An ongoing relationship in which we bothlearn. • 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.

22. Mentoring Model 2 Mentoring in Study Abroad at University of Maryland

23. 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

24. 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

25. Mentoring at Maryland • Two ways in which we use students as mentors • Peer Mentors • Teaching/Resident assistants on first-year programs

26. Intended Outcomes • Improve personal attention and support of students • Increase outreach and connection to larger campus

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. Mentoring Model 3 Mentoring in programming at Thinking Beyond Borders

31. 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

32. Intended Outcomes • Clear Purpose and Direction • Ownership of Learning • Critical Reflection on Assumptions, Ethics, & Self • Personal Growth Through Intentional Relationships

33. Design Principles • Developmental Needs • Peers Are Primary for Processing • Independence • Metacognitive Growth • Emotion Dominant Responses • Students Responsible for Learning • Cross Discourse Boundaries

34. Mentoring Model • Group Therapy • 6 Students with 1 Educator • Set Initial Context • Students Determine Content • Educator Provides Support, Not Leadership • Meet Every 2 Weeks

35. Outcomes • Leverage Learning Moments • Educators Provide Questions and Reflective Comments • Scaffolding Students into • Metacognition • Critical Self-Reflection • Building Intentional Relationships • Managing Emotional Responses

36. Post-Program • Personalized Periodic Outreach • Perspective on Stages of Processing • Offers of Support and Contact • Programs for Contextualized Mentoring • Fellowship Programs • Alumni at Graduation

37. Questions for discussion... 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?

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

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

40. Questions and Comments?

41. Contact Us Meredith P. Field, Bucknell University mfield@bucknell.edu Deborah Lake, University of Maryland dmlake@umd.edu Robin Pendoley, Thinking Beyond Borders robin@thinkingbeyondborders.org