International Peer Mentor Program/Saddleback College
Learning Domains:
Leadership
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Social Advocacy and Justice
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Education
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Assessment and Evaluation
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Personal Development
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X
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X
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X
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X
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Description:
The International Student Office (ISO) applied for and was awarded
an ASG grant for $2,000 to create and implement an international student
peer-to-peer mentorship program for the Spring 2013 term. Through a competitive
selection process, the ISO staff selected 9 mentors who are continuing
international students at Saddleback College. The main purpose of the program
is to provide all participants with an opportunity to feel more connected to
the Saddleback campus community and to promote an exchange of intercultural
differences. The mentees benefited from the program by receiving interpersonal
support from a peer, whereas the mentors had a chance to develop their
leadership skills by providing assistance to their mentees. During the semester,
mentors and mentees attended on-campus events, corresponded through email,
phone and text, and met in-person. I assumed a primary role in designing this
program by placing an emphasis on holistic student development (American
Council on Education, 1937) and being guided by the Knefelkam’s (1984)
Practice-to-Theory- to Practice (P-T-P) model as my theoretical framework.
Learning Outcomes:
SWIBAT: Develop a training session for peer mentors that aligns with the program mission and facilitates the intended learning outcomes
Assessment Rubric:
Advanced
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Competent
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Basic
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Needs
Improvement
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SLO
# 1
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Applied all steps of P-T-P model to develop a program mission and
designed individual learning outcomes for mentors and mentees that align with
the program mission and coincide with relevant scholarly research
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Applied all steps of P-T-P model to develop a program mission and
designed individual learning outcomes for mentors and mentees
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Applied partial steps of P-T-P model to develop a
program mission and designed individual learning outcomes for mentors and
mentees
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Was unable to apply any steps of P-T-P model to develop a program mission
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SLO
# 2
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Developed a training session that aligned
with the program mission, facilitated the intended learning outcomes, and
engaged students in active participation
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Developed a training session that aligned
with the program mission and facilitated the intended learning outcomes
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Developed a training session that aligned
with the program mission or facilitated the intended learning outcomes
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Was unable to develop a training
session that aligned with the program mission or facilitated the intended
learning outcomes
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Evidence:
Program Flyer:
Peer Mentor Program Kickoff Photos:
Reflection:
To
begin the program development process, I identified the existing issues faced
by the international students at Saddleback College. I was able to note that a strong degree of
disconnect exists between the students’ need for connection to the Saddleback campus
community and the low opportunities for co-curricular involvement currently
offered by the International Student Officice (ISO). The next stage of the
model included reviewing the characteristics of the student subpopulation
(Knefelkamp, 1984). By drawing on my
practical knowledge working with this student subpopulation, I was able to
recognize that international students typically experience linguistic
challenges, issues of cultural integration, and social isolation. In addition to reflecting on my informal
knowledge, I have reviewed relevant publications that address the experiences
of international students in order to gain more insight of the factors that
enhance their success. Research supports
that low rates of international student interaction with other students and
poor engagement in their college environment negatively affect their overall
success in the U.S. higher education attainment (Bevis, 2006). In addition to reviewing the student
characteristics, the P-T-P model also requires examining the environment in
which the program is developed (Knefelkamp, 1984). Since Saddleback is a 2-year
public institution, it does not offer certain opportunities for student
engagement, such as on campus housing, typically offered by most 4-year
institutions. Consequently, incoming
international students are exposed to fewer opportunities for involvement and
connection with the rest of the student body due to the structure of the
institution. The next step of the
Knefelkamp’s (1984) model was identifying specific theories that shed more
light on the international student experience and peer mentorship programs. For
example, I found Berry’s (2005) theory of acculturation as helpful in assisting
students with the process of cultural integration. In addition, Redon’s (1994)
theory of validation and Astin’s (1984) theory of involvement are two college
impact theories that I decided to incorporate as an attempt to facilitate more
opportunities to validate new international students and encourage their
participation in the program in order to promote a more meaningful college
experience . The next step was developing
specific
goals and learning outcomes for the program participants by identifying
potential sources of challenge and support (Knefelkamp, 1984). The primary goal of the program is to enhance
student development for all participants, both the mentors and mentees. As I
examined various opportunities through which students could be challenged to
grow, I identified the enhancement of leadership skills as a learning outcome
for the mentors. The ISO office staff
supported the mentors by providing them with intentional
and culturally sensitive training session in order to facilitate their
growth as student leaders. Our staff
also challenged them by asking them to apply these skills in guiding their
mentees through their college experience.
The learning outcome for the mentees is to become more familiar with
American cultural traditions through their ongoing interaction with their
mentors. Thus, the mentees will be
challenged to develop a stronger sense of the American identity, while also
receiving interpersonal support from their mentors during their first semester
at Saddleback. Specific interventions to facilitate the student learning that I
designed included a mentor training session, an official program kickoff event,
a free movie night, and a musical play.
In addition to group events, all mentors and mentees were encouraged to
meet on a weekly basis to continue establishing mutually-positive
relationships. The final steps of the Knefelkamp’s
(1984) model included the process of assessment and program evaluation upon
program completion at the end of the term.
I have developed two assessment surveys (one for peer mentors and one for mentees) to examine the students’ learning
as well as receive their feedback for program evaluation and improvement
purposes. Overall, I have found the P-T-P model to be highly useful in guiding
the design and implementation of the International Peer Mentor Program.
References
American
Council on Education Studies. (1937). The
student personnel point of view: A report of a conference on the philosophy and
development of student personnel work in college and university.
Washington, DC: Author.
Bevis, B. B. (2006). International
students. In L. Gohn & G. Albin, (Eds.), Understanding student
subpopulations: A guide for student affairs professionals (pp. 267-288).
Washington, DC: NASPA.
Knefelkamp, L. L.
(1984). Translating student development theory into practice for student
affairs professions: The use of the Knefelkamp-Golec-Wells P-T-T model: An
introduction. Unpublished manuscript, University of Maryland.
