Professor Alex Hughes, Pro-VC External, attended the Academic Peer Mentoring (APM) awards ceremony and lunch hosted by the Student Learning Advisory Service in UELT on Friday 7th June. Colleagues from various Schools and past and current mentors attended. A showcase of the past year’s scheme highlighted the experiences of staff and students in Biosciences, KLS, and MSoP. Students/mentors from 2012-1013 received their certificates handed to them by Prof Hughes. Dr Louise Naylor presented a special award to Will Lowrie from Biosciences for his role, dedication and support of the APM scheme for the past two years.
The APM scheme started in 2007 initially with three schools: Biosciences, Computer Sciences and Physical Sciences. In 2012-2013, the number of participating Schools has risen with the addition of KBS, KLS, MSoP, POLIR, SECL, SMSAS and SSPSSR, with a further number of schools expressing interest in joining the scheme.
The aim of the APM scheme is to improve students’ learning and thus effectively improve their performance and retention. APM focuses on subjects rather than on high-risk students and is an excellent way to promote and encourage student-centered learning where student mentors help and support other students (mentees). This initiative depends on student volunteers and is very much a student-led response to help other students in a lower year benefit from their experience on the course.
Nevertheless, one size does not fit all and the Student Learning Advisory Service has been working closely with Schools to develop and adapt the scheme to suit each School’s particular needs.
Student mentors benefit greatly from the scheme as they develop further their understanding of the course content as well as enhance their employability skills. Both Kent Union and the Kent Enterprise and Hub recognize students’ role in the APM scheme – mentors’ efforts and time can count towards the KSCV and the employability points’ scheme.
As Will Lowrie, a 3rd year Biosciences student, mentions:
“The skills I got…were organisational, improved confidence, presentation skills with the added value of the consolidation of subject knowledge. The leadership role I had to take on as a peer mentor meant that I learnt to be confident, to develop my presentation and leadership skills – important employability skills especially as I want to become a teacher, in the future.
Overall a very helpful and fulfilling scheme that I would recommend! Everyone should be taking part in it.”
For more information on the Academic Peer Mentoring (APM) scheme, please visit http://www.kent.ac.uk/learning/school-support/mentoring.html
For more details, please contact: Allia Wilson email: A.M.Wilson@kent.ac.uk