Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation of a Peer Mentorship Program for Undergraduate Health Sciences Students
Abstract
Abstract
High post-secondary degree dropout rates cost individuals, institutions, and governments around the world hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and these rates appear to be increasing in many parts of the world. Peer-mentorship programs have been proposed as a cost-effective method for increasing post-secondary success and ultimately reducing dropout rates, however, few studies to date have evaluated programs that were designed using student feedback. The purpose of the present study was to take an existing peer-mentorship program, modify it using feedback collected from students, and quantitatively evaluate the results. Survey responses suggested that the program improved student transition to university, provided them with academic benefits, and increased their awareness of various resources. The program was successful with some caveats: (1) mentors and mentees met less frequently than desired; (2) self-reported overall benefit was lower than expected; (3) the optional learning sessions were not well-attended.