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I BEGAN USING STUDENT ASSISTANTS when I arrived at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the fall of 1996. As a new faculty member, I found myself with a heavy teaching load and no graduate assistant. I observed that some of my colleagues employed undergraduate history majors as tutors for their introductory classes, and I surmised that if I brought tutors into the classroom they could help me guide small group discussions as well as generate and grade assignments. I believed this would make my load easier, and I recruited my first tutor. I discovered quickly that I had been wrong. Supervising my tutor was a far bigger job than I had anticipated. If anything, the first semester I worked with a tutor my load seemed much heavier. However, I observed that my students responded enthusiastically to having a tutor in class. They were having fun and they were learning. I continued to recruit tutors each semester and to define their role in my classes more clearly. I renamed them "student mentors" when UW-Eau Claire began its Freshman Year Experience program to be consistent with the language that program used. |
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When I was named a Wisconsin Teaching
Fellow for 1999–2000, I set out in an organized way to study
what impact, if any, the use of student mentors in a world history
classroom had on teaching and learning. Using one of my world history
classes as a "laboratory" in the spring of 2000 gave me the opportunity
to examine my use of mentors systematically and to discover whether
my impressions were accurate. I had learned a lot about using student
mentors on the basis of trial and error, and I was convinced that
student mentors facilitated teaching and learning in three ways.
First, they bridged the gap between my knowledge of world history
and the preparation of incoming students. Having completed the course
themselves only recently, they remembered which material they found
difficult or confusing. If a mentor gave me a timely warning, I
could allow more time or consider a different strategy for tackling
a specific part of the course. Second, student mentors legitimized
my expectations in the eyes of the incoming students. Students regularly
comment on course evaluations that I demand too much reading and
writing. I believed that if more advanced students supported me
in the work I assigned, my own authority would play less of a role
in motivating students and students would take more responsibility
for engaging course material independently. Third, and perhaps most
importantly, I knew that student mentors could facilitate communication
between myself and students in an introductory class. I have observed
that although many students in introductory courses are reluctant
to approach a professor with questions, they are quite willing to
ask those same questions of a more advanced student. I have also
noted that students in class model the relationship between mentors
and myself. When students can see that our relationship is cooperative
and based upon mutual respect, they are less likely to cast me in
the role of an adversary and more likely to seek me out. This paper
is a report on my close study of one class and a general discussion
on how I use student mentors |
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Testing my Assumptions
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When I set out to test my assumptions in a specific class, my approach was qualitative. It was a world history class of forty-eight students during last spring in which I used two student mentors. I kept copies of all work completed by a random sample of students (about twenty-five percent). I also distributed an anonymous survey to the entire class at the end of the semester in which I asked open-ended questions about the experience of working with student mentors: |
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- Do you think it is a good idea to have student mentors in
classes like history 124? Why or why not?
- Did student mentors contribute to your learning in class?
If so, how, specifically, did they help you learn in class?
- Did student mentors contribute to your learning outside of
class? If so, how, specifically, did they help you learn outside
of class?
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I also asked them what other factors had contributed to their learning. Beyond data from this one class, I planned to use comparatively the grades received by all my students over the semester, departmental course evaluations, and reflective papers my mentors have written over the last three years as supporting data. Before reporting the results of this study, however, I will discuss how I use student mentors in some detail. |
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Student Mentors and How I Use Them
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In my work, what student mentors are and are not is defined in part by what I hope to achieve in the classroom and in part by UW-Eau Claire's reward structure. We have no funds available to compensate students for this type of service, so they must do it for course credit as a "mentoring" class. For this reason, one of my primary goals is to provide a learning experience for the mentors. I engage them in every aspect of the process as I plan and teach a college level world history course from constructing the syllabus to computing the final grades. Mentors have told me that the course teaches them a lot about the university system because it allows them to see what goes on in a classroom from various perspectives (the teacher, the good student, the student with a learning disability, etc....). They have also reported that by considering course content from different perspectives they gain a deeper understanding of the discipline of history. Because students mentor to learn, I make it a point not to use only the brightest or most successful students. Virtually anyone who is interested can be a mentor (although if a student is very weak, I try to pair him or her with a strong mentor and use two for that class). In addition, students can mentor for credit only once. The "mentoring" class cannot substitute for other content based electives they should be taking or for other types of internship opportunities. |
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I hold weekly meetings with my mentors so that we can discuss how the course is progressing and prepare for the upcoming week's class sessions. At the first meeting of the year, we sign contracts that spell out both my responsibilities to the mentors and their responsibilities to the course (see Appendix I). I make it clear that they will not be the determiner of student grades. They do grade daily writing assignments and identification tests using rubrics that I construct (see Appendix II), but they do this under my close supervision. I review everything they have graded before I return it to students, and at the beginning of the semester I regularly ask mentors to make some changes or write more directive comments that will help students improve their work. I grade the three major paper assignments. I expect mentors to keep office hours so that they can tutor students and I expect them to inform the class in advance if they have to cancel. I expect them to attend all classes and our weekly meetings. |
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I explain to my mentors that if I have delegated responsibility to them, I will support their authority. For example, if a student disputes a grade on a daily writing assignment a mentor has graded I will refer that student to the mentor. However, I also explain that if an issue arises that is clearly within my purview, such as a person wanting to take a makeup test, or a disabled student needing special accommodations, mentors need to tell the student that they do not have the authority to make a decision and send that student to me. I remind them that it is not the mentors' job to counsel and we talk about how to make referrals to the university's Counseling Center. I remind students about the university's sexual harassment policy and tell them that if a romantic relationship develops between a mentor and a student during the semester I expect to be notified immediately so that we can take appropriate action. Finally, I explain that if we decide during one of our weekly meetings that a mentor will plan and conduct a class on a given day, I expect that mentor to be there and be fully prepared unless there is a very good reason. The grade students receive for the "mentoring" course is based on how well they meet their contractual obligations. If at any time a mentor is not meeting his or her obligations, I pick up the phone and we talk. |
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Having established a clear structure, I then have to be flexible in the classroom. This is true whenever one shares teaching space, and it is especially true when one shares it with inexperienced teachers. All of the student mentors I have worked with have had their own strengths and weaknesses, and all of them have said or done things in class that made me cringe. In most cases, I am able to save my comments about what went on in class for our weekly meeting. Sometimes, though, a mentor will say something in class that I feel needs to be addressed at that moment. For example, one of my mentors told an anxious class that he and I had "graded really hard" on a set of daily writing assignments. I was worried that this comment which was negative and did nothing to clarify our expectations of the assignment could cause the students' anxiety to escalate, so I blurted out, "No we didn't! If it seems like we had high standards it's because these guys did such a great job on that assignment!" My mentor blushed and left the classroom. When a situation like this occurs, I always try to share my thought process. At the end of class I announced, "I am going to go upstairs now and apologize to "Tim" for humiliating him in front of the class. I just had to say something because we didn't grade hard on that assignment. You guys did amazing work. Your arguments were clear and you supported them with evidence. More than half of you got A's." I did go upstairs and apologize, but I also explained why I had felt the need to intervene. Tim observed that he had been having a bit too much fun and forgot for a minute how much power he had in the eyes of the students. |
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Student Mentors In the Classroom
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In the classroom I use student mentors primarily to facilitate small group discussions based upon both textbook chapters and primary source documents. They circulate, along with me, to keep groups on task, answer specific questions students might have about the material they have read, and attempt to guide their thinking to a more sophisticated level. The mentors and I discuss each assignment and what I hope to achieve with it at our weekly meetings so that we are on the same page when we get to class. This does not mean we always agree, but seeing an instructor and a mentor disagree about an interpretation during class, and agree to disagree, can be a powerful tool for teaching students that historians can interpret the same material in different ways. This can give students the confidence to put forward their own interpretations rather than memorize mine. |
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Students report that they find the mentors very helpful in small group discussions both in terms of guiding their thinking and in terms of clarifying assignments. I have observed that it is when mentors are circulating from group to group that students will approach them with general questions about the course not related to the immediate task. I advise mentors to handle these questions by directing the students back to their assignment and sharing student concerns with me after class. However, in practice, if a majority of students are confused about an upcoming assignment the buzz will move from group to group and I will take a few minutes to answer student questions. |
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As part of their experience in the classroom, I also require mentors to take responsibility for planning and conducting not one but two class sessions. We work on their presentations together during our weekly meetings so that they are well prepared. The fact that mentors are responsible for two classes allows them to reflect on how they approached the class the first time, make changes, and try again. Students in my classes have always performed at their best when mentors are in charge in an effort to help the mentors succeed. Mentors majoring in secondary education, in particular, have reported that conducting class was a valuable experience. |
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Mentors Outside of the Classroom
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Outside of the classroom I use student mentors primarily as tutors. The extent to which students come to them for help depends largely on their personalities. Mentors who are gregarious in class often have more students coming to their office hours and trying to schedule appointments than they can accommodate. I encourage my mentors to set reasonable limits and to send students to me for help when their schedules are full. I also encourage mentors to be honest about their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, when I grade papers students lose points for grammatical errors, so I tell mentors who are weak writers to tell students they find grammar challenging themselves and to refer students to me for help with writing. |
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In practice, when students make appointments for help I often work with mentors. The most difficult assignments in my world history class are the three papers: one document based essay, one book review, and one research paper which students may elect to write in groups of up to four. Every semester a small number of dedicated students seek out mentors to help with papers and schedule three or four meetings to go over multiple drafts. Mentors often invite me to join them for the final meeting or two. Students who work with mentors on all three papers tend to improve their writing skills tremendously over the course of the semester. |
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Student Responses to the Mentors in My Study
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Returning now to my study of the effectiveness of mentors (two) in one class last spring, of the forty-eight students in this world history class, thirty-three students returned my open ended questionnaire. Of these, twenty-seven believed that using student mentors was a good idea. They noted that mentors were "encouraging," "easier to talk to than the professor," "helped a lot in small groups," and "offered perspectives different from the prof's." Many also mentioned that having three people to go to for help instead of just one made it much easier to schedule appointments. Only six students believed that using mentors was a bad idea, noting that the mentors I had used in this particular class were not skilled or approachable enough. One commented that the mentors did a poor job grading. |
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In response to the question about whether mentors helped them learn in class and how they did this, most students observed that they were very useful as facilitators in small group discussions. One student noted, "when they came around, they led us to discuss issues we hadn't thought of, so more learning and understanding took place." Another wrote, "they presented questions to me that helped me understand the purpose of material rather than just reciting facts." A number of students also remarked that mentors were extremely helpful in clarifying assignments or difficult sections in the reading assignments. Negative responses to this question tended to note that the two mentors I had used that semester had not been effective when they had taken their turns at conducting class. This was consistent with my assessment and had an impact on the grades they received for the mentoring class. Despite my admonitions during weekly meetings they had not prepared adequately either time. |
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In response to the question about whether mentors helped them learn outside of class and how they did this, twenty-three students reported that they did not seek assistance from mentors outside of class although a number of these students said they were glad to know that if they needed help there were people they could contact in addition to the professor. Those who did meet with mentors outside of class were overwhelmingly positive. One responded, "Yes, yes, yes!" Another reported, "They were willing to help and very easy going." A third student appreciated the fact that they had taught her to use footnotes, and a fourth observed that they had worked with him patiently to make sure he understood the assignments. One student observed that he had phoned a mentor but that she was not helpful because she had told him she could not answer his question and referred him to the professor. |
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When asked what factors had impacted their learning other than mentors, most students cited "hard work" and "reading." These responses would make any history instructor smile. I also observed, though, that many cited factors which depended on my use of student mentors indirectly such as: combining a variety of teaching strategies, requiring small group discussions and daily writing assignments targeted to specific goals, and the open, friendly atmosphere in class. In a class of forty-eight, I could not manage putting extensive comments on daily writing assignments or conducting small group discussions on my own. In addition, I am convinced that my good relationship with my mentors contributed to the "open, friendly atmosphere in class." |
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My Assessment and Conclusions
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As I reviewed the work my students did in this world history class, I observed that almost all of them improved their skills in writing and analysis. In many cases the directive and supportive comments my mentors made in evaluating their daily writing assignments and my own comments on their papers appear to have led them toward specific improvements. In general, the class as a whole performed quite well on every assignment. The average grade was around a "B." Based upon student evaluations, it is clear that a large majority enjoyed the course and feel that they learned. Of course, it is difficult to assess how much of an impact the mentors alone had on these outcomes. The most important thing I learned from reviewing student work and reading responses to the questionnaire is that it is impossible to separate using mentors from the other teaching strategies they facilitate. I was most surprised by the extent to which students thought using mentors was a good idea simply because having more people available to help with the course made scheduling appointments easier. Having pondered the pedagogical aspects of using mentors for four years, I had forgotten how pragmatic my students can be as they struggle to balance school with jobs and family obligations. |
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I wish I had conducted my study during a semester when I had used stronger mentors. One was a senior history major with excellent content knowledge and skills at research and writing who plans to be an archivist. She chose to mentor, in part, to improve her people skills which were weak. The other was a sophomore with a bubbly personality and good skills, but she had limited content knowledge and did not take her responsibilities as a mentor seriously until a couple of weeks before the end of the semester. They were both successful, and I know both from their reports and from my own observation that they learned a great deal. However, I also know from past experience that mentors with both excellent skills and gregarious personalities can be even more successful. The fact that so few of the students who responded to my questionnaire sought help from mentors outside of class is unusual and may reflect the weaknesses of these particular mentors. Some of my colleagues who have begun to use mentors in the classroom solve this problem by recruiting only the very best students. Because I have constructed mentoring as a learning experience for the mentor as well as students in introductory classes, I will continue to recruit more broadly and to supervise closely, at least for the time being. |
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Using mentors may not have reduced my workload significantly, but it has changed it. I spend less time than I used to grading daily writing assignments and tutoring students outside of class, and I spend a lot of time supervising mentors. My time commitment is greatest at the start of each semester when I may spend up to six hours a week going over mentors' grading and discussing classroom issues with them over and above the hour spent at our weekly meeting. The good news is that when I devote this much time to supervision at the start of the semester, in most cases, the mentors' skills improve quickly. By mid semester, if a mentor has a question that can't wait for our weekly meeting, or I have a concern, we can almost always resolve it in a few minutes on the phone or after class. By that time I usually spend only an hour or two each week going over mentors' grading for a class of forty-eight. If it weren't for UW-Eau Claire's strict policy requiring faculty to grade all student work, I would only spot check. |
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The time I spend supervising mentors pays off because using student mentors has added a new dimension to my introductory world history classes. It enables me to use a variety of teaching strategies in a fairly large class, it provides additional support for students, and it does a lot to break down the hierarchy of the traditional college classroom. It has also made me a more reflective teacher. As I have had to clarify my goals for each assignment for new mentors each semester, and explain to them how each piece fits into my broader goals for the course, I have become a much more purposeful teacher of world history. |
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Appendix I
STUDENT MENTOR CONTRACT
World History
Objectives:
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To assist freshmen with transition to college |
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To learn the process of teaching world history |
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To assist world history students in becoming active learners |
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To work with instructor to provide student centered course |
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Activities:
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1. Meet weekly with instructor at________________________. |
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Come to these meetings prepared to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about the course or about issues pertaining to a specific student. If a student presents you with a question you do not feel comfortable addressing, please tell the student you will think about it (or consult the instructor) and get back to him or her. If a student broaches a topic that is clearly personal and not related to academic work, please tell the student that it would not be appropriate for you to discuss that topic. Refer the student to another campus resource, or to the instructor. If you are concerned that the student may do harm to him or herself or another, please refer the student to the Counseling Center and notify the instructor. You may need to accompany the student to the Counseling Center. If we discuss issues pertaining to a specific student, our conversations must remain confidential. |
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2. Attend class regularly and on time. |
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You are a professional member of the instruction team. If you are unable to attend class you must have an excellent reason and you must notify the instructor as soon as possible. |
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3. Hold regular office hour weekly in the library or HHH 707. |
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You must notify the class when and where you will be available. If you are unable to keep your office hour during a given week, you must find an alternate time and notify the class and instructor by e-mail at least 48 hours in advance. |
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4. Respond to student questions by phone or e-mail. |
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You must respond within 24 hours. |
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5. Generate and grade assignments. |
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If you have questions while you are generating or grading assignments, please contact the instructor immediately. We must return assignments to students within one week. We must provide written feedback for all assignments. |
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6. Lead discussions and supervise students in small group discussions. |
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You must do your best to keep the students focused and on-task. Our goal during discussions is not to talk "at" students, but rather to encourage them to figure out answers by themselves. |
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7. Present material to the class. |
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You will make presentations to the class as agreed upon with the instructor at weekly meetings. |
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8. Keep up with the class. |
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You must keep up with the class assignments so that you can assist students with material. |
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Evaluation of mentor:
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Attendance and punctuality |
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Quality of feedback and presentation of information |
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Professionalism (this includes confidentiality, effectiveness as member of instructional team, and attitude) |
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Mentor __________________________________________________________
Instructor _________________________________________________________
Appendix II
Checklist for Evaluating Daily Writing Assignments
Kate Lang
_______ excellent (3 points)
Student constructs thoughtful detailed responses in his/her own words using concepts from the reading and integrating these concepts with his/her own insights. Ideas are logically consistent and coherent. All information is accurate.
_______ ok (2 points)
Student presents some apt insights of her/his own and also presents concepts from the reading, but these may not be well integrated in a logically consistent and coherent response. Answers may be overly general and only partially developed. Errors of fact or logical inconsistency are minor.
_______ poor (1 point)
Student presents material from the reading but does not demonstrate an understanding of the material. Explanations are not written in the student's own words. Student makes errors of fact or demonstrates misconceptions.
_______ unacceptable (0 points)
Student does not turn in assignment on time. Alternately, student turns in a response that does not demonstrate knowledge of the material based on reading.
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