Program Components:

Mentoring

Evaluation data

Christine Francisco, Coordinator,

Office of Mentoring and Service-Learning (OMSL)

Tel: 415.2393771,

Email: cfrancis@ccsf.edu

multiple challenges of limited English language proficiency, limited academic experience,

multiple responsibilities of raising a family, working full-time and attending college.

Peer-mentors, who were often mentees themselves, are available to work with all students

who are at-risk in the course or program. Peer-mentors work to improve outcomes for

special populations: they work with students with limited English proficiency on the

language support necessary to understand and succeed in the labs, the classroom and the

curriculum, and they provide practice and support with the equipment and the

technological vocabulary necessary to be successful; for economically disadvantaged

students and single parents who have difficulty managing their time with competing

responsibilities at school, work, and home, mentors, who have been through the same

difficulties, offer coping skills

support targeted to their needs so that they can successfully make progress through and

complete their vocational programs and be ready to enter the job market in their field of

interest.

Code areas to work on barriers to success and program completion. The mentoring will be

supervised on site by the faculty sponsoring the projects. Mentoring will be provided

either one-to-one or in small groups throughout the semester and will enable students who

otherwise might drop or fail to move successfully through their vocational programs and

learn the job skills necessary for employment in their field of interest, thus addressing

Core Indicators #1 and #2 by increasing student success and ability to successfully

complete their coursework, leading to greater course or certificate completion. Students

at risk receive mentoring from their peers, students very much like themselves who have

successfully completed the targeted classes or programs. They provide academic support

and an ongoing relationship of social and peer support. Many mentees need increased

access to the services that CCSF provides, and mentors are trained to make referrals to

services. The ongoing mentoring support and the relationship that develops with the

mentor make a crucial difference in student outcomes

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paperwork requirements.

other college sites. Equipment is unique to the course/discipline and is provided by the

vocational program. The OMSL distributes an RFP. Faculty respond with a proposal that

establishes need and goals. The OMSL pays Faculty a stipend of

approximately $350 per semester to supervise the project and peer-mentors $9 hr as

student lab aides for their mentoring work.

the faculty stipend and lab aide funds to pay the peer-mentors. A VTEA grant funds a

majority of the student lab aide funds. The institution covers the remainder of the student

lab aide funds and the faculty stipends. A small percentage of the students volunteer to be

peer-mentors.

The OMSL provides general information about the projects.

mentoring 86% received a grade of "C" or higher, and specifically, of those students in top

code areas that were targeted for improvement in Core indicator #1, 81% of the mentees

received a grade of "C" or higher as compared to only 49% of those not receiving

mentoring. In addition, the withdrawal rate among vocational students being mentored

was 5% as compared to those vocational students who were not mentored who had a

withdrawal rate of 28%, and specifically, of those students in top code areas targeted for

improvement in retention, those mentored had a withdrawal rate of 4% as compared to the

non-mentored rate of 35%.

Students and faculty complete questionnaires to evaluate their mentoring experience.

Comparable to the results of last year's questionnaires, of the mentees who responded,

70% rate their mentoring experience as "excellent" with 28% reporting it as

"satisfactory". In reporting the benefits of peer-mentoring, 85% of the respondents

reported that they understood the course material better because of the peer-mentoring.

63% said the peer-mentoring increased their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

From the faculty perspective, 82% felt that the mentees benefitted by being able to stay in

the course and not drop and improve their course grade and 94% agreed with the mentees

that the peer-mentoring increased problem solving and critical thinking skills . From the

mentors' perspective, 94% felt that mentees understood the course material better.

Over the last four years peer-mentoring has become an integral part of vocational courses

and programs. Many faculty members say they would not be able to provide the same

quality of instruction and educational experience without the peer-mentor program. They

echo the reports that peer-mentoring increases student success in the classroom and the

working world. Jennifer Biehn, Microcomputer Business, says: "50% of students are atrisk

and because of this semester's peer mentoring program, they stay in class instead of

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dropping out. 90% of the mentees increase their grade by at least one grade level." Terri

Winston, Broadcast Media Arts reports: "The enrollment of women in advanced classes

(under-represented students) has remained steady at 41%. This semester peer mentors

have been placed at GRAMMY winner Tracy Chapman's studio, The Plant Recording

Studios and OTR studios. Former mentors are now working at Cutting Edge Audio,

TransAudio and Portrero Post."

The OMSL provides a 6 week general mentor/peer-support training. Faculty

communicate with mentors throughout the semester and advise and trouble-shoot. It is

very easy to replicate. Being able to pay the peer-mentors is a big incentive. Mentors

themselves gain great skills in the subject area as well as experience in leadership roles.