Subject: Aesthetics and Culture. Course: Involves all courses in the first and second semesters. Study level: First and second semesters. Size of class: Approx. 30 students (may be used for all class sizes).
Through the mentor scheme, the new students have an opportunity to address any doubts and challenges they might encounter in their first year of study. The scheme includes a number of mentor meetings that take place in groups consisting of the students in the first year of the programme and older or previous students. The purpose is to normalise some of the challenges and give the new students an opportunity to hear how their fellow students and older or previous students approach the issue. The meetings are held regularly in the first year of study so that the students may meet at different times in the course of their studies, which may reduce the drop-out rate in the first year of study.
The activity is a framework for all courses in the first and second semesters.
The mentor scheme is coordinated by a mentor coordinator who is responsible for finding mentors and compose mentor groups. The groups are composed together with a student teacher, and each group consists of approx. five students who are not in the same study group. This allows the students to make contact with more students in their year group and to speak freely about the teaching and study activities of the semester. The mentor groups meet twice in each semester during the first year of study. Preferably, the mentor groups should meet outside of the university premises to promote a more free and informal dialogue regarding student life in general ― including life outside of the university. The meetings are informal, providing space for questions and discussions regarding insecurity, good experiences etc. with other students than those in the group members’ study groups and typical network in the programme.
The mentor coordinator makes an annual summary for the head of section and follows up with the mentors on how things are going. Moreover, the mentor coordinator acts as a “head mentor” whom both students and mentors may approach regarding any major issues. The head mentor invites randomly selected mentor groups for a meeting at the end of the semester to hear what their experience is. Another important function held by the head mentor is to make sure that suggestions from the students are promoted through the system. Such suggestions may include concrete wishes regarding the degree programme or proposals for new initiatives, e.g. a joint Aesthetics and Culture house.
It is difficult to assess the concrete outcome of the scheme, but it is considered to have a positive impact on the students’ time at the university and to relieve any doubts the students might have.
The mentor scheme is most effective if the mentors are recent graduates. It is suggested that newly graduated academic staff (or alumni) and PhD students are appointed as mentors. It is worth considering, however, who will be best suited as mentors in the individual programme, and it is decisive that the mentors chosen are keen to enter into dialogue with the new students. The mentoring task is voluntary, but it should be considered if the hours spent should be counted as working time. The same desire to perform the task should be present in the mentor coordinator, who gets paid for their work with the mentor scheme as they must be available to the students and their mentors.
This example of practice is developed in connection to "Projekt 1. studieår", where initiatives for retention at the faculty of arts at Aarhus University was mapped.
