Session 2: Empowering students: the story of our mentorship scheme

Session overview: The Students' Mentorship Scheme is now in its third year running in the Department of Mathematics. It started with only one student, and now, on average, about ten students per term work as mentors. We now have mentors providing individual support, mentors working in tutorials with large groups of students, and mentors assisting students through a booking system in the Mathematics and Programming Centre in the School of Computer Science and Mathematics. On paper, the idea is very simple: more senior students (including, and in fact mainly, undergraduate students) help junior students academically. However, it comes with many challenges and doubts. After all, they are undergraduate students. They might get stuck on the same problems as their mentees. This talk will provide the story of the scheme—from the days when it seemed impossible and against regulations to now, when mentors are the first academic contact for a group of students, second only to their main lecturers. I hope the talk addresses the concerns and questions that colleagues from other departments might have and encourages them to harness the immensely powerful and beneficial potential of students. Key learning points from this session: Audience will learn how the Students' Mentorship Scheme evolved from a single mentor to a structured, multi-faceted support system. Key takeaways include the benefits of peer mentoring, challenges faced and overcome, its impact on student learning, and how similar initiatives can be implemented to enhance academic support in other departments. Empowering students: the story of our mentorship scheme PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.