Finding balance: the positives and negatives of moving peer mentor training online

Authors

  • Jenny Stowar London School of Economics

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi25.981

Abstract

The Student Academic Mentor (SAM) programme at the London School of Economics has only been in place for five years, and in that time it has rapidly grown in scope and numbers. With the pandemic, training of the largely international cohort of undergraduates moved online and in-person training was removed. This continued in 2020/21. The result is a trained cohort, but a disconnection between the student volunteer and the programme co-ordinator. In a Learning Development context, with the new landscape of HE emphasising hybridity, where do we find the balance between practical necessity and losing our personal touch with students?

Author Biography

Jenny Stowar, London School of Economics

Jenny Stowar has been a Learning Developer at the London School of Economics and Political Science since 2017. She manages LSE LIFE’s team of Study Advisers as well as leading the School’s Student Academic Mentor (SAM) programme. During her time working in universities, she has led on a range of diverse initiatives to improve the student experience, from peer mentoring to introducing a university-wide referencing standard, to introducing a pre-arrival study skills course for non-traditional students. She is very passionate about all aspects of student peer mentoring and peer-assisted learning, as well as other ways to build strong, supportive, student communities.

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Published

28-10-2022

How to Cite

Stowar, J. (2022) “Finding balance: the positives and negatives of moving peer mentor training online ”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (25). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi25.981.

Issue

No. 25 (2022): Special Edition, ALDinHE Conference Proceedings and Reflections

Section

Conference Proceedings

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