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Abstract
Australia-wide mentorship programs structured for equity students reported exceptional performance against evidence-based benchmarks. Mentorship programs offered by 39 universities were mapped across three stages: enabling, engagement and employment. All of the surveyed equity group programs demonstrated good or exemplary practice. Seven recommendations were made for university practice in relation to mentoring programs and further research, including an examination of the specific support for disadvantaged students during and nearing course completion.
Background
Universities have used various programs, including those involving mentoring, to support students from groups that are underrepresented in higher education – ‘equity groups’. While mentoring has been shown to have benefits for all students as well as those from equity groups, research has typically examined programs in one university or for one particular equity group and little is known about the extent of such programs across Australian universities.
Objectives and methodology
The project had three aims:
Research was conducted in two stages:
Key findings and recommendations
Stage One revealed 203 mentoring programs that either could include students from equity groups or were equity-focused. Most general programs were aimed at the engagement phase of university life where students are in the process of studying in their courses. Most equity-focused programs occurred in the enabling phase where the aim is to raise aspirations and facilitate enrolment at university, and most of these programs targeted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students.
In Stage Two, surveys from 12 programs covering four states and all equity groups were analysed against combined best practice benchmarks, with programs overall achieving 85 per cent alignment. Each benchmark was then analysed separately and, although there was some variation between programs, findings were positive.
Based on the project findings, seven recommendations were made for university practice in relation to mentoring and equity groups, and for further research:
Conclusions and considerations for policy
The project showed that mentoring is used extensively to attract and support students from equity groups and to assist them towards successful completion and future employment. Such programs are mostly inclusive in that students from equity groups are included in programs available for all students.
Programs that target students from specific equity groups align well with established guidelines for effective mentoring. Some areas could have been improved for individual programs and others, such as evaluation, more generally. Further research is needed to explore the reasons for program differences and to link the benchmark alignment with outcomes for the participating students from equity groups.
Exemplars of programs aligning with the benchmarks could be made available to universities and individual program staff. Given that the majority of programs were site-specific and appeared to be tailored for their individual community needs, it may be useful for designers and coordinators to see how universities with similar students and similar needs have organised their programs.