Peer Mentors
What are Peer Mentors?
Peer Mentors are students from schools and colleges signed up to the V-W. They have willingly committed a little of their time to guide and steer interactions and activities taking place in the V-W.
It's their community - designed and delivered on their views and expectations, so it makes sense that we get them involved in making the V-W a better place!
Kyle, V-W Learning Mentor
What do Peer Mentors do?
Supporting the work of our Online Learning Mentors, Peer Mentors are given exciting responsibilities that see them contributing actively in the V-W learning community:
- MONITOR the V-W community discussion forums and chatrooms (occasionally)
- START topical discussions in the community forums and chatrooms and encourage students to participate (being students themselves, they are more likely able to kick-start debates that will spark the interest of the whole student community)
- SET-UP 'closed' communities for groups of students who want to get together to share and acquire knowledge on a particular interest, subject or issue.
- REPORT back to their designated Learning Mentor on any unacceptable behaviour in the V-W (regularly)
- DEVELOP their skills as Peer Mentors by working with their designated Learning Mentor
- LIAISE with other Peer Mentors through the Peer Mentors' ‘private’ community
Peer Mentor training
Students who want to become Peer Mentors must complete some straightforward training - all online.
Training consists of the following two stages:
- Stage 1: The student receives their initial training assignment (sent to them through the V-W). This gives them an overview of what peer mentoring involves and information about key aspects of the V-W. Students need to answer the questions contained to demonstrate their understanding and return them to us.
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Stage 2: Students who successfully answer the questions are:
- each allocated a V-W Learning Mentor who provides one-to-one support when needed; and
- given access to the Peer Mentors' community. This is where they ‘meet’ with other Peer Mentors and get any questions they have answered (support material is also available).
Peer Mentors who wish to moderate their own online communities in the V-W (ie the communities they have set up themselves) are given extra support and guidance by their assigned Learning Mentor. This is to ensure the successful implementation of the skills required to moderate an online community.
Training for Peer Mentors is an ongoing scheme; assignments are set regularly to review their progress and to further develop their mentoring skills.
To ensure it is engaging, exciting and of value to the students, the Peer Mentor Support Team regularly review the training programme.
The Peer Mentors Scheme is open to any interested student using the V-W. At present, there are approximately 80 active Peer Mentors in the V-W, with a further 20 waiting to start their training in the Autumn Term 2006.
