Abstract
The Telemachus Ancient History Mentor Program (informally known as Tele’s Angels) has been offering peer-led transition services to first-year students at Macquarie University since 2002. Tele’s Angels volunteer Mentors create a ‘learning community’ by providing their first-year colleagues with transition assistance, academic support and resources, and networking for and amongst students and staff. Individual mentoring is offered, as well as free peer-support services which focus on developing academic skills and building social networks. The program also focuses on student leadership – a key objective is that Mentors themselves are beneficiaries of all activities, embodying the program motto: “to give is to receive”. It is timely to report Tele’s Angels’ experiences to a wider audience and offer practical guidelines to those wishing to develop and implement subject-specific academic mentoring programs for first-year students in their own institutions.
Highlights
The Telemachus Ancient History Mentor Program was founded in 2002 by 9 second-year undergraduate students after observing a need for greater transition assistance, academic support, resources and networking during their own first-year (FY) experience at Macquarie University
In agreement with Mann’s (2001) five-fold approach to student engagement, Tele’s Angels aims to develop a ‘learning community’ by encouraging all involved in Ancient History teaching and learning – students and staff – to recognise our interdependence and responsibilities in assisting FY students through their academic and social transition into higher education (Gill et al 2011: 63; Relf & Sidoryn 2009; Dearn 1995)
In alignment with the theme of this ASSJ special edition, this paper will introduce our program’s aims and offer brief practical guidelines which outline the people, events, materials, resources and communications required to develop and implement a subject-specific academic mentoring program which ‘closes the loop’ for FY students by offering the skills they need to cross the bridge into higher education
Summary
The Telemachus Ancient History Mentor Program (informally known as ‘Tele’s Angels’) was founded in 2002 by 9 second-year undergraduate students after observing a need for greater transition assistance, academic support, resources and networking during their own first-year (FY) experience at Macquarie University. In alignment with the theme of this ASSJ special edition, this paper will introduce our program’s aims and offer brief practical guidelines which outline the people, events, materials, resources and communications required to develop and implement a subject-specific academic mentoring program which ‘closes the loop’ for FY students by offering the skills they need to cross the bridge into higher education
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