2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Many engineering programs offer a hands-on first-year design course where students learn and practice engineering design skills. Although first-year design courses commonly have integrated learning support and technical training, it is less common for the courses to focus on the social aspects of engineering, such as collaboration, communication, and cultural sensitivity. Social learning is a critical variable influencing first-year students' personal growth and sense of belonging. We argue that student engagement with classroom-based peer mentoring can accelerate and accentuate social learning. Our research focused on the outcome of the social support offered to students transitioning to college as they interact in a design course experience facilitated in part by peer mentors. We researched the first-year student perceptions of the benefits of peer mentor learning facilitation in a makerspace-based team project-centered engineering design course.
Our exploratory research involved collecting input from first-year design students to identify areas of current social support by peer mentors and the areas of need within a makerspace course environment. We analyzed the student responses to identify categories of support that peer mentors currently provide. We also categorize areas of needed support through the lens of longer-term student success, students' sense of belonging, and retention of first-year design students.
We found the students perceived the mentors as positively influencing their learning, working groups, and sense of belonging. The students had few recommendations for enhancing the mentors’ effectiveness. Overall, the results indicate that the mentors positively supported student learning and enhanced their success in their first-year design course.