2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Peer mentoring is an integral part of the educational development of engineering students. Student-to-student mentoring occurs informally in areas such as study groups (Herzog et al., 2025; Huizing, 2012) and more formally as undergraduate tutors in specific courses (Marshall et al., 2021; Sharp, 2021). This work examines peer mentoring occurring within an academic course-based makerspace, with hands-on design as part of a structured introductory first-year design course.

Students hired as peer mentors for the first-year makerspace-based course have demonstrated technical skills within solid modeling, 3D printing, Arduino electronics, and programming. These skills are fundamental to the project-focused course. Additionally, students are selected to be peer mentors based on their communication skills and positive disposition when working with others. Training of new peer mentors has traditionally relied on the skills and knowledge of veteran peer-mentors, as they informally train the new peer mentors, preparing them to work independently as a peer mentor in the next semester of the first-year makerspace-based course.

Our NSF IUSE supported project focuses on developing a formalized preparation program for peer mentors working in makerspace-based learning environments. The course content is designed to prepare peer mentors in educational methods and support their development of the skills necessary to facilitate the learning and social development of first-year engineering students. The formal peer mentor training course structure has been developed to provide new mentor training focused on the following six primary topics: Social Belonging, How People Learn, Fostering a Growth Mindset, Student Identity, Effective Observing, and Facilitating Group Interactions (Dickrell & Nadelson, 2025). Each module in the course includes instructional materials and content, scenario videos created by peer mentors, and engaging, authentic learning activities.