Measuring the Effectiveness of a Peer Mentoring Program

Introductory level physics courses are important pre-requisites for college and university students. To insure the success of students in these courses at Montana State University (MSU), the Physics Department has established a Peer Mentoring Program (PMP) to support students taking their introductory physics courses. The peer-mentoring program consists of past students, or peer mentors, providing organized tutoring sessions to current students in a small group setting of six or less students. Groups meet twice a week for one hour sessions throughout the semester. Peer mentors are provided with weekly training on content, teaching techniques and information on what is currently being covered in class. A suite of materials developed at MSU, specifically for each of these courses, acts as resources for the peer mentor to use during sessions. To measure the effectiveness of the PMP, conceptual gains and shifts in attitudes of participating students was compared to the rest of the students enrolled in the courses. This was achieved by administering pre and post assessments using the Colorado Learning Attitudes About Science Survey and the Half Force Concept Inventory to the 1200 students taking introductory physics courses during the spring 2019 semester. End of the semester surveys were also collected from participants to provide additional information from participants in the PMP.