Peer Mentoring’s Long Term Impact: Time for National Implementation?

Teaching for Student Success

For decades, the United States has been trying to increase the number of STEM professionals from underrepresented groups - with limited success. Retention and persistence at the undergraduate level, and advancement to graduate degrees continue to be problematic areas. In this episode we talk with Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta about her fascinating long-term study on the impact of peer mentors on the persistence, retention, and advancement to graduate degrees of female engineering students. This is an amazing study following 150 students through their entire undergraduate academic career and one year beyond! The simplicity and success of this intervention is surprising. There are lessons here for all disciplines that experience equity and inclusivity issues.