What is the evidence to support peer mentoring increasing retention rates?
There are a number of international and national research studies which show increased retention rates for those who participate in networking programs and the reasons for it. Closer to home, analysis of the SmoothStart Peer networking program, when comparing participating students with eligible non participating students, consistently show increased retention rates for those who participate in the program. Anecdotal evidence and feedback from participants suggest that one reason for increased retention rates is that the networking program mitigates being isolated and overwhelmed. The feedback clearly supports a greater satisfaction rate about the students’ tertiary experience. The Transition Unit is striving to build in more statistical analysis related to retention and GPA differences between participating and eligible, non-participating students.
