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Equipping peer mentors to support writing students:

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Findings from an accelerated learning pilot program

for first-year composition

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Accelerated Learning Programs and the Community Colleges of Baltimore County

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The model for our labs

  • 4-8 students
  • 1 senior writing coach
  • One faculty supervisor
  • Meet for 50 minutes per week throughout the semester

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Senior coaches vs. faculty?

  • Peer mentoring success in other academic support areas (writing center, tutoring, supplemental instruction)
  • Empathy and social-emotional support
  • Institutional understanding and shared university experience
  • Less interference with teaching schedule
  • Cost

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Three Roles of a Writing Coach

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  • Champion holistic student success
  • Instruct in basic writing techniques
  • Equip students to improve writing skills through individual and group revision activities

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Benefits for Coaches

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  • Gain teaching experience at a collegiate level
  • Gain tutoring and peer mentoring experience
  • Use personal college success to motivate younger students

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Coach Responsibilities

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  • Engage students in prepared curriculum
  • Provide individualized feedback
  • Offer extra support to student as needed
  • Record and track student grades

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Dianna’s

Perspective

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Ways Melissa has seen students thrive...

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Overview of activities…

  • Revision workshops on Google Drive and in-person
  • Editing activities (round-robin, read aloud, etc.)
  • Interactive activities on outlining, thesis statements, organizing paragraphs, integrating sources, and grammar

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Challenges

  • Determining lab placement �(test scores vs. diagnostic)
  • Scheduling
  • Improving teaching materials
  • Improving training materials for coaches

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Outcomes

  • Requires students to slow down their writing process
  • Teaches revision and editing skills that many students never learn elsewhere
  • Provides a comfortable environment to ask questions
  • Encourages students to use other academic resources
  • Improves student grades in first-year composition

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Jennifer Russum, PhD

Vanguard University of Southern California

jennifer.russum@vanguard.edu

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Melissa Zeid

Vanguard University of Southern California

melissa.zeid@vanguard.edu