Bridging Support: Examining the Effectiveness of Online Peer Mentors in an Adult Learner Precollege Program

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Middle Tennessee State University

Abstract

As the adult learner population in higher education continues to increase, there has been a renewed focus on how to best serve this student population in recent years. While adult learners are more likely to take online classes and to enroll part-time, engagement and retention efforts have not heavily focused on part-time online adult learners, particularly when it comes to how best to engage these learners virtually. Utilizing retrospective data from an adult learner corporate partnership program at a four-year public research university, this study examines the effectiveness of online peer mentoring on course completion among part-time adult learners in an online precollege program. Part-time adult learners who received online peer mentoring in a precollege program for corporate partnership students were compared to part-time adult learners who did not receive online peer mentoring in a precollege program for corporate partnership students. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine the association between online peer mentoring and course completion for part-time adult learners overall as well as for part-time adult learners of color and male and female part-time adult learners. Results indicate that there is a statistically significant association between online peer mentoring for part-time adult learners, part-time adult learners of color, and male part-time adult learners. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that institutions consider ways to further engage part-time online adult learners to better meet and support their specific learning needs.

Description

Citation

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Referenced By