Fall Goal Reflections
After attending an informational session at the Portland State Library, I searched through numerous research articles to find two articles with literature reviews of research done on university-level peer mentoring. I then spent some time comparing and contrasting the results from these two articles, eventually narrowing down to seven roles and five qualities of effective peer mentors. I then created a self assessment tool using these roles and qualities I'd culled from the articles. Finally, I added a section in the assessment regarding the creation of goals for the mentor based on their reflection.
I found this exercise to be helpful for my own development as a graduate student both in applying research skills and creating an assessment tool. I also took the opportunity to use this tool to reflect on the effectiveness of my own mentoring this past term. I look forward to using this tool in the coming terms as a graduate peer mentor at Portland State, and hope that it can be of use to other mentors in the program if they choose.