WHAT IS UROP?
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in the Division of Undergraduate Education encourages and facilitates research and creative activities by undergraduates from all schools and academic disciplines at UCI. Research opportunities are available not only from every discipline, interdisciplinary program, and school, but also from many outside agencies, including national laboratories, industrial partners, and other universities. UROP offers assistance to students and faculty through all phases of the research process, whether it is with proposal writing, developing research plans through project management skills, awarding grants to fund research projects, scholarly journal writing through The UCI Undergraduate Research Journal, or presenting results of the research or creative project through the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium. This experience provides students with the necessary skills to succeed in their future careers. Conducting research and creative activities should be an integral component of the education undergraduates receive at UCI, regardless of their career choice.
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(Taken for the UROP Website linked here.)
methods
To collect sufficient data, participants of the Antleader Mentorship Program 2016-2017 mentee class as well as a random group of non-AMP first year students were asked to complete a survey on their experience here at UCI. The survey comprised different sections related to academic success, knowledge of resources, and sense of belonging / purpose at UCI. AMP students were required to complete this survey as part of their class final and non-AMP students were invited to participate, using an incentive of gift cards for the first 20 to respond and the opportunity to win a raffle prize.
data
In summary, students of the Antleader Mentorship Program showed increased knowledge of campus resources, received increased contributions to their academic success from mentor figures, and felt an increased sense of belonging and purpose here at UCI compared to non-AMP students. Comparisons of results from the AMP versus non-AMP students are displayed below! The data shown below was collected during Winter Quarter 2017.
amp's research
During the 2016-2017 mentee year, the Antleader Mentorship Program conducted its pilot research project under the supervision of Professor Jenel K. Lao from the School of Education to study the effects of formal mentorship on the transition of first year students, first-generation students in particular.
"Being a first generation college student (hereby referred to as first-gens) comes with its own unique challenges. Many come from low-income and cultural/ethnic minority backgrounds and do not have access to the college prep resources their non-first-gen peers have had (Choy, 2001). As a result they are outperformed academically by their non-first-gen peers (Terenzini, 1995). This is particularly important now, as first generation college students, defined here as students whose parents have not completed a four-year degree at a university, make up nearly half of the students entering the University of California system, and 45.1% at UC Irvine (University of California, Irvine, Office of Institutional Research, 2016). While the first-gen might have their parents’ support to pursue higher education (and many might even be obstructed by them), they are isolated from their established support systems once they enter the university. Understanding the challenges and needs of the first-gen is crucial to sustain informed and impactful retention policies and resources. Knowledge on how to best help this demographic can be applied to all students, meaning a university who makes first-gens a priority makes their entire student population a priority.
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Many first-gens are likely looking for a community where they are recognized and supported by their peers. They lack a reference point for their experiences that is not established by popular culture or that is simply what they have been told by teachers throughout their education. Freshman year is the period where crucial support systems and identity are developed and established. This study aims to examine the impact of peer-to-peer mentorship in helping first-gens transition to a university setting. Having an older, well-adjusted role model to guide them to resources and provide emotional and academic support, as well as a mixed community of first-gen and non-first-gen freshmen, can provide first-gens with the knowledge, comfort, and motivation to establish themselves confidently in the university’s culture."
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With this project, not only did we seek to hold ourselves accountable to the mission statement of the program but also to analyze how effective our work with first year, first-generation students is. Entering this research project, we sought to answer the following questions:
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What are the needs of first year students, first-generation and non first-generation?
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How effective is having a formal mentorship in the first-year transition? (Does the Antleader Mentorship Program meet the needs of the mentees?)
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Does the Antleader Mentorship Program (AMP) provide a positive impact on the academic success of first generation freshmen at UCI?
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Does the Antleader Mentorship Program (AMP) have a positive impact on the mentee’s sense of belonging/connection to UCI?
amp has shown improvements in
academic success
sense of belonging
amp has shown improvements in
resource awareness
CLICK ABOVE FOR THE DATA!
academic success
Whether it was through an AMP Highlight or through word of mouth, advice from my mentor / other mentors have contributed to my academic success and goals here at UCI
Advice from upperclassmen figures (RA, older friends, etc.) has contributed to my academic success and goals here at UCI
Overall, AMP has contributed to my academic well-being and success.
Overall, my experiences at UCI have contributed toward my academic well-being and success.
sense of belonging
Overall, I feel comfortable and supported at UCI, particularly by my AMP mentor.
Overall, I feel more comfortable and supported by other AMP mentees.
Overall, the AMP community fosters an inclusive and positive sense of my belonging on campus.
Overall, I feel comfortable and supported at UCI.
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Overall, I feel more comfortable and supported by other first year students.
Overall, I have an inclusive and positive sense of my belonging on campus.
Because of AMP, I have an increased sense of purpose at UCI.
I have a sense of purpose at UCI.
