Online undergraduate programs battle the ongoing challenges of undergraduate students' low self-efficacy, academic disengagement, and perceived lack of belonging and isolation. To directly address this problem, The Chicago School’s College of Undergraduate Studies implemented a near-peer mentoring program that connects undergraduate students with graduate student mentors from similar backgrounds with the aim of enhancing self-efficacy and fostering a sense of belonging. This research focuses on the impact that text messaging had on improving the mentoring relationship, thereby strengthening the students' perception of self-efficacy and belonging. Text messages provide a tool to boost student engagement and support the organic development of the near-peer mentoring relationship in a just-in-time format. Continuous program evaluation is completed through a mixed-methods approach that includes analysis of text message transcripts, written mentor meeting summaries, surveys, GPA tracking, and one-on-one interviews. In its first year, the program showed a fall-to-spring student persistence rate of 70%, significantly outpacing the university's prior three-year average of 55.9%. These initial results suggest that a near-peer mentoring program supported by text message communication can support student retention by nurturing personalized guidance and strengthening the students' sense of community. These findings suggest that accessible and direct communication positively impacts student engagement and builds students’ sense of self-efficacy by fostering consistent, positive interactions and easily accessible mentorship. These findings offer valuable insights into best practices for student retention programs that could be applicable across various disciplines and contribute to understanding social learning, self-determination, and student retention theories.

Authors:
Jacqueline Mewes, The Chicago School, United States
Jonathan Dodrill, The Chicago School, United States
Ted Scholz, The Chicago School, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Jacqueline Diaz-Mewes is a program manager and adjunct faculty member. Her heir research is centered on utilizing educational psychology and technology to support first-year undergraduate students and their peer mentors.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-diaz-mewes-ed-d-bb953549/

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