Abstract
AbstractThis phenomenological study describes the experiences of undergraduate students in the mentoring program at Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) and suggests ways to encourage students who do not participate in the mentoring program to take advantage of it. The mentoring program is an initiative of the university to ensure students are accompanied wholistically during the period they remain enrolled as students in the institution. Mentoring programs have been seen to have benefited students in other institutions of learning and workers in organizations, even though the methodologies adopted have differed as revealed in the review of scholarly literature. The Appreciative Inquiry model was adopted for this study as it was established that the mentoring program was good, but improvements could be made and structures strengthened based on the findings. The aim of this study was to determine the strengths of the mentoring program, document reasons why some students participate regularly and suggest ways to encourage students who do not participate to take advantage of the mentoring program. Ten mentees volunteered for one-on-one interviews to share their mentoring experiences which are reported in chapter four. A focus group of five mentors was held as a way of validating the findings. Students who were interviewed stated generally that the mentoring program was beneficial to them academically, spiritually, and socially. Although initially, their perception of the mentoring program was one of fulfilling a requirement in the university like all other courses, their actual engagement opened a horizon of unforgettable life-experiences.
Keywords: Pan-Atlantic University, mentoring, appreciative inquiry, leadership