AMP: Mentoring and Advising Platform to Foster Learning

Abstract

Mason's college access program, Early Identification Program (EIP), houses the Academic Mentoring Program (AMP): a platform that provides mentoring and advising to over 575 first-generation college students in grades 8-12 in the Northern Virginia area from seven local public school systems. AMP provides academic enrichment and support to complement coursework taught at students' base schools. AMP creates a positive learning environment that embodies a student-centered approach that is holistic. AMP offers outreach support to engage students one-on-one to allow them an outlet for self-expression that contributes to their well-being. AMP provides students with over 50 academic mentors: current Mason undergraduates, graduates, international students, and alumni from a wide range of majors across Mason's schools and colleges. Academic mentors play a leadership role in mentoring and advising students regarding college access issues to promote academic development, self-advocacy, and major/career exploration. Blooms taxonomy, inquiry-based learning, and StrengthsFinder are implemented as tools for mentor-mentee engagement. In addition, AMP actively seeks collaborations with Mason units around leadership training and curriculum around study skills, learning styles, and metacognitive strategies and the ways in which these practices contribute to the science of learning.