Mentoring nontraditional undergraduate students: a case study in higher education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate an institution that has mandated mentoring as part of its mission and to examine students’ perceptions of the mentoring received. The author selected Empire State College (ESC), a college that is part of the State of New York University system in the United States. Empire State is an institution with a 36‐year history of mentoring nontraditional students. The current study represents a follow‐up to a prior study that examined the faculty’s definitions and theories of mentoring at the same institution. Study results reported herein revealed significant differences in alumni’s perceptions of and experiences with the mentoring they received at ESC across the spectrum of gender, race, field of study and age.

Keywords:

• mentoring
• adult education
• nontraditional students
• learning transformation theory
• transactional process of learning

Notes

1. ‘Nontraditional’ undergraduate students are defined as those not enrolled full‐time or not living on campus.