The Library Outpost, a satellite office of the campus’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, seeks ways to reach out to First Year students who are new to writing research papers.  One of our goals is to meet the First Year students on their own turf.  Since the Peer Mentors and Writing Center tutors have peer relationships with the First year students, we want to learn how we can collaborate with them to provide services to the First year students.  We surveyed the Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors to assess their perceptions of their own research skills, and their students’ research needs to guide the services and workshops offered by the Library Outpost

Bruce, Robert

Cabrera, Peggy

Howard, Francis E

English

SJSU ScholarWorks

San Jose State UniversitySJSU ScholarWorksFaculty and Staff Publications LibraryJanuary 2007Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: Whatour collaborations taught us about serving the SJSUFreshmen StudentsPeggy CabreraSan Jose State University, peggy.cabrera@sjsu.eduRobert BruceSan Jose State UniversityFrancis E. HowardSan Jose State University, francis.howard@sjsu.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/lib_pubPart of the Information Literacy CommonsThis Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Library at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty and StaffPublications by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@sjsu.edu.Recommended CitationPeggy Cabrera, Robert Bruce, and Francis E. Howard. "Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: What our collaborations taught usabout serving the SJSU Freshmen Students" San Jose State University (2007).Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: What our collaborations taught us about serving the SJSU Freshmen Students  Peggy Cabrera, Robert Bruce, and Francis Howard  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library San José State University {Peggy.Cabrera, Robert.Bruce, Francis.Howard}@sjsu.edu  Introduction The Library Outpost, a satellite office of the campus’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, seeks ways to reach out to First Year students who are new to writing research papers.  One of our goals is to meet the First Year students on their own turf.  Since the Peer Mentors and Writing Center tutors have peer relationships with the First year students, we want to learn how we can collaborate with them to provide services to the First year students.  We surveyed the Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors to assess their perceptions of their own research skills, and their students’ research needs to guide the services and workshops offered by the Library Outpost.  Statement of the Problem 1. How can librarians support the research needs of First year students? Library instruction classes are offered as one-shot sessions in First year writing/research classes.  2. How can we support the research skills of Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors? Peer Mentors and Writing center Tutors work directly with First year students and have an on-going relationship with First year students.   Methodology We surveyed the Peer Mentors & Writing Center Tutors in Spring and Fall 2007.  This data was used to design a workshop and handout to train the Peer Mentors during Fall 2007. The Writing Center tutors were unable to participate in the training session.  Spring 2008 we modified the survey to request feedback from the Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors on the workshop needs of the freshmen students.   Results  Peer Mentors suggested that library instruction be student centered, organized into small groups with active learning activities for students.   Peer Mentors and Writing Tutors assessed their research skills as moderate or high.   Topics requested by Peer Mentor decreased for all areas except for literature searching and non-library related topics.  In addition to traditional library topics, Peer Mentors suggested workshops for freshmen students on writing and adjusting to college life and campus activities.   Most of the Peer Mentors did not use the workshop handout in their work with their students.      Conclusion   1.  Design workshops on student generated topics to meet their current information needs. Include student centered, hands-on activities. 2. Design workshop handouts to cover one major topic for use by all students.  3. Design an information literacy assessment tool to gauge student information literacy knowledge.  4. In addition to live instruction, provide workshop training through a variety of methods including webcasts, podcasts,  handouts, and blogs.  5. Include workshop assessments in instruction sessions to measure student learning.  Related Research Hardesty, L. (ed.) (2007).  The role of the library in the first college year.  University of South Carolina:  Association of College & Research Libraries, Division of the American Library Association, and the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, University of South Carolina, 2007.  Honkimaki, S., & Tynjala, P. (2007). Study orientations in different tutoring environments: University language students’ first two years.  Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 15(2), 183-199. Terrion, J.L. & Leonard, D. (2007).  A taxonomy of the characteristics of student peer mentors in higher education: Findings from a literature review.  Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnerships in Learning, 15(2), 149-164.   SJSU websites: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library : http://www.sjlibrary.org/ SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Strategic Plan :  http://staff.sjlibrary.org/service/admin/sjsu_strategic.htm#plan Academic Success Center : http://www.sjsu.edu/asc/about_asc/ Muse Peer Mentors : http://www.sjsu.edu/muse/peermentor/ Writing Center : http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/ First Year Experience : http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/students/firstyear/  

Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: What our collaborations taught us about serving the SJSU Freshmen Students

San Jose State University

San Jose State University
SJSU ScholarWorks
Faculty and Staff Publications Library
January 2007
Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: What
our collaborations taught us about serving the SJSU
Freshmen Students
Peggy Cabrera
San Jose State University, peggy.cabrera@sjsu.edu
Robert Bruce
San Jose State University
Francis E. Howard
San Jose State University, francis.howard@sjsu.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/lib_pub
Part of the Information Literacy Commons
This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Library at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty and Staff
Publications by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@sjsu.edu.
Recommended Citation
Peggy Cabrera, Robert Bruce, and Francis E. Howard. "Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: What our collaborations taught us
about serving the SJSU Freshmen Students" San Jose State University (2007).
Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: 
What our collaborations taught us about serving the SJSU Freshmen Students 
 
Peggy Cabrera, Robert Bruce, and Francis Howard 
 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library 
San José State University 
{Peggy.Cabrera, Robert.Bruce, Francis.Howard}@sjsu.edu 
 
Introduction 
The Library Outpost, a satellite office of the campus’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
Library, seeks ways to reach out to First Year students who are new to writing research 
papers.  One of our goals is to meet the First Year students on their own turf.  Since the 
Peer Mentors and Writing Center tutors have peer relationships with the First year 
students, we want to learn how we can collaborate with them to provide services to the 
First year students.  We surveyed the Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors to assess 
their perceptions of their own research skills, and their students’ research needs to guide 
the services and workshops offered by the Library Outpost. 
 
Statement of the Problem 
1. How can librarians support the research needs of First year students? Library 
instruction classes are offered as one-shot sessions in First year writing/research classes.  
2. How can we support the research skills of Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors? 
Peer Mentors and Writing center Tutors work directly with First year students and have 
an on-going relationship with First year students.  
 
Methodology 
We surveyed the Peer Mentors & Writing Center Tutors in Spring and Fall 2007.  This 
data was used to design a workshop and handout to train the Peer Mentors during Fall 
2007. The Writing Center tutors were unable to participate in the training session.  Spring 
2008 we modified the survey to request feedback from the Peer Mentors and Writing 
Center Tutors on the workshop needs of the freshmen students.  
 
Results 
 Peer Mentors suggested that library instruction be student centered, organized into 
small groups with active learning activities for students.  
 Peer Mentors and Writing Tutors assessed their research skills as moderate or 
high.  
 Topics requested by Peer Mentor decreased for all areas except for literature 
searching and non-library related topics. 
 In addition to traditional library topics, Peer Mentors suggested workshops for 
freshmen students on writing and adjusting to college life and campus activities.  
 Most of the Peer Mentors did not use the workshop handout in their work with 
their students. 
 
 
  
 
Conclusion   
1.  Design workshops on student generated topics to meet their current information 
needs. Include student centered, hands-on activities. 
2. Design workshop handouts to cover one major topic for use by all students.  
3. Design an information literacy assessment tool to gauge student information 
literacy knowledge.  
4. In addition to live instruction, provide workshop training through a variety of 
methods including webcasts, podcasts,  handouts, and blogs.  
5. Include workshop assessments in instruction sessions to measure student learning. 
 
Related Research 
Hardesty, L. (ed.) (2007).  The role of the library in the first college year.  University of 
South Carolina:  Association of College & Research Libraries, Division of the 
American Library Association, and the National Resource Center for the First-Year 
Experience & Students in Transition, University of South Carolina, 2007.  
Honkimaki, S., & Tynjala, P. (2007). Study orientations in different tutoring 
environments: University language students’ first two years.  Mentoring & 
Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 15(2), 183-199. 
Terrion, J.L. & Leonard, D. (2007).  A taxonomy of the characteristics of student peer 
mentors in higher education: Findings from a literature review.  Mentoring & 
Tutoring: Partnerships in Learning, 15(2), 149-164.  
 
SJSU websites: 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library : http://www.sjlibrary.org/ 
SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Strategic Plan :  
http://staff.sjlibrary.org/service/admin/sjsu_strategic.htm#plan 
Academic Success Center : http://www.sjsu.edu/asc/about_asc/ 
Muse Peer Mentors : http://www.sjsu.edu/muse/peermentor/ 
Writing Center : http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/ 
First Year Experience : http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/students/firstyear/ 
 


https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&amp;context=lib_pub

Peer Mentors and Writing Center Tutors: What our collaborations taught us about serving the SJSU Freshmen Students

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

SJSU ScholarWorks

San Jose State University