Examining the Impact of Alumni Mentoring on Student Satisfaction and Engagement in Higher Technical Education

Abstract

Student mentoring is widely adopted in academia to build engagement and enhance achievement levels. Mentoring is typically carried out by faculty advisors at institutions and shown to be effective in different academic settings. For professional development and enhancing career skills, mentoring of students by alumni has rapidly gained traction, due to its effectiveness. Alumni mentoring is now an established best-practice at all the top universities globally and is being replicated across institutions. However, very few case studies on the implementation and effectiveness of Alumni Mentorship Programs exist in the Indian context. We present a case study on the formulation and implementation of an alumni mentoring program from a higher technical education institution at Jammu, India. A formal Alumni Mentoring Model supported by active intervention by institute personnel is proposed. The study indicates that alumni mentoring when implemented in a structured manner has significant positive impact on student outcomes in the medium and long-term. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from 56 student mentees and 10 alumni mentors over a one-year engagement period reveals interesting insights into mentor and mentee perceptions, experiences, quantum of improvement in student performance, challenges and areas for improvement.