Interdisciplinary near-peer mentoring project 2017

The Departments of Psychology and Town & Regional Planning have been collaborating on research projects related to the environment since 2012 and students from the two departments participate in an interdisciplinary near-peer mentoring model during the project.  Prof Claire Wagner and Dr Jacques du Toit received a grant from the Department of Higher Education’s Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) fund in 2013 to investigate the students’ experiences of the interdisciplinary near-peer mentoring model.  Two papers have been presented at international conferences based on the 2013 findings and an article is under review in an accredited journal.  In 2015 the MA(Research Psychology) students got the opportunity to present papers at the Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE) Conference held in Pretoria on the results from a project on recycling in enclosed neighbourhoods.  Since then the model has been revised and Prof Wagner and Dr du Toit have received another SoTL grant for 2017 to examine the students’ experiences of the amended programme.

 

This year’s topic is on Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD).  The fourth year planning students are required to write a research report based on data that they collect and analyse.  The master’s students in research psychology act as research mentors to the planning students, assisting them in all aspects of the project from developing their research questions to providing feedback on their draft reports.  We used an activity similar to speed dating where students had 5 minutes to get to know each other and thereafter state their preferences for a mentor or mentee.

 

The students from Psychology and Town & Regional Planning with Prof Wagner and Dr du Toit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students doing “speed dating” to choose their mentor or mentee