Abstract 1326 Building Community within Peer Mentoring Teams to Support Student Learning and Belonging in Large-Enrollment Introductory STEM Courses

The college transition can leave students lacking a sense of community and belonging, which are important for academic achievement, retention, and persistence. Over the past few years, we have built teams of undergraduate peer mentors in our respective large-enrollment introductory biology and chemistry courses at the University of Delaware, not only to assist with learning but also to provide students with connections to more senior peers. These peer mentors hold a variety of roles; from facilitating in-class discussion sections to leading their own outside-of-class recitation periods. Recently we have focused on implementing strategies to further develop and strengthen the sense of community within our teaching teams, as well as to determine how the peer mentor community impacts: peer mentor-student interactions, peer mentor-peer mentor interactions, students' sense of belonging and community in the classroom, the first-year student transition to college, and how it facilitates the development of peer mentors as leaders within the University community. Initial data from peer mentor surveys indicate that peer mentors feel a strong sense of community within their teaching team and report their role has expanded their friendship networks and increased their confidence in their communication, mentorship, and leadership skills. Undergraduate student surveys indicate that the majority of students have had conversations with peer mentors, perceive that peer mentors have enhanced students' classroom experience, and report that the course environment makes students feel like they belong in the class. We will share our strategies for building community, together with approaches to further investigate the connection between student belonging and community within peer mentoring teams. This research was considered exempt from institutional review: University of Delaware protocols 1413165 and 2098254.