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After a successful pilot in 2016, In2science launched the eMentoring program for 2017 and is now delighted to be working with 15 regional schools across Victoria.  

Over the Semester 1 program, eMentors demonstrated an enormous amount of initiative and creativity to talk with their students about topics such as how to write practical reports, studying for exams, identifying their own learning style, the importance of referencing, exchange opportunities, open days at University, VCE subject choices, how to apply to uni and the vast array of careers available with a STEM education. One eMentor also took the initiative to assist his student to write a resume and conducted a mock interview for them.

Using the online video platform Zoom, various eMentors also took their students on a virtual tour of their university, showing them their labs, common rooms, libraries, collaborative spaces and lecture halls!

eMentors Yvette and Marie share their experiences of their Semester 1 placements.

A returning In2science mentor from La Trobe University developed such a great rapport with his students that he shared at the end of placement, “I actually became a little emotional today (internally!) when I had to farewell one of the eMentees”.

Feedback from teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. Maree Timms, Link Teacher from new partner school, Galen Catholic College, informed us their students  “have only said positive things about their experience with the program…you’d be happy to hear, [two of our students] stood up at assembly on Wednesday and spoke about the program and what they got out of it, and also to encourage others to do next semester’s program.”

The program is having a significant positive impact on all those involved.  Preliminary survey results from 2017 semester 1 show that the university mentors are able to establish effective mentoring relationships on an online environment.

Based on survey responses from eMentors during Semester 1 2017.

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has completed an evaluation of the efficacy of the In2science peer mentoring program, and the results show that mentors increase student engagement. A total of 1868 secondary students from 34 participating schools were surveyed on a range of areas including their confidence in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) studies, their understanding of the relevance of STEM, their enjoyment of science and maths, and their awareness of the career opportunities in STEM related fields.

The review found that secondary students who have In2science mentors working with them experience positive benefits including the belief that anyone can understand science and maths with enough effort and the confidence to find solutions to problems.  Students could also see the relevance of things they learned in science and maths to daily life, for people other than scientists and mathematicians. Students who had a mentor in their class also reported high levels of enjoyment of the problem solving aspects of science and maths, and an awareness that going on to study STEM subjects in VCE would improve their employment prospects in the future.

The full report can be accessed here, or at:  https://in2science.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/In2science-ACER-evaluation-2017.pdf

The Selby Scientific Foundation was established in 1980 by E.J. Selby (left) supported by brother B.A. Selby (right). Images courtesy of the Selby Scientific Foundation.

This year In2science is fortunate to receive financial support from the Selby Scientific Foundation to provide mentors with professional development opportunities. The aim of the Foundation is to support scientific education and research in Australia. They provide grants, fellowships and awards to support science education and research from the secondary school level through to advanced research by distinguished international scientists.

In addition to benefiting secondary students from disadvantaged backgrounds, a key feature of In2science is the benefits and improved educational outcomes for university students who volunteer their time to be mentors. During classroom placements, mentors develop their confidence, communication, interpersonal and professional skills, while gaining first-hand experience of teaching to consider it as a vocational pathway.

The grant from the Selby Scientific Foundation allows In2science to expand the quality and range of professional development sessions provided to mentors. Professional development sessions provide high quality communication and professional skills for mentors to use not only during placements, but also in their studies and into employment. Furthermore it is a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge the sustained voluntary commitment of mentors and their contribution to high school students’ science and maths education.

Veteran In2science mentor and new staff member, Rachael McCullough

Thanks to the generous support of the Selby Foundation, we are also excited to introduce you to our new staff member Rachael McCullough! Rachael will be leading our new mentor professional development sessions.

Rachael is no stranger to In2science. She has completed two in-class mentoring placements at Maribyrnong College and John Fawkner College and is currently studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Ecology and Evolution with a concurrent diploma in Mathematical Sciences at The University of Melbourne.

Rachael is well placed to share her experiences to make professional development opportunities as relevant and productive as possible for mentors. She is passionate about science and maths education and particularly wants to encourage girls to thrive in STEM. She wants to provide mentors with as many opportunities as possible with the thought that even small workshops or activities can turn into quite important elements of their future studies and career.

Look out for stories on our mentor professional development events in future newsletters!

After recruiting and interviewing undergraduate STEM students who can’t wait to share their enthusiasm for science, In2science training prepared mentors to enter the classroom. A total of 128 new in-person mentors and eMentors were trained in the final stage of mentor induction before being matched with schools to begin placements.

In2science mentors at La Trobe University getting to know each other

The sessions at each of the four partner universities covered a range of topics to equip new mentors with the skills for maximising their impact on placements. They ranged from explaining science and maths to make them relevant to the lives of young people, to awareness of the various learning styles of students and tips for working with a teacher in the classroom.

Josh Farr from Teach For Australia gave new mentors an insight into the teachers perspective

The new mentors were fortunate to be visited from representatives of Teach For Australia, Josh Farr, who visited Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Melbourne, and RMIT University, and Lauren Smith at La Trobe University. Josh and Lauren gave the mentors an excellent insight into the perspective of teachers, fostering a growth mindset in students, and preparing  for various behaviors of students.

Lauren Smith from Teach for Australia

In2science mentors-in-training at Swinburne University of Technology test out some hands on demonstrations.

The training for new eMentors was delivered on the same online video platform that they will be using to connect with their mentees at regional schools during placement. The eMentors were given first hand practice at communicating via the platform and using its features, such as screen sharing, drawing and the use of virtual rooms for breakout discussions. It was also a good opportunity for eMentors to encounter some limitations of the medium and learn strategies to overcome them.

The mentors now get to use their skills and enthusiasm where it counts – in the classroom.

Want to become an In2science mentor? Click here!

Innovative approaches to teaching STEM was the topic of conversation at Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, in January. In2science was invited to share the benefits of peer mentoring with future secondary science and mathematics teachers at The Innovations in Education Marketplace, organised by Teach For Australia for its 2016 and 2017 Cohorts. The exhibition featured a range of innovative STEM education providers.

At the In2science stall, Program Manager Joanna Oreo and La Trobe University Coordinator Oliver Barrand, spoke with many Associates from Victoria and Interstate. The Associates were interested to hear about the impact of volunteer student mentors in keeping secondary students engaged with their STEM studies. 

“We focus specifically on low socioeconomic schools, so for many of the high school students it might be the first time they’ve had a meaningful encounter with a university student,” Jo told Associates.

A number of Associates were keen to sign up for updates on the program, with several Victorian Associates expressing interest in registering for the program.

The event brought together Teach For Australia Associates from across the country, and was an opportunity for them to get up to date on the latest innovations in STEM education that they could employ in the classroom.

Read more about the event on Teach For Australia’s news page.

The number of mentor placements in 2016 by region.

Welcome to the final post for 2016. The In2science Awards night was a fantastic way to celebrate the end of what has been a very busy, productive and successful year.

• Specalised mentor training and support: the team has focused on specific mentor training based around growth mindset, mentoring, and enhancing science communication skills.
• Staff professional development: the In2science team has attended numerous workshops and presented at conferences, all focused around increasing students’ engagement and aspirations in STEM.
• Mentor manager and placement application: In 2017, coordinators will be able to visually see a mentor’s location in relation to a school and match mentors availability with teachers requests based on times and common interests.
• Additional funding to launch and accelerate online mentoring for regional schools: Feedback from the 2016 pilot has been overwhelmingly positive.  We look forward to expanding this in 2017.

Feedback and support about the In2science program has been extremely positive.  Preliminary analysis of survey results reveal that, after having an In2science mentor, students:

• are more confident in science and maths
• are more likely to know how to find information to help them solve a science problem
• enjoy finding out answers to science questions
• identify that the problem solving skills they use in science can be helpful in everyday life; and
• recognise that studying VCE science/maths subjects at year 12 will give them lots of options

What the students say

“The mentor didn’t give me the answers but helped me work through all the problems”
– Year 8 maths student

“I have learnt a lot from my mentor. Insights of uni life and her future career have been great to think about for my future”
– Year 8 science student

What the teachers say

“The mentor must have instilled something in the students that is very rare and hard to achieve in a secondary college – Intrinsic motivation”
– Kylie Lambert, Maffra Secondary College

What the mentors say

“Students became more engaged with the work when we worked together”
– Selda Ekri, In2science mentor

We would like to thank the Chair, The Honourable Professor John Brumby, for his support and leadership and all Advisory Board members for their ongoing commitment to ensuring the program is well governed.

In2science is fortunate to have a team of highly motivated and dedicated staff.  The team is looking forward to working with current and new partner schools and further expanding the program to support digital learning and girls in STEM in 2017.

The Hon. James Merlino MP, Minister for Education, Tarik Zepcan, La Trobe University eMentor, Genevieve Lazzari, In2science Director, and The Hon. Judith Graley MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education.

The achievements of the In2science eMentoring program were recognised by Victorian Minister for Education, The Hon. James Merlino MP, and Parliamentary Secretary for Education The Hon. Judith Graley MP at a morning tea held at Parliament House on the 5^th of December 2016.

Along with nine other mentoring programs across a range of areas, the eMentoring program was given special mention for connecting secondary science and maths students in regional Victoria with university mentors. In 2016, In2science eMentoring connected 64 students from five regional schools with 19 mentors, and will continue to grow in 2017.

Mr Merlino acknowledged the contribution of mentors in the lives of young people, “We’re so proud to see the success these mentoring programs have had empowering students from across Victoria. Sometimes it takes a mentor to help show us what we are capable of and these  programs have connected great mentors with hundreds of students.”

Mr Merlino presented a certificate of recognition to eMentor Tarik Zepcan and Acting Program Director Genevieve Lazzari on the day.

In2science eMentors Tarik Zepcan and Mitchell Griggs with In2science staff on the steps of Parliament House.

Mitchell Griggs, who mentored students at Cobram Secondary College, reflected on his experience as a eMentor, “The In2science eMentoring program has given me a great opportunity to share my enthusiasm and encourage more regional students to take on a rewarding career in science.”

Networking with regional schools in Mildura

During October, In2science staff travelled to Mildura and supported La Trobe University’s science outreach programs, which were offered to secondary students from five different schools in the Mildura region.  On the day, La Trobe hosted over 300 regional students who had opportunities to see real-world applications of science and participate in Biotechnology, Physics, Psychology and Robotics workshops.    This was a fantastic opportunity for regional and rural students who usually have limited access to educational experiences compared to their metropolitan counterparts.

Regional teachers had the opportunity to talk with In2science staff about the online mentoring program.  After a successful online mentoring pilot this year, In2science will work with more regional schools in 2017, with the aim of connecting interested secondary school students with like-minded volunteer university students who act as mentors, where students are opened up to the possibilities of pursuing their interests in STEM to year 12 and beyond.  Students and mentors are matched on shared science interests to maximise learning opportunities for students.

National Mentoring Week 23-29 October

The last week of October not only saw semester two placements come to a close, but also coincided with National Youth Mentoring Week. To celebrate mentoring week, In2science staff have been hosting afternoon teas, handing out certificates and saying thanks to our semester two mentors. 2016 has seen over 200 In2science mentors make an impact in 45 Victorian schools where they have remarkably volunteered over 2200 hours!

August has been another busy month, with mentor placements finalised and underway, including the first full-scale group of eMentors connecting with regional schools. With a multitude of activities for National Science Week, the In2science team was also out and about at various events:

Teacher Felicity Wilmot from Alexandra Secondary College trying out the eMentoring technology at the STEM Careers Expo in Wangaratta

eMentoring at Wangaratta STEM careers expo

eMentoring Coordinator, Ana Garcia-Melgar, hopped on a train to attended the STEM Careers EXPO at Galen Catholic College in Wangaratta. There, she gave teachers and students a live demonstration of eMentoring in action. They were able to connect online via Zoom to talk to In2science staff, see how eMentoring works in practice and to learn about the benefits of online mentoring for regional students.

Conversation with Dr Alan Finkel

Australia’s Chief Scientist, and In2science Patron, Dr Alan Finkel met in conversation with ABC’s Natasha Mitchell at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. There, he shared his insights and reflections on Australia’s place in the ever-changing science, technology and research landscapes. Three In2science Coordinators were in attendance, as well as one new La Trobe University mentor, Marianne Haines, who posed an excellent question that was addressed by Dr Finkel.

YSA lends a hand to train mentors

This semester, In2science partnered with Young Scientists of Australia (YSA) to help new mentors build their science communication skills. Four YSA volunteers (including one former In2science mentor) joined mentor training sessions at three partner universities to lead activities on relating science to real life and communicating a passion for science. The YSA members also invited mentors to join their national network of budding science enthusiasts.

Rewire Luncheon

Several In2science team members and mentors attended The Australian Newspaper’s Rewire luncheon. This event hosted a panel of experts, who examined some of the big questions around STEM education in Australia. They addressed questions such as why existing programs have not resulted in a national approach to STEM, the obstacles of student participation in STEM, and how Australia can increase its STEM teaching workforce.

Quantum Victoria STEM workshop

University of Melbourne Coordinator, Madeleine Yewers, attended a STEM best practice workshop at Quantum Victoria. The workshop was designed for teachers to build capacity in STEM Education and further engage students.  The workshop combined hands-on activities in programming, applying mathematics to the real world, and confronting well-known misconceptions in science as real-life examples (e.g. there are more than 5 human senses including pain, balance and body temperature). Maddy picked up some great ideas to inspire our mentors in the classroom!