At Moscow University for the Humanities, mentoring is a traditional form of work with students.
Every year in September, at the first meeting of monitors, a tutor is assigned to each study group of freshmen, who helps newly arrived students to adapt to life at the university and unite the group into a single friendly team. As a rule, the best senior students and teachers who are just starting to teach a new subject become the tutors of the groups. The tutor helps students in preparing for the first exam session, monitors class attendance and progress, and conducts cultural events taking into account the interests of students.
The tutor conducts his work in close contact with the monitor and senior students assigned to the group. The tutor of the study group, if necessary, contacts the parents of the students.
All the work of the tutors and students takes place with the direct help and participation of the Rector’s PA, candidate of Philosophical Sciences, associate professor Tamara Aleksandrovna Rusakova, who conducts similar work with senior students.
All this contributes to strengthening of discipline and improving student performance.
School for Mentors
Our university traditionally has a school of mentors. A mentor is a successful senior student who not only studies well and is a nominal scholar, but also participates in the social life of the university. The mentor is aware of the problems faced by first year students and is ready to support them.
During the first semester, mentors teach freshmen to be a team, guide them in their studies, monitor their progress, and attract them to student associations. In the second semester, each of the mentors reports on their work, makes proposals to improve the productivity and progress of their group.
For already experienced mentors and for students who just think about this work, School of Mentors has been organized. Classes are held once a week. The students learn the basics of public speaking, come up with games for group rallying, learn to motivate students, avoid conflicts and solve them. Finishing the School of Mentors, each participant takes an exam, showing the knowledge and skills acquired in the course of the class. Fruitful work with freshmen awaits them.