Empirical Study: Mentorship as a Value Proposition (MVP).

Abstract

Greater access to college education, owed in part to technology and globalization, increases opportunities for students to prepare and thrive professionally. Undergraduate education must offer pedagogies of engagement to meet needs of the competitive global workforce and post-baccalaureate programs requiring advanced research and analytical skills. Many universities and colleges recognize the critical need for undergraduate engagement in research and participation in professional world experiences to cultivate aptitudes required in the 21st century. Using a triangulation inquiry methodology, this empirical study contributes to the research on undergraduate research mentorship pedagogy by assessing its merits operationalized across multiple disciplines at a public liberal arts university. Findings support the added value of the pedagogy in its capacity to optimize marketable aptitudes. The study presents participants’ unique voices, as their perceptions are significant in identifying the value-added by this pedagogy.