Making each other smarter: assessing peer mentoring groups as a way to support learning system dynamics

Between 2015 and 2018, the Student Chapter of the System Dynamics (SD) Society sponsored the creation of nine peer mentoring groups (PMGs). PMGs are widely recognized as an important way to support learning and professional development, especially by novices (Ashwin, 2003; Terrion and Leonard, 2007; Huizing, 2012; Dhirasasna et al., 2021). This note reports on the experiences of members of these groups, leaders of the nine groups, and senior faculty membersi who volunteered to work with some of the groups. Many PMG members were PhD students, while others worked in academia but not as PhD students or in industry and consultancy.