Mentoring made easier

ACU enhances the Connect2Uni Program with peer-to-peer mentoring for commencing students through Vygo: a new app making it easier to connect, maintain wellbeing and access referrals to academic support services.

Research suggests that when students first arrive at university, they often feel anonymous, insecure and isolated. Evidence indicates that students frequently drop out because they made few social connections in their first year and had little personal contact with academic staff.

It's now even easier to find a mentor with our new mentoring app, Vygo. Vygo enables senior students from the Connect2Uni and Student Veteran programs to mentor commencing students helping them to communicate with each other.

Students can choose a student mentor who's right for them based on their interests and what course they're studying. Once students match with a mentor, they can connect via live chat and organise on-campus sessions or a video call – making it simpler to connect.

This program aims to increase student satisfaction by creating a range of student activities that will support them through the three distinct phases of their study with mentoring, tutoring, and community-building programs. It will be rolled out in three phases:

• Phase 1: Pre-enrolment and early offer acceptance
• Phase 2: Pre-census student engagement and university life transition
• Phase 3: Post-census transitioning to BAU support programs

Looking after student wellbeing is essential to achieving the best results in their studies.

As we continue to experience COVID-19 restrictions across campuses, we appreciate how challenging it is for students facing emotional and financial hardship due to lockdowns to connect with their peers.

If you would like more information about the Student Mentoring Program please email Sarah Rose.