Can Peer Mentoring Improve Online Teaching Effectiveness? An RCT During the COVID-19 Pandemic

56 Pages Posted: 10 Nov 2020

See all articles by David Hardt

David Hardt

Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen Nuremberg

Markus Nagler

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg

Johannes Rincke

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg

Date Written: 2020

Abstract

Online delivery of higher education has taken center stage but is fraught with issues of student self-organization. We conducted an RCT to study the effects of remote peer mentoring at a German university that switched to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mentors and mentees met one-on-one online and discussed topics like self-organization and study techniques. We find positive impacts on motivation, studying behavior, and exam registrations. The intervention did not shift earned credits on average, but we demonstrate strong positive effects on the most able students. In contrast to prior research, effects were more pronounced for male students.

JEL Classification: I200, I230, J240

Suggested Citation

Hardt, David and Nagler, Markus and Rincke, Johannes, Can Peer Mentoring Improve Online Teaching Effectiveness? An RCT During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020). CESifo Working Paper No. 8671, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3727746 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3727746

David Hardt (Contact Author)

Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen Nuremberg ( email )

Germany

Markus Nagler

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg ( email )

Schloßplatz 4
Erlangen, DE Bavaria 91054
Germany

Johannes Rincke

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg-Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg ( email )

Schloßplatz 4
Erlangen, DE Bavaria 91054
Germany

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