PEER MENTORING INTO BIOCHEMISTRY CLUB: THE ROLE OF THE OLDER STUDENT-CLUB MEMBER AS A MENTOR

The course "I love Biochemistry" (I tu? Jo, Bioquimica) and "The Biochemistry Club" (ITUs-club o el club dels bioquimics) were created by The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. University of Barcelona. Talented and motivated secondary school students in biochemistry and biosciences who have participated in the "I love Biochemistry" courses became Club Members of The Biochemistry Club. The Biochemistry Club tries to promote teamwork, leadership and initiative among the secondary school students, university students, PhD students, scientists and university teachers who have participated in "I love biochemistry".. Spanish universities are integrated in EEES "Espacio Europeo de Educacion Superior" in which tutorial function is an important strategy to make possible the academic and professional promotion for students. Along the main lines of the Bologna agreements, university tutoring appears as one of the most valuable strategy in order to promote students' autonomous learning and the development of transferable competences for their life and professional development. Peer mentoring is a form of mentorship that usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific experience (the Peer Mentor) and a person who is new to that experience (the Peer Mentee). In our Club, an older and experienced student will be a Mentor to a new student, the Mentee, who is studying in the same Faculty or the same kind of studies. Both have similar backgrounds and a great interest in biochemistry. For this reason, the Biochemistry Club Mentors help the Biochemistry Club Mentee students in many questions such as how to enrol in biochemistry, how to register for classes, how to write papers, how to apply for financial aid, etc. Usually, senior students who act as mentors have focused their support on social, academic and cultural skills that can help young students. Examples of relevant questions about Peer Mentoring were presented by two students who have been Mentee students in the past and are now acting as Mentors. Their opinions were extremely positive. They said that it was good to ask a Mentor for obtaining support in becoming familiarized to a new academic environment and for doing the things more easily. Biochemistry Club members thought that it was also good to become a Mentor because they have to promote and support individual education and, when it is necessary, the Mentor has to try to change the Mentee's ideas. However, both students, the Mentor and the Mentee obtain benefits from their relationship.