Capturing Peer-To-Peer Mentoring Advice: A Podcast Series for First-Year Law Students
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La Trobe University
Australia
Abstract
This practice report provides an overview of a podcast series designed to support first-year student transition to university and promote wellbeing and belonging. The podcast was established in 2017 in a compulsory first year law subject (Legal Institutions and Methods) at La Trobe University, Australia. The podcasts record interviews with students who have recently completed the subject and are designed to (a) give interviewees an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and (b) provide advice to future commencing law students (i.e., their peers). The podcast is a form of peer-to-peer mentoring that requires a relatively small investment of resources and provides on-demand support to students as they commence their law studies. The concept is readily adaptable to other disciplines.
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Author Biography
Dr Anita Mackay is a Senior Lecturer in the La Trobe Law School (La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia) who specialises in first year law teaching and providing students with a smooth induction into law school. Dr Mackay coordinates two core foundational subjects: Legal Institutions and Methods for the Bachelor of Law degree and Legal Method, Process and Institutions for the Juris Doctor degree. She holds a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education. In 2020 Dr Mackay was awarded a Vice-Chancellor's Early Career Teaching Award for "fostering the engagement, well-being and acquisition of foundational legal skills of first year law students through innovative curriculum and well-targeted resources and support".
