Peer Mentoring

Duration

The Peer Mentoring Program takes place in the 1st semester, between September and February

Phases

• Recruitment and selection of Mentors
• Peer Mentoring Course
• Recruitment and selection of Mentees
• Organization of Mentor – Mentees groups
• Launch events and signing of the mentoring agreement
• Mentoring activities

The preparations for the Mentoring Programme begin in the previous academic year, through the recruitment of mentors and their participation in a peer mentoring course. This course, created and run by GAIP twice a year (once in July and once in September), runs entirely online and aims to train mentors in their role and develop their soft skills, such as emotional management, social skills and problem-solving.

In September, in the student enrollment phase, the mentoring enrollment period takes place, followed by the selection and the organization of the mentoring groups, which can vary between 1 and 4 Mentees per Mentor. Each Mentee will be accompanied by a Mentor from their Organic Unit (for example, a Mentee from the Faculty of Economics will be accompanied by a Mentor from that faculty).

Following this process, the mentoring programme is formally launched with a welcome session at the start of the semester, organised in each OU by the respective coordinator, where the Mentoring Agreement is signed (see the ‘Documents’ box).

At the end of the school year, the Mentor's activity is mentioned in the diploma supplement and the Mentee will receive a certificate of participation.

The peer Mentor is a student who already attends UAlg and who is willing to accompany between 1 to 4 students from the 1st year of UAlg (Mentees), by sharing their experiences and using their soft skills.

The Mentor has two main functions: psychosocial and of career. The former may include to support in problem solving, to motivate and to present UAlg’s elements (for example, extracurricular activities, colleagues, teachers, administrative services). Career functions, on the other hand, are related with activities such as to share study and time management strategies.

Throughout the program, each Mentor is accompanied by the coordinator of the Organic Unit to which he belongs. 

At the end of each mentoring cycle, Mentors must complete a form to evaluate the development of the program. The Mentor activity will be included in the diploma supplement.

To become a Mentor you need:

• Go to, at least, the 2nd year of a Bachelar or a Higher Professional Technical Course at UAlg;
• To have willingness to altruistically help students that enter in a new study cycle, as well as to share knowledge and to learn together with them;
• To try to provide, at least, 3 hours a month for mentoring;
• To participate in the UAlg Peer Mentoring Course (we will perform two editions, one in July and the other in September. Entries are limited);
• To agree with the Peer Mentoring Agreement.

The Mentee is a UAlg student who is in the 1st year of any study cycle (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate or Higher Professional Technical Course) and who wishes to be accompanied by a UAlg Mentor.

If you would like to be a Mentee in the UAlg's Peer Mentoring Program, you will be entitled to the support of a Mentor throughout the 1st semester, and of the coordinator of the Organic Unit to which you belong. 

At the end of each mentoring cycle, you must complete a specific form to evaluate the development of the program. You will have a certificate at the end of your participation in the program.

To become a Mentee you need:

• To attend the 1st year (preferably) of any UAlg’s course and study cycle;
• To have a willingness to learn in a relational context about UAlg and soft skills;
• To try to provide, at least, 2 hours a month to meet with the Mentor;
• To complete an initial questionnaire, so that we can evaluate the program efficacy;
• To agree with the Peer Mentoring Agreement.

Scientific coordination: Saúl Neves de Jesus (Full Professor of Psychology at UAlg)

Functional coordination: Mariana Guerreiro (Psychologist and PhD student in Psychology at UAlg, with a research grant funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology)

School of Health: Ana Catarina Correia
acjesus@ualg.pt, Sala 2.18, Edifício 1 - Gambelas

School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism: Carlos Ramos
cmsousa@ualg.pt, Sala 11, Edifício 22 – Penha

School of Education and Communication: Gabriela Borges
gaborges@ualg.pt, Sala 84, Edifício 23 - Penha

Institute of Engineering: Jorge Isidoro
jisidoro@ualg.pt , Sala 0.31, Edifício 32 - Penha

Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: Carlos Matos
camatos@ualg.pt, Sala 2.56, Edifício 2 - Gambelas
 

Faculty of Human and Social Sciences: Neuza Costa
ncosta@ualg.pt, Sala 1.31, Edifício 1 - Gambelas

Faculty of Sciences and Technology: Carla Antunes
cmantunes@ualg.pt, Sala 2.6, Edifício 8 - Gambelas

Faculty of Economics: Ana Rita Cruz
arcruz@ualg.pt, Sala 2.63, Edifício 8 – Gambelas

Meetings between Mentor and Mentees

The meetings between Mentor and Mentees are the essence of this Program. In them, Mentor and Mentees share the responsibility of contributing to the quality of the mentoring relationship. Therefore, the mentoring group starts by filling out the Mentoring Plan (see Documents box), where they define the main objectives that they want to achieve.

We suggest that the mentoring meetings be weekly or biweekly. The duration and the places where they take place are defined between Mentor and Mentees. Regarding their format, they can be face-to-face (the most advisable), by videoconference or by mobile phone.

Contacts with the coordinator of the Organic Unit

Throughout the program, each mentoring group is accompanied by the coordinator of the Organic Unit to which it belongs. Thus, Mentors and Mentees can request his support and guidance whenever needed.

Social Gatherings between Participants

The social gatherings between participants are optional activities, conducted by the Office for Supporting Pedagogical Innovation, Student and Alumni (GAIPEA) in collaboration with volunteer mentors. They are intended for all participants in the Program and aim to provide spaces for socializing, learning, and developing transversal skills. The activities will be announced to participants throughout the academic year.

From 2026, the Program will introduce a new mentoring model designed to address the specific needs of advanced training and scientific research. In this model, doctoral students from their second year onwards (Mentors) will guide one to four second-year master’s students and first-year doctoral students (Mentees) throughout the first semester - academic stages where the research component assumes greater importance.

Functioning:

Doctoral Mentors can play a key role in helping Mentees adapt to research demands, manage their academic paths, and integrate into UAlg’s scientific and institutional dynamics. They will have access to the Program’s e-learning training, which focuses on developing transversal skills that are beneficial for mentoring as well as for their personal, academic, and professional development.

In this new format, Mentees will select their preferred Mentors from a list of profiles provided via email after registration. This approach aims to acknowledge the diverse interests, needs, and goals of students engaged in research-oriented paths.

The Program is coordinated by GAIPEA, in close collaboration with the UAlg's Doctoral College. At the end of each mentoring cycle, and upon completion of the Program evaluation questionnaire, Mentors will have their participation registered in their diploma supplement, while Mentees will receive a certificate of participation.

For more information, please consult the Program flyer (available in the “Documents” section).

Requirements for obtaining ECTS credits for the optional Curricular Unit:

A minimum of 20 contact hours must be completed. These hours are tracked by recording participation in Mentor-Mentees meetings, meetings facilitated by Program Coordinators, and social gatherings for participants organized by GAIPEA. Mentors and Mentees must submit this record via email to mentoriaporpares@ualg.pt.

Would you like to contribute to the integration of your colleagues at UAlg? Do you want to develop your transversal skills? If your answer is yes, this program is for you!

Registration here