Developing a peer mentoring model for a writing centre to support English across the curriculum

A pilot project to develop a writing center (Writing Café@PolyU) at an English-medium Hong Kong university was started with the goal of supporting English across the curriculum by assisting undergraduate students with their general process writing skills along with discipline-specific content, genre and language. A peer mentor model was adopted and guided by research on genre-based writing feedback (Kuiper et al., 2017, Munje et al., 2018, & Yu, 2021), community of learners (Akella, 2012, Moser et al., 2015, & Schoonheim‐Klein et al., 2012), and online writing support (Gherwash & Paiz, 2020, Severino & Prim, 2016, Tan, 2011, Thompson, 2014, & Weirick et al., 2017). Undergraduate peer mentors and mentees were recruited from multiple departments across the university. Peer mentors met their mentees online or in-person to discuss their writing assignments and provide feedback on drafts. Post-session reports were collected from mentors and post-session reflections were collected from mentees. Post-semester surveys for mentees and focus group interviews of both mentors and mentees were also conducted. The findings reveal the opportunities and benefits provided to mentors and mentees. Challenges are also reported in terms of revising the model, improving the quality of tutoring and feedback practices and increasing training and support.