Faculty of Science Peer Mentoring Program

Application for instructors

Instructors must submit the Peer Mentoring Program application which has two parts:

Part 1 is due by November 5, 2025. ¨Please fill out this Application Form to request the number of peer mentors you would like and outline your plans for selecting, training, and working with these mentors throughout the term.

Once all applications are received and reviewed, we will let you know the outcome of your request by December 3, 2025. 

Part 2 is due by January 10, 2026. You will be asked to submit the names of your selected peer mentors. A separate form will be provided for this step.  

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for peer mentors instructors must...

• Teach a Science course 
  At this time, the Faculty of Science Peer Mentoring Program is only available for Science courses.  

• Teach an introductory course 
  Your course should be at the 100 or 200 level (300 and 400 level courses are no longer included). 

• Large class size
  The course should have 150 or more students enrolled (as listed on Minerva). 

• Stay connected with your peer mentors 
  As the instructor, you will be expected to stay engaged with your peer mentors throughout the term. This includes: 

1. Give your peer mentors an orientation at the beginning of the term to go over expectations and their role. 

2. Check in regularly to offer support and make sure everything is on track. 

3. At the end of the term, take some time to reflect on the experience together—this could be through a survey, a casual debrief or even a social event. 

Eligibility requirements for students:

To be a peer mentor students must meet the following criteria: 

• Be a current McGill undergraduate student 
  Peer mentors must be registered as McGill undergraduate students and remain registered throughout the semester in which they receive the Award. 

• Have completed the course or lab they are mentoring 
  This ensures they are familiar with the material and can confidently support others. 

• Have set up direct deposit 
  Peer mentors will receive the award midway through the semester. To receive the award, students need to have direct deposit set up in Minerva with their banking info. 

• One award per course per semester 
  Students can only receive one Faculty of Science Peer Mentoring award for each course in a given semester. 

Examples of activities peer mentors can perform:

• Attend lectures and support in-class activities that involve interaction with a course’s students.

• Respond to student emails regarding course content and post questions and answers on discussion boards.

• Attend the SciLearn Peer Collaboration to support students with homework and exam preparation.

• Co-facilitate tutorials and pre-exam review sessions (generally best when supervised by an instructor or TA).

• Participate in study groups to assist peers with developing effective study methods and approaches to learning course content.

• Participate in training offered by the instructor, the Department, or Faculty related to the Peer Mentoring Program experience.

Examples of activities peer mentors cannot perform:

• Grading of assessments. 

• Invigilating quizzes and exams.  

• Reviewing assessments.

Selection Process

Requests will be evaluated by the Office of Science Education (OSE), based on these criteria:

• The course is a 100- or 200-level Science course with an enrolment of 150 or more students.
• The application form is fully completed.

Please note that the overall number of awards is budget-limited and the number of awards per course is based on the course meeting all the criteria listed above.