‘It makes me feel empowered and that we can make a difference’

Reverse mentoring between international students and staff in legal education

Abstract

Inclusion of student voices in higher education (HE) policy is of increasing importance. However, inclusion of marginalised voices is a continuing practical challenge. International students are one example of voices often unheard, despite the last decade’s internationalisation drive. Reverse mentoring use within business facilitates conversations between senior and junior colleagues, promoting cultural development. Its use in HE is comparatively limited. This work seeks to fill that gap through a small-scale study at a Russell Group law school between international undergraduate students (mentors) and staff (mentees) during 2019/20. The reverse mentoring focused on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues. This piece focuses on the impact of reverse mentoring on student mentors and their School community. The study’s design was informed by reverse mentoring in the legal profession, staff and student focus groups and international student and reverse mentoring literature. Mentor and mentee reflections were captured via interviews and reflective logs. Findings suggest reverse mentoring is an effective tool in HE to facilitate positive staff/student relationships. It has potential for transformational mentor impact which can catalyse wider community development. This work argues that reverse mentoring deserves a prominent place in ‘post-pandemic’ University strategies, with some cautionary notes and ideas for future development.