PhD Defence Wendy Nuis

Keywords: Mentoring, reflection, employability, higher education 
 

"Guiding Student Development in Higher Education: The Role of Mentoring for Reflection and Employability Competences"

Today, higher education is expected to deliver graduates who are work-ready, employable, and capable of working in a rapidly changing society. At the same time, higher education needs to keep up with an increase in student diversity, which means they have different backgrounds, needs, and interests. To address these challenges, there is a growing interest in competency-based and personalized forms of education. This dissertation therefore explores the role of mentoring as a valuable pedagogical intervention for personalized learning and competence development.  

This dissertation leads to a conceptualization of mentoring in higher education, distinguishing between various types of mentor support: psychosocial support, emotional support, autonomy support, and networking support. Furthermore, the empirical findings demonstrate that mentoring contributes to the development of students' employability competences. In this relationship, the role of reflection proves essential, as it helps students understand which competences they already possess and what their future learning needs are. 

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