Value proposition

An innovative school partnership program that places university students as peer mentors in low SES high schools

In2science is an innovative and proven multi-university school partnership program that places university students as peer mentors in Victorian low socio-economic schools.

We use the power of mentoring relationships to increase Year 7-10 students’ enthusiasm for STEM learning, to improve student engagement, and to build aspirations for further STEM study.

Since 2004, our volunteer university mentors have worked with over 78.000 students across over 2,000 semester-long placements in Victorian STEM classrooms (including 216 placements in 2022). We currently work with over 40 metropolitan and regional partner schools, the majority of which are low SES.

Our mentors are trained to share three key things with their student mentees: their love and passion for STEM; their experience of studying STEM from high school through to university; and their up-to-date discipline knowledge and study skills. In doing so, they act as learning coaches, STEM role models, and mentors, working together with the teacher to complement curriculum delivery.

Several external evaluations of the program demonstrate the positive impact on each group of participants: school students, teachers and schools, and university mentors. Our priorities are ensuring a significant positive impact for school students, enriching STEM education in school communities, and providing professional development across key graduate attributes for our volunteer university mentors.

STEM education, Mentoring, Peer learning, Science education, Maths education, Education, Mathematics, Science, and STEM