13862389 | [COMentoria] Análise SWOT da Comunicação do Programa Mentori@IPL. Contributos para Maior Adesão dos Estudantes

Mentoring programmes - based on peer-to-peer relationships - have established themselves as a strategy to support the integration of students (mostly generation Z) into higher education institutions (HEIs). These programmes have academic, social and personal advantages which, as a whole, contribute to academic success and dropout prevention. Information and communication technologies have enabled an exponential increase in communication channels, allowing users to access various types of information. However, there has been an increase in isolation from the real world, known as "digital loneliness", which has intensified since the Covid-19 pandemic. At HEIs, this is reflected in the lack of student participation in face-to-face activities, a lack of commitment and involvement, even if these activities are specifically aimed at meeting their needs, as is the case with the Mentori@IPL programme.The communication used and the content itself could be related to this reality. Thus, the general objective is to identify the perceptions of the different stakeholders about the communication process carried out for the Mentori@IPL Programme and the specific objectives are to map the channels that have been used to communicate the Mentori@IPL Programme, as well as their timings; to know the perception of mentors and mentees about the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats associated with the Programme's communication process; mentors and "mentees" perceptions of the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats associated with the programme's communication process, in the IPL institute/schools where the programme is active, and to find out the perceptions of the remaining stakeholders on which channels and formats are considered most appropriate for communicating the Mentori@IPL Programme. The methodology adopted is mixed, with the qualitative methodology including document analysis, SWOT analysis and focus groups. The quantitative methodology will use a questionnaire survey. The results we hope to obtain will have great academic and social relevance for the IPL institute/schools, which have joined the programme since its first edition. They will be the starting point for a change in the communication strategy and, consequently, will contribute to better integration of students into the ES, greater adherence to the proposed programmes and, in this way, contribute to increased academic success. programmes, thus contributing to increased academic success and a reduction in dropout and failure rates.