Making each other smarter: assessing peer mentoring groups as a way to support learning system dynamics

In this note, we examine existing and no longer existing online SD PMGs by looking into peer mentorship experiences of their members, leaders, and senior faculty advisers, using a blend of survey and interview methods.
Overall, respondents mainly mentioned their positive experiences of being PMG members. Participation was particularly beneficial for gaining SD knowledge and for feeling connected to other people who use SD. Importance of participating in PMG was scored high among respondents from both existing and no longer existing groups. Multiple respondents characterized their PMG membership as being crucial for advancing in their careers or for maintaining interest in SD.
However, we noticed some differences between the responses of members from existing and no longer existing groups. Results indicated that in existing groups there might be a larger number of highly motivated members to whom participation is extremely important (Likert score 10). Results also indicated that people in existing groups developed friendships with some of their peers. Those could be the forces that helped existing PMGs to maintain their momentum. Furthermore, members of existing groups presented more diverse topics, focusing also on general SD topics, and not explicitly on their own work. Interestingly, some existing groups had even worked on scientific publications together. Last, no longer existing groups more frequently reported problems related to scheduling and participation. They indicated a need for both increased responsibility from an individual who could act as a leader in planning the meetings, and also for group responsibility, i.e. showing up and participating in the meetings.