The Science Behind: MentorPRO Academy

Connected Futures: One Course. Three Times More Likely to Graduate on Time.

Hersch, E., Werntz, A., Schwartz, S. E. O., Raposa, E. B., Hughes, J., Parnes, M. F., & Rhodes, J. E. (2026). Testing the effects of a social capital intervention on college student retention and academic success. American Journal of Community Psychology, 77(1–2), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70027

 

A longitudinal study drawing on administrative records from a large, diverse public university found that students who completed the Connected Scholars course, the curriculum at the heart of MentorPRO’s Connected Futures feature, were more than three times as likely to graduate within four years compared to students who did not. Passing the course was also associated with improved retention and a higher likelihood of graduating within six years. Students from historically marginalized backgrounds were more likely to enroll, and the course showed particular promise for reducing the equity gaps that too often determine who makes it to graduation day.

A Randomized Trial of A Course That Teaches Students How to Build the Relationships That Open Doors

Schwartz, S. E. O., Parnes, M. F., Browne, R., Austin, L., Carreiro, M., Rhodes, J. E., Kupersmidt, J., & Kanchewa, S. (2023). Teaching to fish: Impacts of a social capital intervention for college students. American Educational Research Journal, 60(5), 986–1022. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312231181096

A randomized study of 550 college students found that those who took the one-credit Connected Scholars course, the curriculum embedded in MentorPRO’s Connected Futures feature, reported stronger help-seeking attitudes, more actual help-seeking behavior, and higher levels of social capital and mentoring support compared to a control group. The course was designed specifically to help first-generation students and students of color build the networks that research shows matter most for college success.

Flash Course Leads to better outcomes

Rhodes, J. E., Werntz, A., Raposa, E. B., Jasman, M., Pichardo, T., Tobias, M., & Schleider, J. (manuscript in preparation). Testing a single-session social capital intervention for first-year college students: The Connected Futures Flash Course.

The Connected Futures Flash Course is a 20-minute single-session online intervention that distills the core elements of the evidence-based Connected Scholars curriculum into a format any student can complete during orientation. A pilot randomized controlled trial with first-year students at UMass Boston found that students who completed the Flash Course (offered free through MentorPRO showed large, statistically significant gains in networking self-efficacy — the confidence to reach out to professors, advisors, and campus support staff — with an effect size of Cohen’s d = 1.23. Students were also significantly more likely to complete the Flash Course than a longer four-session version, underscoring a fundamental principle behind its design: an intervention only helps the students who actually use it. Qualitative interviews confirmed that students translated what they learned into concrete action, including attending office hours, introducing themselves to professors, and beginning to build the professional networks that research consistently links to retention and graduation.