Shared March 23, 2026
As TCNJ’s Day of Giving approaches, we would like to highlight the profound impact that alumni support has on our students through the Computer Science Peer Mentoring Program (CSPM).
The CSPM program provides students enrolled in CS courses – including CSC 120, 220, 230, 325, and 415 – with dedicated academic support. By interacting with their peers, students improve study skills that are specific to the CS discipline and feel more deeply connected to the CS @ TCNJ community.
Origins & Impact
Following a generous donation from a Computer Science alumnus, the Department launched a pilot program during the 2022–2023 academic year to integrate peer-to-peer mentoring into CSC 220, an introductory lab-based course. Experienced Computer Science majors were hired as peer mentors and were paid with support from the donated funds. The response was overwhelmingly positive; students felt more supported, and faculty agreed to extend the program to additional courses through the current academic year.
As of the Spring 2026 semester, more than 1,700 students have benefited from the program. Faculty work closely with the peer mentors assisting in their courses to determine how to best provide support, whether by reviewing material during lab sessions or offering drop-in “office hours” to review technical concepts individually. Peer mentors serve as a trusted resource for students who may initially feel more comfortable asking questions of their fellow peers.
Support the Future of the CSPM Program
To ensure the continuation of the CSPM program, the Computer Science Department is seeking additional funding from interested donors.
How to Give: If you are interested in making a donation to support this vital program, please use this link to donate: https://dayofgiving.tcnj.edu/campaigns/computer-science-2049
You can read below for feedback on the program that was shared by recent peer mentors and students who worked with a peer mentor in their CS course.
Feedback From Past Peers Mentors & Students
“I think being a peer mentor was helpful to the students because I was recently in their position, so reaching out was a bit easier to do knowing that I am also a student.”
“I feel as though peer mentoring has been helpful to the students because they can ask me any questions which they may have felt embarrassed to ask. I also feel that I helped make several students feel less anxious about being confused with different topics in class. I made sure to let them know it was completely normal to be confused, and that I used to be just as confused as them.”
“As a mentor, I learned a lot about the topics I was teaching. It was life-changing to see students learn from me, and the feedback that I changed their outlook on computer science was amazing. I realized that teaching at the college level is something I want to do because of this program. This experience is one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a PhD in CS.”
“As a mentee, I found having a mentor to be incredibly valuable. There are things you can learn from someone who has taken the class as a student that you just can’t get from the professor. The mentor wasn’t just a crutch but an additional person to approach, someone who was related to the class but separate from the professor. This support was crucial in helping me navigate complex concepts and improve my understanding of the course material.”