Peer-to-Peer Training in UAM Economics Faculty to Increase Scores and Motivation, Lower Defection Rates and Boost Employability in the Economy-Business Field

This study presents the development and results of an Active Methodologies educational innovation project implementing Peer Training among students of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences at UAM (Degrees in Economics and Finance, Tourism, Aeronautical Management, and Business Administration and Management), conducted during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 academic years. The primary objective was to create a learning support system for students who showed weaknesses in foundational knowledge, insufficient results, or risk of dropout, so they could achieve better learning outcomes and higher motivation. Additionally, it aimed to promote teamwork and skills in self-assessment, autonomous learning, and problem-solving, crucial for the employability of students and demanded in economic-business professions. Students with stronger knowledge who volunteered for this task were paired with classmates showing weaknesses, acting as mentors, and receiving support from professors though tailored materials and tutoring sessions. The results show very high effectiveness, with significantly improved grades and the elimination of dropout rates among the mentees. Regarding the satisfaction levels of the students involved, the opinion questionnaire on the methodologies used show certain differences between mentors and mentees (the satisfaction of the latter being lower), although the overall levels of global satisfaction were very high.