E-Mentoring Student Researchers through an Undergraduate Field Experience Course - Lessons Learned

Abstract

This paper is written by a mentor and mentee pair, sharing experiences from both perspectives. The mentor is an American independent public health researcher currently located in Gaza, Palestine. Her research focuses on Islam and Health, Muslim health, E-mentoring and remote research. The mentee, who co-wrote this paper, was a student in Rhode Island, USA, in a fieldwork experience course. In this paper, the pair reflected on their research e-mentoring experience and offer insights for future research mentor-mentee pairs. This paper is split into 4 sections: (1) the benefits of e-mentoring; (2) lessons learned, and policies developed; (3) effective e-mentoring tools and systems, such as the weekly meeting call notes system; e-mentoring internship syllabus agreement, mentee research orientation, and maximizing Google Workspace; and (4) tips from a mentee. One unexpected benefit to being matched with an international mentor, was being exposed to a religion (Islam) and culture (Middle Eastern) she had not been previously exposed to. While forced to remote online work during the pandemic, the authors conclude that e-mentoring offers an effective means to conduct global research, while offering a unique method for cultural or religious awareness. Therefore e-mentoring should be further explored and promoted beyond the pandemic.