E-mentoring Program Research Articles

Life Sciences Career Exploration

Is there a career that combines the environment, genetics, and engineering? What is a theriogenologist, and what education and skills does one need for this career? What careers can one enter with an associate's or a bachelor's degree? What careers have the best outlook in terms of projected new positions, and what salary ranges can one expect? This article provides an overview of free, online resources for career exploration, with a focus on life sciences careers. This review is intended to be of use to secondary and postsecondary students seeking information about careers in this field of science. Hopefully, teachers and faculty members advising students who are planning their career goals and majors will find this a helpful resource to share with students. All of the online resources in this review include the following information for each career in their database: a description of the types of work involved, the level of education needed, the median income, the outlook for employment, and links to related careers and more information, such as professional society websites. Additional types of information and resources are noted in the reviews.

Determining the Quality and Impact of an E-Mentoring Program on At-Risk Youth

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of an e-mentoring program and the impact of participation on at-risk high school students enrolled in dropout prevention programs. The quality of the program was evaluated based on the ease of implementation, use of technology, and overall satisfaction. Indicators of student's self-esteem, career decision, attendance, and GED test scores were used to gauge the impact of participation. Design-based research methods were used to compare the participation of students in mentored and control groups. The results indicated a high level of satisfaction with ease of implementation, use of technology, and overall program quality. However, there were no significant differences between the mentored and control groups regarding self-esteem, career indecision, attendance, and GED test scores. Since the GED dropout prevention program provides guidance and mentorship by the coordinator, further research is suggested to account for the role of program and other contributing variables. Also, further research is suggested on the ancillary benefits of e-mentoring.

Participating in a Community of Learners enhances resident perceptions of learning in an e-mentoring program: proof of concept

BackgroundCommunity learning and e-mentoring, learning methods used in higher education, are not used to any extent in residency education. Yet both have the potential to enhance resident learning and, in the case of community learning, introduce residents to basic lifelong learning skills. We set out to determine whether residents participating in an Internet based e-mentoring program would, with appropriate facilitation, form a community of learners (CoL) and hold regular community meetings. We also determined resident and faculty perceptions of CoL and Internet sessions as effective learning experiences.MethodsA six-month e-mentoring pilot was offered to 10 Radiology residents in the Aga Khan University Postgraduate Medical Education Program in Nairobi, Kenya (AKUHN) with a Professor of Radiology, located at University of Virginia, USA, acting as the e-mentor. Monthly Internet case-based teaching sessions were facilitated by the e-mentor. In addition, residents were coached by a community facilitator to form CoL and collectively work through clinical cases at weekly face-to-face CoL sessions.Event logs described observed resident activity at CoL sessions; exit survey and interviews were used to elicit perceptions of CoL and Internet sessions as effective learning experiences.ResultsResident adoption of CoL behaviors was observed, including self-regulation, peer mentoring and collaborative problem solving. Analysis revealed high resident enthusiasm and value for CoL. Surveys and interviews indicated high levels of acceptance of Internet learning experiences, although there was room for improvement in audio-visual transmission technologies. Faculty indicated there was a need for a larger multi-specialty study.ConclusionsThe pilot demonstrated resident acceptance of community building and collaborative learning as valued learning experiences, addressing one barrier to its formal adoption in residency education curricula. It also highlighted the potential of e-mentoring as a means of expanding faculty and teaching materials in residency programs in developing countries.

Engaging Students in Career Planning and Preparation through Ementoring

Following a developmental model of career planning and preparation, an ementoring program was devised for first semester freshmen to (1) heighten career awareness and stimulate career exploration in food and agricultural sciences; (2) expand interest and willingness to follow career opportunities beyond the regional geographic area; and (3) stimulate deeper career exploration and development through participation in job shadowing and professional organization conferences. The ementoring program was part of a career portfolio prepared in sections of AGRI 1201, Agriculture and Human Sciences as a Profession, that were major specific for animal science majors. Impact of the experience on students was evaluated with pre‐ and post‐mentoring questionnaires using Likert‐scale (1–5, 1 = disagree or low level), selection (check those that apply), and open‐ended questions. Pre‐mentoring questionnaires (n = 128, 2002‐2005) showed a willingness to participate in the ementoring program; however, students were reluctant to relocate for career reasons. Results revealed naivete about careers, limited career awareness and work experience. A total of 79 post‐mentoring questionnaires were submitted from 2002 to 2005. Post‐mentoring results indicated gains in career awareness (means of 3.84–4.23 across years) and that gains were related to the ementor (means of 3.33–4.00). Interest in career exploration also increased (means of 3.67–4.39) as did willingness to relocate for career purposes (mean of 3.64–4.15). The ementoring experience was perceived as a beneficial experience that included problem solving (38–64%), goal identification (33–67%), and career insight (44–72%). From 77 to 88% of students wanted to continue email communication with their ementor after the course‐related requirement was completed.

Evaluating the Outcomes of an Ementoring Program

While the term mentor can mean different things to different people, a true mentoring relationship is “characterized by a richness of interdependence between two people” (O'Neill, Wagner, & Gomez, 1996, p. 42). In the last 20 years, mentoring has become more popular in education. The increased interest in mentoring has resulted in part from the development and increased popularity of e-mail and other forms of electronic communication. At Central University we have been conducting an e-mentoring program with the Philadelphia School District. This program pairs teacher candidates from an educational technology class with students from predominately African-American, inner-city elementary and middle schools. These teacher candidates were required to mentor these students while they were working on a school science project. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of this e-mentoring program upon attitudes and potential behaviors of teacher candidates.

Electronic mentoring: An innovative approach to providing clinical support

Aims Professional isolation is a contributing factor to poor recruitment and retention of physical therapists in rural positions. This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a pilot electronic mentoring, or e-mentoring, programme to address the need for support of physical therapists working in rural positions, in British Colombia, Canada. Methods An action research approach was used to examine whether an e-mentoring programme could effectively support physical therapists in paediatric clinical practice. The pilot programme involved an experienced physical therapist who mentored two sole charge physical therapists with no paediatric experience from a distance using their laptop computers. Programme evaluation data was obtained through questionnaires, field notes and a final group meeting using videoconferencing. Findings The key to the success of the e-mentoring programme was the collaborative interaction between the mentor and the mentee. Other factors that supported this interaction and beneficial outcomes of the programme were identified. Conclusions This pilot study has shown that technology combined with skilled communication can break down the barriers of distance and be an effective tool for clinical support. Further research is needed to establish the optimal organization of this type of programme and to rigorously evaluate the long-term benefits and effectiveness of e-mentoring.

E‐Mentoring: A Longitudinal Approach to Mentoring Relationships for Women Pursuing Technical Careers

AbstractIn recent years, the number of formal mentoring programs has increased dramatically. Mentoring programs that target individuals in underrepresented groups or groups of individuals who, statistically, are not likely to succeed are especially effective. These programs are effective because the mentors provide the protégés with a common community and help them anticipate future decisions. The purpose of this paper is to present an electronic mentoring (E‐Mentoring) program designed and established at Northeastern University to provide long‐term mentoring experiences for pre‐college and college female engineering students. Participants from four different age groups join E‐Mentor clubs and develop relationships through regular e‐mail communication. Networking socials, scheduled 3–4 times a year, provide the participants an opportunity to interact “face‐to‐face.” The E‐Mentoring program began as a pilot program in the Fall of 1996 within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and has grown to a college‐wide program with approximately 250 participants in the Spring of 1999.