An Exploration of Virtual Mentoring in Adult Education
Location
Session 1 Presentations - Higher Education
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
An Exploration of Virtual Mentoring in Adult Education
Virtual mentoring in graduate education has become increasingly important, especially considering how Covid-19 has transformed an already digitalized society even further down the path of digitalization. Coupling the pandemic with an increased utilization of technology by graduate students, it would be negligent to understate the need for optimizing virtual mentoring for adults in higher education. Studies have found that graduate students who have a faculty mentor often experience greater success in their academic studies.
Mentoring can be defined as the reciprocal relationship between an experienced teacher and a novice (Sherman & Camilli, 2014). While traditionally mentoring was done face-to-face, virtual mentoring utilizes e-mail, texting, Zoom, and other electronic means. Studies show a high level of satisfaction among students when asked about their experiences with virtual mentoring (de Janasz & Godshalk, 2013, as cited in Pollard & Kumar, 2021).
The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of online mentoring in the academic success of online graduate students. The theoretical framework of this study is constructivism (Kasworm, Rose, Ross-Gordon, 2010), a theory that focuses on how we construct roles. These roles can include the support the mentor provides the mentee through feedback using electronic means.
Keywords
mentor, mentee, online support
Professional Bio
Dianne Ford Lawton, Ed.D. is Assistant Professor and Adult Education Program Coordinator in the Department of Leadership and Professional Studies at Troy University.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Lawton, Dianne F., "An Exploration of Virtual Mentoring in Adult Education" (2021). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 11.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2021/2021/11
An Exploration of Virtual Mentoring in Adult Education
Session 1 Presentations - Higher Education
An Exploration of Virtual Mentoring in Adult Education
Virtual mentoring in graduate education has become increasingly important, especially considering how Covid-19 has transformed an already digitalized society even further down the path of digitalization. Coupling the pandemic with an increased utilization of technology by graduate students, it would be negligent to understate the need for optimizing virtual mentoring for adults in higher education. Studies have found that graduate students who have a faculty mentor often experience greater success in their academic studies.
Mentoring can be defined as the reciprocal relationship between an experienced teacher and a novice (Sherman & Camilli, 2014). While traditionally mentoring was done face-to-face, virtual mentoring utilizes e-mail, texting, Zoom, and other electronic means. Studies show a high level of satisfaction among students when asked about their experiences with virtual mentoring (de Janasz & Godshalk, 2013, as cited in Pollard & Kumar, 2021).
The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of online mentoring in the academic success of online graduate students. The theoretical framework of this study is constructivism (Kasworm, Rose, Ross-Gordon, 2010), a theory that focuses on how we construct roles. These roles can include the support the mentor provides the mentee through feedback using electronic means.
