The following assignment is part of my trends and roles blog and part of my PIDP

3100 course. I have been tasked to look into the emerging trends of instructors in
the new digital age in which we live and to reflect on the emerging roles of
instructors in regards to these trends. I have been working with a learning partner
on this assignment where we both were to choose an article or two that describes a
new trend, share what we found and learned from this article and educated each
other on the trend topic that each of us chose. The article that inspired me to
research

new

trend

of

E-Mentoring

can

be

found

at

this

location:

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/new-brunswick/virtual-mentoring-circleaboriginal-women-1.3570059 It is an article that describes a unique learning

situation for remote learners in New Brunswick, Canada.

Trends:
My paper examines how instructors can maintain formal mentoring programs even
if program participants are separated by distances at the time of mentorship. I have
found that many articles focus mainly on strict separation of mentor and protg
whereas the reality of mentorship in my online world does not mean that this is only
available as an online resource. I find myself mentoring my employees via
FaceTime, YouTube and using a number of Apps that are available for online
collaboration. I then find that I have opportunity to engage the protg in more
traditional mentoring, face to face situations afterwards as follow up.
A new trend emerging in my field and many others is the advent of the e-mentor. An
article I have chosen is a wiki page that describes what e-mentoring is, please find
the link here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mentoring

Mentoring traditionally has been seen as a process involving a one-to-one interface

in person.

E-mentoring has been defined in various ways. We can refer to e-

mentoring as an e-mail exchange between mentor and protg and then expand
the definition to include the use of any communication technology to facilitate the
process by which two people assist each other to grow and learn in a safe and
supportive relationship (Hunt, 2005). Hunt adds that technology should not be
permitted to overwhelm the relationship. Mentoring should always remain a very
personal experience.
Sun Microsystem researchers validate the perception that mentoring is a different
kind of learning altogether, one that takes place in the realm of high quality
connections and relationships, where both parties learn and gain value Sun
Microsystems research whitepapers (2014)
As

found

in

the

following

article,

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/110350773245719/Virtual+Mentoring.pdf
Virtual mentoring, i.e. mentoring in which electronic-based communication is the
primary format for mentor-protg interaction, is emerging as a program tool for
several economic, organizational, technological and sociological reasons. Generally,
virtual mentoring is evolving because the following factors:
1. The growth of the multinational corporation
2. Potential mentors and protgs might be located in separate organizations,
functions, and/or companies.

3. Corporations and small and mid-sized business are now more geographically
dispersed than in previous decades.
4. Each year more employees are working from home instead of physically
commuting to the workplace.
5. In most organizations potential mentors and mentees are so time-pressed that
physical interactions are becoming increasingly problematic.
6. The development of a plethora of novel, user-friendly technologies facilitating
electronic communication.
7. The rapid adoption of such technologies by the general public.
The mentor and protg meet and pursue their relationship in person. However,
those that wish to establish or continue formal mentor programs may have to adapt
mentoring to an organizational environment in which potential mentors and
protgs cannot easily meet one-one.
Adopted from http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/110350773245719/Virtual+Mentoring.pdf

New Insights:
In a virtual environment the face-to-face meeting opportunity among learners and
their mentor or instructor is considered to be mostly non-existent. This is not always
the case, as in my case, I mentor my employees virtually and see them often in
person for follow up on the discussion. The role of the e-mentor is always evolving
as is the definition of mentorship.

Catherine Hansman cites two recent authors characterizations of the mentor role
as follows, interpreters of the environment (Daloz, 1986) and as experienced
persons work[ing] with less experienced persons to promote both professional and
personal development (Caffarella, 1993). I see the role of the e-mentor is more
demanding in terms of developing conversation and instilling trust in the e-protg.
Cohen in writing about the role of the mentor in adult learning cites four phases of
the relationship between mentor and protg:
1. The early phase in which trust is earned by the mentor 1 Hansman,
Catherine, Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education, Arthur L. Wilson
and Elisabeth R. Hayes, Eds. Jossey -Bass, 2000, p. 493.
2. The middle phase in which rapport is established and goals can be focused
upon
3. The later phase when mentors provide guidance and feedback
4. The final phase, where mentors challenge their protgs to apply what they
have learned
Adopted from http://www.icte.org/T01_Library/T01_264.PDF

The challenges of e-mentorship are similar challenges that we face in any role of
mentor and protg. We face the pressures of accountability, time and accuracy. We
are held accountable as mentors and in an e-mentorship, we may not be able to
properly or fully assess our protgs development. We may also find it hard to find
time to collaborate, which is a modern pressure we all face. Accuracy can also be an
issue as an e-mentor may not have the ability to deliver content as proficiently or as
accurately as we may when we meet in person. Another challenge as I learned from
Chris Wilson, my learning partner, is that not all mentors and protgs may be as

skillful with the technology at hand which may cause issue with the role of
mentor/protg. Chris also pointed out that the problem with lacking technological
prowess is a problem of now and in the future will become less and less of an issue
as the older generation is replaced with a generation of mentors and protgs that
have been raised on technology, this issue will slowly go away as people get older
and continue to grow up with the technology. Technology also becomes easier to
use and manage as time progresses.
E-mentoring will impact on my role significantly in the following ways; it makes me
more available and it can make me quicker to respond to learners needs. It also
provides me with another option for instructing. This will provide a new host of
challenges such as; keeping up with the technology and managing the time and the
resources required to be a successful e-mentor.
Learned from my learning partner
Diversity is great, but may cause issues as some students may not be as
technologically advanced as others, specifically in the case of large age differences.
This situation will be self-correcting in time as older workers and students are
replaced by younger, more technologically savvy and experienced students and
workers.
The language is changing. The landscape of rapport between learners and
instructors is changing. Dialogue has its own meaning to many different types of
students, practically speaking the language used in an online environment may be
rather difficult to understand.
These devices are not without their drawbacks. Are these digital devices a tool or
are they a distraction? They obviously are both, the power of the tool does outweigh

the drawbacks of the distraction but, like anything there is a time and a place
where these tools will be a nuisance.
I found collaborating with Chris in an online environment to be more stimulating and
interactive than what we would have gained via a phone call. We were able to
interact more closely and exchange ideas while speaking face-to-face, which lead to
a more personal and enjoyable experience.

Resources:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/new-brunswick/virtual-mentoring-circleaboriginal-women-1.3570059
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mentoring
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/110350773245719/Virtual+Mentoring.pdf
http://www.icte.org/T01_Library/T01_264.PDF