E-mentoring in Online Course Projects: Description of an E-Mentoring Scheme

This article describes the structure and process of an e-mentoring scheme designed as an applied learning component within a final curriculum course in an online Master's degree at a Midwestern U.S. University. The e-mentoring-based course culminated the online degree program and was meant to encapsulate learning through subject matter skill application. Both the course and the e-mentoring took place in an electronic environment. In this final course, each student engaged in an individual project drawing upon skills and knowledge learned online and applied in a real world context. Student projects were individually designed, planned and executed outside of the electronic setting, within host organizations. E-mentors were paired with students to guide the progress of individual projects. The ementoring scheme utilized component parts found within the literature, and incorporated newly created component parts. Based on end-of-course indicators, student achievement, e-mentor retention, and course expansion were outcomes of the e-mentoring scheme. The e-mentoring scheme described in the current paper may serve to complement the development of best practices in online leaning or to serve as a benchmark for future e-mentoring designs in online learning environments and in other electronic educational settings.