1. VLN Community Scholarship Mentoring Programme 2013: Policies and Procedures
Overview
Scholarship Mentoring programme involves students and teachers from the VLN Community clusters – known as the VLN
Community Scholarship Mentoring Programme. involved in structured tutorial sessions delivered through video­conference (VC)
sessions and/or Moodle and utilising other online technologies (email, Hangout, etc). Tutorials will take place during Terms Three
and Four involving students from VLNC schools through an application and enrolment form. The e­Principals of the VLNC clusters
will process the enrolments on behalf of their respective schools. This is a fee­paying model, run after school hours.
Structure and Operation
1. The aim of the tutorials will be to revise and extend student knowledge, skills and understanding in each subject offered
beyond Level Three NCEA.
2. The range of subjects in which mentoring will be offered will be determined by mentor teacher availability, then pupil
choice.
3. Schools must actively screen enrolments in consultation with subject teachers and HODs so that suitable candidates are
aware of the scope and purpose of the SM. Final selection will be made by the SM administrator.
4. Approval of the enrolment must be authorised by the School Principal with the understanding that this commits them to a
financial and support liability.
5. Mentor teachers will individually and/or collectively be responsible for all aspects of the structure of their mentoring
programme.
6. Teachers will deliver the programme in weekly ‘sessions’. This may include synchronous and asynchronous
technologies.
7. There will be a maximum of twelve sessions.
8. No SM class will commence unless there is a minimum of TEN (10) student enrolments.
9. As a rule, students should enrol in a maximum of THREE (3) SM subjects.
10. Group size will be no greater than eighteen students from eight connecting sites.
11. Each student enrolment on a single SM course costs $170(ex GST). Two enrolments cost $340(ex GST) and 3 enrolments
$510(ex GST). OtagoNet Executive Officer will invoice individual schools during Term 3. Once a student has been formally
accepted in a class, the school will be invoiced for their placement.
12. Clusters and individual schools will need to arrange their own procedures for managing enrolment fees.
13. Session include:
● Pre­delivery reading and familiarisation with subject material
● Pre­lesson emailing or posting of material on Moodle (if required)
● Delivery and discussion around planned content/concepts in a video conference or alternative teaching tool
such as Google Hangout
● Follow­up emailing or posting of material on Moodle (if required)
● Feedback to students on work (eg practice assessment questions) they have done
VLN Community Scholarship Mentoring Programme 2013

2. 14. Additional materials will be made available using email and/or Moodle or through other technologies.
15. Video conferences will be timetabled with two classes taking place every day. The VCs will normally last 45 minutes and
take place between 3.30pm and 4.15pm and 4.20pm and 5.05pm unless indicated otherwise.
16. Training will be provided for teachers who are unfamiliar with online delivery.
17. Students are responsible for connecting to the class at the correct time as requested by the teacher.
18. Schools are responsible for ensuring students have; email access, training and learning support.
19. Schools are responsible for arranging payment to the coordinating school by the end of Term Three.
20. Schools are responsible for any additional costs in accessing the SM classes (e.g. connection used for VC).
21. It is intended that the programme will commence in the week beginning 5th August ­ the second week of Term 3 and run
during the school terms into November.
22. Mentor teachers will be required to maintain a roll of attendance at class sessions.
23. A LISTSERV has been established for participating mentor teachers. (­ the email address of this listserv is
OtagoNet­SMI@netpals.lsoft.com)
24. All mentor teachers and students will be surveyed at the end of the programme.
25. For statistical purposes, participating schools will be asked to provide SM management with the Scholarship results of
programme attendees.
Remuneration
1. Mentor teachers will be remunerated $120(ex GST) gross per session up to a maximum of $1500(ex GST) (12 sessions). This
will be paid through the payroll system.
May 2013
VLN Community Scholarship Mentoring Programme 2013