This document discusses moving mentor training online from an in-person format. It addresses some of the issues with moving training online like participation and engagement. The solution developed interactive online modules and activities to replicate the peer-to-peer learning of in-person training. Feedback from participants found that restricting activities until others were completed and opportunities for reflection were strengths, while more opportunities for interaction were needed. The online training provided an equivalent experience to in-person workshops.

1. Digital first: moving mentor training
online
Juanita Foster-Jones

2. What are the issues?
"Working At PC" Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3. Some of the issues...
Participation
Engagement and retention
Development time
Can’t be replicated

4. The context
https://flic.kr/p/99QbRd (CC BY 2.0)

6. Requirements
• Provide an equivalent experience in terms of quality and
content to the face to face workshop
• Ensure that the exchange of experience and learning
through peer to peer interactions was provided
• Allow mentor training to reach regions where a face to
face course could not be held

7. Where to start

8. Story boards
Example storyboard
from Impact Toolkit

10. Making choices

11. Right tool for the
job

12. Presentations

13. Discussion activities
https://flic.kr/p/6cGpgf (CC BY-SA 2.0)

14. The only thing I found a bit daunting was posting on the
forums... going in at the beginning and having to post
before seeing what other people had written I found
really scary, because I thought what if I'm completely off
the mark... [respondent B]
I actually thought that was a strength that I couldn't see
what other people were posting because it meant that I
really had to think about it myself...with what I'd seen
and everything... [respondent A]

15. Moderation
https://flic.kr/p/59nqz6 (CC BY 2.0)

16. Challenging activities

17. Listening and Powerful Questions

18. Our solution

19. Experiencing Mentoring
Groups of three: A – the mentor
B – the mentee
C – the observer
Procedure
Mentee thinks of a situation about which they have some
doubts.
Mentee identifies the belief or value they hold and
expresses it verbally to the mentor.
For example:
“I’m really uncomfortable doing …” “I don’t see the point of applying
for this job …” “I don’t feel equipped to …”
19

20. Quality control

21. Engaging with the materials
• Activity restriction
• Course completion
• Badgification

22. I liked that activities weren’t available until you’d done
certain other ones. What was particularly important in
that context, was that you could see the outline of the
course at the start – I printed this out so that I could tick
off where I’d got to. [respondent 4]
The fact that you can't move onto another area before
completing tasks before hand is good BUT you don't
always have to fully complete the task which I think is a
problem. For example, I wrote a comment in the
evaluative statement area but didn't fully complete the
task as I was short on time but the tick appeared and I
was able to move on to the next task. [respondent 5]

23. Engaging with the materials
• Activity restriction
• Course completion
• Badgification

24. Evaluation
https://flic.kr/p/dNdtcX (CC BY 2.0)

25. Encouraging Reflection
I had time to read round and think about each area of
the course before I made my contribution - taking time
to consider, reflect and understand before moving on. ...
meaning that I undertook this training in a much more
reflective way than is normally possible in a face -to-face
course [respondent 4]

26. More interaction needed...
More opportunity to interact with other participants.
[respondent 3]
In comparison to the face to face training I found the
biggest problem to be the general lack of engagement
that online courses have. It's great to informally talk to
people, share difficulties and triumphs and concerns.
Unexpected knowledge comes from this especially when
you are meeting people from different sectors and this is
lacking. [respondent 5]

27. Moving on...
https://flic.kr/p/99QbRd (CC BY 2.0)

28. References
Laurillard, D. (2002). Rethinking University Teaching: A
Conversational Framework for the Effective Use of Learning
Technologies. 2nd edition. London: Routledge Falmer.
Lisewski, B . & Joyce, P (2003) Examining the five‐stage
e‐moderating model: Designed and emergent practice in the
learning technology profession. Association for Learning
Technology Journal, 11 (1). pp. 55-66. Retrieved from
http://repository.alt.ac.uk/399/.
Mason, R. & Rennie, F. (2008). E-learning and social networking
handbook. London: Routledge
Salmon, G. (2011). E-moderating: the key to teaching and
learning online. (3rd ed.). London: Routledge