Mentoring is defined as a relationship characterized by sharing experiences, imparting wisdom, and establishing a long-term connectedness to another person (McCluskey, Noller, Lamourex, & McCluskey, 2004). It provides youths with the positive role models they need (Office of Educational Research and Improvement [OERI], 1993). A mentoring program should consist of distinct characteristics to insure effectiveness. These characteristics include: (1) a well coordinated, supervised, and purposeful program; (2) providing quality training for the mentors; (3) receiving support from the school or community; (4) possessing strong commitments from the mentors; (5) and identifying specific goals for the mentoring experience (Ryan, Whittaker, & Pickney, 2002; Terry, 1999). Due to the large portion of time students spend in school it is a good place to implement mentoring programs, which can increase students’ self-esteem and connectedness (King, Vidourek, Davis, and McClellan, 2002). However, there can be some problems with accessing mentors, particularly in rural settings (Knouse, 2001). Geographical isolation, small populations, and a lack of access to resources presents as challenges in implementing a mentoring program in a rural setting (Reeves, 2003). Additionally, the phenomena of “brain drain” or the exodus of the best and brightest from rural settings (Mathis, 2003) may leave schools with a dearth of potential mentors. Electronic mentoring or e-mentoring can be an effective method to implement a mentoring program in rural settings. However, a paucity of research exists in the use of e-mentoring in schools. E-Mentoring, which is defined by Brown and Dexter (2002) as using an electronic medium such as email to create a “one-on one cyber-relationship”, may prove to be a way for rural schools to combat a lack of resources and provide students with the mentoring relationships they need (Bierema & Merriam, 2002).

What do school counselors need to know about e-mentoring? Is e-mentoring a solution for the problem of accessing mentors in schools? This article will outline the advantages and limitations of e-mentoring. The implementation of an e-mentoring program will be presented, and there will be a discussion of the implications for the use of e-mentoring in rural school settings.

Mentoring provides a viable way to aid youths in improving school performance, decrease unhealthy behaviors, and increase connectedness to family and community (King et. al., 2002). Additionally, schools are committed to creating mentoring programs. However, barriers to success exist with programs created in rural school settings due to isolation and lack of available mentors. The perception that mentoring programs must take place during school hours creates another constraint in school mentoring programs. Possible mentors believe they cannot participate because of their work schedules or other commitments (VanderVen, 2004). The issue of pulling students out of class also presents as a concern with school day meetings (Bennets, 2003) in addition to coordinating mentor-mentee meetings around the teacher’s lesson plans.

When faced with the barriers outlined above it is no wonder that schools are looking for alternatives to the typical mentoring relationship. A school with a mentor program in place may find it necessary to go back to the planning stages to address the problematic issues and find solutions. Establishing an e-mentoring program is one solution.

An Overview of E-mentoring

Ensher, Heun, and Blanchard (2003) state that e-mentoring evolved from the world of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). CMC was first used as the Internet became more developed and more people were communicating via email, chat rooms and other virtual environments (Ensher et. al., 2003). Knouse (2001) espouses the need for mentoring relationships recognizing that barriers exists that keep possible mentors from participating in mentoring relationships. Because of the need for mentors and the evolution of CMC, the idea of e-mentoring developed as a new intervention for schools (Bierema & Merriam, 2002).

Electronic mentoring is the process of using electronic mail, instant messages, and/or chat rooms to facilitate a mentor relationship (Brown & Dexter, 2002; Riede, 2003). Mentors log on and exchange communications with their mentees via the Internet. The various communication methods previously mentioned maintains the relationship and provides the opportunity for more frequent and convenient communication between mentors and mentees (Riede, 2003). 

            Schools located in areas which suffer from a dearth of mentors, such as rural settings, are prime candidates for e-mentoring programs. Rural schools dealing with geographical isolation, smaller populations, and lack of access to services may find that technology provides the bridge to potential mentors and programs located in nearby metropolitan areas (Bierema & Merriam, 2002; Reeves, 2003). Another advantage of e-mentoring is the reduction of scheduling issues (Single & Muller, 2001). Potential mentors whose schedules would not allow them to participate in a mentoring relationship during the workday can participate in an online mentoring relationship from home or work using the Internet. Additionally, successful linkages between corporate sponsors for mentoring programs and the schools, provides access to the corporations’ employees as reliable mentors for their students (Ensher et. al., 2003).

Implementing an E-Mentoring Program

There are four steps in the implementation process of en e-mentoring program. The first step in the implementation process is to gain administrative approval, the second is assessing the program feasibility, the third is program implementation including the identification of school and community resources, and the fourth is safeguarding the e-mentoring program.

Gaining Administrative Approval

            Beginning a new program at a school in any type of setting requires the approval and by in of the administration. The school implementing the e-mentoring program may already have a face-to-face mentoring program that is struggling due to limited resources or thriving and seeking to expand. It would be important to consider and operationalize prior or existing mentoring programs to identify lessons learned in order to be more informed when approaching and rallying the support of school administration. A clear understanding of the target mentee population and an elucidation of issues that would be addressed through the e-mentoring program also contributes to administrative buy-in for the program. Additionally, contacts and visits to schools with successful e-mentoring program can provide valuable information in preparing final proposal for the mentoring program.

Program Feasibility

            Although presented as the second step in implementing an e-mentoring program, establishing program feasibility should be considered and included in the process to obtain administrative approval. Some considerations must be made before going forward with implementing an e-mentoring program. Schools must first identify what barriers their current program faces and then assess the availability of resources (Single & Muller, 2001). The school must have a commitment from the administration, staff, and school district to make an e-mentoring program a success (Mather, 2000). Consideration should also be given to the configuration of the e-mentoring program. Some questions to consider before implementing the program include:

1. Do we have the technological resources available to move forward with an E-Mentoring program?
2. How will we ensure that the mentors and mentees are trained and comfortable using the necessary technology?
3. How will we screen and train the mentors? Will we develop a community partnership with a company to provide mentors?

Rural schools also must consider questions specific to their particular environment that would impact program feasibility such as parental involvement, cultural issues, and any parental concerns.

Program Implementation

Successful programs follow these ten steps in order to have the foundation of a quality program: 1) Identify program goals; 2) Designate a program coordinator; 3) Select students to be mentees; 4) Recruit and select mentors; 5) Match mentees and mentors; 6) Gain parent permission; 7) Provide education for mentors; 8) Provide space and resources for mentoring; 9) Promote communication among participants; and 10) Monitor effectiveness of program (Ryan, Whittaker, & Pinckney, 2002; Terry, 1999).  However, the characteristics of these steps look different in a face-to-face program verse an e-mentoring program (See figure 1).

Identify program goals. When deciding to implement a mentor program goals must be established. The program designers must decide whom they are servicing. Are the students at-risk? Is this a career development program? Or, should the program result in an increase in attendance, grades, or motivation? These questions assist with identifying an end goal for the program participants, assists the program designers in ‘working backwards’ from the goal to decide what the necessary components of the program should be, and focus the mentors should have when working with their mentees.            Designate a program coordinator. At this time, the next step would be the appointment of a program coordinator. Oftentimes, the person who spearheads the proposal and implementation of the program would become the coordinator. But, if the program designer is going to appoint someone for the coordinator position, bringing the coordinator on board early in the process proves advantageous so he or she can assist with the logistics of program development and obtain ownership in the program’s success.

Select students to be mentees. Student selection should fall in line with the population in need identified in the initial program proposal. The students should be invited to participate in the program, and should be trained on how the technology will be used in the program through an orientation. The parents of the selected students should be notified and invited to the student orientation, and consent forms should be signed before the students begin orientation or participation in the program. It will be important to highlight how the use of the e-mentoring format will be beneficial to the schools rural setting, and how students will not only benefit from the program, but what safety measures will be in place to secure the communication in the e-mentoring relationships.

Recruit and select mentors. A mentoring program, whether new or established, requires resources. Once the program goals are decided and the coordinator is selected, the program designers have to assess what human resources are readily at hand to accomplish the decided upon goals of the mentor program. An important community resource includes business in nearby metropolitan that may provide mentors to work with the e-mentoring program. Not only can parents and citizens in the community be potential mentors, their contacts can expand potential mentors beyond the school’s geographic community. Expanding the mentor pool outside of the school’s geographic community is an integral aspect of e-mentoring programs in rural schools. In the early stages, invitations to school district volunteer lists, community connections, and corporal sponsorships can announce the program highlighting the program’s flexibility through the e-mentoring format.

Match mentees and mentors. The process of matching mentors and mentees in a traditional face-to-face program could be done in a few different ways. One would be to do a profile match after determining mentee needs, and mentor interest. Another would be on a first come first serve basis, where mentees are matched with the first available mentor. However, with e-mentoring there are other possibilities for matching. The face-to-face matching strategies mentioned above can be incorporated with the use of virtual matching. This is especially important for rural schools, because if mentors are recruited from neighboring metropolitan areas an interest profile can be completed online, and the initial matching can be done through cyberspace. By setting up an e-mentoring website with controlled access mentors could log on and complete the necessary documentation to be screened and cleared to be matched with a mentee, and mentees could have profiles as well which would all be facilitated by the program coordinator. It is important to take into consideration the program goals when matching mentors and mentees to insure the highest level of program effectiveness.

Gain parental permission. Parental permission needs to be acquired before having mentees meet with mentors. The program coordinator may ease the process of gaining parent permission by inviting possible mentees and their parents to an information night where they can answer questions about the mentor program, and how the e-mentoring program format works. The more informed the parents are the more likely they are to approve of permitting their students to participate in the program. E-mentoring is a new idea so it will be important to highlight the safeguarding which will be used in the program to allay parent fears about their children’s use of the electronic format.

Provide education for mentors. The topic of training comes to the forefront once the technology is secured, and space issues are resolved. The program designers in conjunction with the coordinator should decide upon a method of training that not only highlights the skills germane to achieving program goals, reinforcing interpersonal connections, and keeping the mentor relationship healthy, but they must also consider how they will train the mentors in the use of the technology they have available for the program. If the trainings are done virtually then the process of participating in the training will showcase the mentors computer skills, and suitability for the e-mentoring format.

Provide space and resources for mentoring. The space in which the mentoring will take place needs to be decided upon by the program designers. Unlike face-to-face mentoring e-mentoring will require an area which is technologically friendly for the students to participate. Other alternatives are to utilize community partners such as a local library or co-sponsoring organization equipped with the technology necessary for the students to participate. However, it is imperative that the location be a safe space for students to go outside of school hours. An agreement would have to be reached about the supervision of the students if the e-mentoring program space is housed outside of the school.

Promote communication among participants. Once a mentor program begins it is important to continue to have contact with the mentors and mentees to make sure communication is constant. It is essential that program coordinators maintain contact with mentors and mentees periodically through the mentoring experience to make sure that communication is regular, and to address any questions or concerns that may come up for a mentor or mentee. E-mentoring makes this monitoring easy because of the use of email and instant messages. Also it provides a transcript of mentor mentee contacts, which is also useful to assist mentors with trying new approaches to discussions with their mentees.

            Monitor effectiveness of the program. The best way to ensure the longevity and effectiveness of a program is through consistent monitoring. The monitoring should be based on some simple guidelines that are inherent to any mentoring program such as frequency and session length for the mentor contacts. Other factors to monitor are the grades, attendance, and attitude of the mentees. Program coordinators can create questionnaires for the parents, mentees, and mentors to track their satisfaction with the mentoring process, and target areas for change. The amount of contact should be logged and reports of contact should be complied at least quarterly during the school year.

Safeguarding E-mentoring Programs

There is a certain level of risk in an e-mentoring program and some concerns that must be considered by school counselors. Burriss (2003) asserts that it is important for parents and teachers to understand how the Internet works and the types of things of which students should be steering clear. By educating parents and program volunteers about the dangers children may face online threats to online safety can become easier to navigate. In order to insure the safety of students using an e-mentoring program the following measures must be taken (Mentoring.org, 2005):

• Establish a code of online conduct guided by common sense, basic etiquette and mutual respect.
•  Adhere to rules and laws that apply in face to face mentoring, as well as those unique to online mentoring, such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.
• Establish guidelines, including necessary permissions, to govern young people’s appropriate and safe access to the Internet.
• Install safety technology, including an archive system for e-mails.
• Provide comprehensive background checks, screening and training of mentors.
• Establish confidentiality of program participants’ personal information, especially that of young people.
• Provide regular oversight and support of program participants and their relationships.
• Create a process for raising and addressing concerns with program staff and participants.
• Follow the law.
• Establish a tracking system for volunteer activities and supervision of mentor-mentee interactions.

If these precautions are taken then the security of the e-mentoring program can be upheld and make it a safe alternative for use in school settings.

Discussion

            Rural schools face special challenges to participating in mentoring programs due to the isolated nature of schools in rural settings. It may be difficult to find enough mentors to service the students in the school, and at times it can be daunting to consider how to assemble the technological resources to begin a mentor program. Through the use of e-mentoring school counselors can create a way to connect their students with resources from communities which may be have been out of reach in a traditional mentor program set up.

            School counselors will have to identify the resources available for implementation of e-mentoring programs. A program coordinator needs to be selected for the e-mentoring program, and it needs to be someone who will take special consideration in identifying the school and community resources available for the program. The feasibility of the program will be another area of concern for implementation of the e-mentoring program. Some ways school counselors can streamline the process of identifying the resources available and the feasibility of an e-mentoring program would be to ask the following questions:

1. What are the goals we hope to accomplish though the use if e-mentoring, and are they reasonable and attainable?
2. Have we done all we can to make our conventional mentoring program work?
3. How open is the administration to the implementation of an e-mentoring program?
4. Are the current mentors (if a program exists) open to learning the new electronic medium?
5. Do we have the technological resources available to move forward an e-mentoring program?
6. How will we ensure that the mentors and mentees are trained and comfortable using the necessary technology?
7. How will we screen and train the mentors? Will we develop a community partnership with accompany to provide mentors?

The list of considerations for an e-mentoring program is not exhausted with the above-mentioned questions. It is important for school counselors to consider the culture and climate of their respective schools, and keep in mind the desired results for the program.

            By calling upon the assistance of corporate sponsors rural schools may be able to obtain not only possible mentors for an e-mentoring program, they may be able to gain the technological resources necessary for the program. By using electronic mentoring rural schools may also find that they can provide a wealth of career mentoring opportunities for students by accessing mentors from other areas. Peer mentoring may also be a possibility by pairing a rural school with an urban or suburban school. This provides the participants with an opportunity to learn from each other, and gain a better understanding of the issues and environment of their peers who live in other types of communities. Through the utilization of e-mentoring programs rural schools could possibly offer more to their students in the way of increasing opportunities for positive diverse mentoring relationships, and a conduit to explore the world around them.

            Limitations exist in the use of e-mentoring in rural settings. Some of these limitations are lack of funding due to allocations in low populated rural settings being done per pupil (Cullen, Fray, Hinshaw, & Warren, 2005), and the technological divide in rural areas with the lack of broadband connections to the internet and slow outdated computer systems used in some rural settings (Fontenot & Driskill, 2000, Mathis, 2003). Other general areas to be considered in implementing an e-mentoring program are safeguarding the e-mentoring program to build trust among the users, and properly training the users of the program. The parents and the school need to be reassured that the use of the e-mentoring format will not endanger their students or expose them to outside harmful influences via the Internet. Additionally, participants of the program will need to be trained in the use of technology, and there may be mentors who would have normally participated that would be intimidated by the use of technology. Ways to combat these limitations could be addressed in future research. 

---

References

Bennetts, C. (2003). Mentoring youth: Trend and tradition. British Journal of Guidance

and Counseling, 31(1), 63-76.

Bierema, L.L., Merriam, S.B. (2002). E-mentoring: Using computer mediated

communication to enhance the mentoring process. Innovative Higher Education 26(3), 211-227.

Brown, R., Dexter, S. E-mentors: Connecting caring adults and kids through email.

TechTrends, 46(6), 60-63.

Burriss, L.L. (2003). Safety in the cybervillage: Some guidelines for teachers and parents.

Childhood Education, 79(5), 318-319.

Cullen, T., Frey, T., Hinshaw, R., Warren, S.(2004). Technology grants and rural schools:

The power to transform. Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Washington, D.C. Paper presented at the 27^th annual meeting of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (Chicago, IL, October 19-23, 2004). ERIC document reproduction number (ED485134).

Ensher, E.A., Heun, C., Blanchard, A. (2003). Online mentoring and computer-mediated

communication: New directions in research. Journal of Vocational Behavior 63, 264-288.

Fontenot, D., Driskill, D.A. (2000). Collaborative Information Technology Center

(CITC). Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Rural Education Association (Charleston, SC October 25-28, 2000).

King, K.A., Vidourek, R.A., Davis, B., McClellan, W. (2002). Increasing self-

esteem and school connectedness through a multidimensional mentoring program. Journal of School Health, 72(7), 294-299.

Knouse, S.B. (2001). Virtual mentors: Mentoring in the internet. Journal of Employment

Counseling 38, 162-169.

Mather, A.M. (2000). Where community and curriculum come together. Technology &

Learning, 60-66.

Mathis, W.J. (2003). Equity and adequacy challenges in rural schools and communities.

Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Education Finance Association (Orlando, Florida, March 2003). ERIC Document number ED478057.

Mentor: Expanding the world of quality mentoring. (2005, April). Limiting risk in your

ementoring program. Retrieved April 15, 2005, from

http://www.mentoring.org/program_staff/ementoring/limiting_risk_in_your_ementoring_program.php

McCluskey, K.W., Noller, R.B., Lamoureux, K., McCluskey, A.L.A. (2004). Unlocking

hidden potential through mentoring. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(2), 85-93.

Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.

(1993, October). Mentoring. Education Consumer Guide, 7. Retrieved August 29, 2004, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/mentor.html

Reeves, C. (2003). Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Implications for rural

schools and districts. Educational Policy Publications. Retrieved October 30, 2005, from http://www.ncrel.org/policy/pubs/html/implicate/

Riede, P. (2003). Electronic Mentoring. School Administrator, 60(10), 26-30.

Ryan, S., Whittaker, C.R., Pinckney, J. (2002). A school-based elementary

mentoring program. Preventing School Failure, 46(3), 133-138.     

Single, P.B., Muller, C.B. (2001). When email and mentoring unite: The implementation

of a nationwide electronic mentoring program. In L.K. Stromei (Ed.), Creating Mentoring and Coaching Programs (pp.108-122). Washington, D.C.: American Society for Training and Development.

Terry, J. (1999). A community/school mentoring program for elementary students.

Professional School Counseling, 2(3).

VanderVan, K. (2000). Adults are still needed! Intergenerational and mentoring

activities. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(2), 94-102.

 

---

 

Author's Biography

 

Nicola M. Johnson, M.Ed., Ed.S., Doctoral Student; University of Central Florida; 209 Springview Dr.; Sanford, FL 32773; Phone: (321) 439-6117; Fax: (407) 823-5135; Email: nmjohnso@mail.ucf.edu

Andrew P. Daire, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor; University of Central Florida; P.O. Box 161250; Orlando, FL 32816-1250; Phone: (407) 823-0385; Fax: (407) 823-3859; Email: adaire@mail.ucf.edu