The document discusses using analytics to establish e-mentoring relationships in an online social environment. It proposes two models: (1) Elliment, which was developed by Thomas Ullmann; and (2) an analytics-based model. The analytics-based model would use data on users' actions connecting with people, content, and through content to strengthen interpersonal links, provide opportunities for mentoring relationships, and offer a form of online mentoring support. A user study was conducted using Camtasia, think-aloud protocols, and interviews to understand how people connect with each other and content in social media environments.
3. OU students adopt mentors
Bouncing ideas off my manager has helped because
he has been able to relate some of the theories to our
business, therefore making it easier to understand.
I found discussing this course with
work colleagues and friends the Mentors provide:
most helpful, they were able to help • Support
me relate the assignments to my • Ideas
job and gave alternative • Guidance
suggestions and their varied • Sounding
opinions help to widen my view. board
3
9. Users need to be able to
Expand contacts
Locate relevant groups
Observe mentoring in action
Identify opportunities to engage
• Provide support
• Supply ideas
• Offer guidance
• Act as sounding board
9
10. Building & strengthening links
Mediating objects can
• strengthen weak ties
• activate latent ties
10
11. User study
• Camtasia
• Talk aloud
• Interviews
11
12. 1 Connect with content
3 Connect through content
2 Connect with people
4 Employ different actions
5 Recommendations
12
17. Mentoring in social media
Multiple overlapping relationships
May be open and freely available
Does not require a face-to-face relationship
Key data for analytics
Actions connecting with people
Actions connecting with content
Actions connecting through content
Potential for analytics
Strengthen inter-personal links
Provide opportunities for mentoring
Provide a form of mentoring
17
Preliminary work Thinking about mentoring in a new context Thinking about how analytics could be used to support it.
Distance university withsdtudents worldwide SocialLearn promoting social and interpersonal connections How can we best support mentoring relationships on a social learning platform? Do we know what ‘mentoring’ means in a Web 2.0 environment?
Previous research that OU students seek out unofficial mentors amongst their friends, relations and colleagues. They seek out someone who can act as a sounding board and provide support, ideas, and guidance. Is there a way of providing this support on a social learning platform – and can analytics help?
Literature based on face to face mentoring: three main models Apprenticeship: learn through observing and copying Competency: mentor provides feedback on performance Reflective: mentor seeks to develop self reflection in mentee.
Mentors are unlikely to be chosen at random. Depending on the context, any or all of these elements are likely to be relevant Social learning platform needs to provide ways of assessing these elements if successful mentoring relationships are to develop.
Online tool to support mentoring Implied a committed relationship that didn’t tally with our experience of receiving support in social media environments. Did not provide personal information that allows you to select a mentor Should be a role for learning analytics in supporting the mentoring relationship Developed by Thomas Ullmann (Open University) in partnership with the University of Bristol
Multiple overlapping relationships May be open and freely available Does not require a face-to-face relationship This example is on Twitter, but it is incidental to Twitter – so how could it be incorporated in a platform tuned for learning? So we can see that Web 2.0 mentoring is not necessarily like F2F mentoring – and may be challenging what you think of as mentoring. Our students were looking for someone who can act as a sounding board and provide support, ideas, and guidance.
Online, profiles provide a simple way of collecting some of this information. Site analytics can recommend new connections They aren’t recommending learning relationships . Friends of friends may not be the people who will introduce new ideas, evaluate your ideas, challenge your ideas…
Developing the prototype We wanted to put our work on social learning and its requirements Together with our ideas on mentoring This would require a platform which allowed people to: provide support, supply ideas, offer guidance, act as sounding board
Work on social networks suggested the importance of the role of mediating artefacts These can act to strengthen weak ties And to activate latent ties
Pilot studies with SocialLearn Participants looking for different types of connection
Analytics bring together these sets of information about how learners are doing this now. Suggest other iterations – relevant people, relevant content and relevant actions. Begin to play a mentoring role themselves - providing support, ideas, and guidance. This model developed by Haiming and Ronald
Actions are keys to the development of mentoring. Provide personal information that allows us to judge a potential mentor or mentee Provide hooks that help link people with potential mentors
These have been built into the system
Lots of actions allow you to engage with people, to engage with content, to engage through content
Wire frames of the next stage – developed by Haiming and Ronald Analytic powered recommendations Available on site and through tool bar