Najwa Norodien-Fataar's presentation at the first CPUT Teaching and Learning with Technology Day

1. Developing e-mentoring for
collaboration between AD
practitioners and mentors: Issues
and challenges
Najwa Norodien-Fataar
Najwa Norodien-Fataar

2. Introduction
 How e-mentoring can promote engagement in
learning among peer mentors?
 How e-mentoring can enhance the capacity of
peer mentors to support mentees effectively?
Why?
To develop effective peer support programmes.
To develop the educational and leadership capacity
of peer mentors
To overcome time and geographical barriers

3. Aims
 To provide educational and leadership training
and support to senior students ( mentors)
through online support via Blackboard
 To provide peer support to first year students
through peer mentorship, face to
face, Blackboard, social media, Facebook, BBM
and MXit
 To improve first year students’ performance and
reduce attrition rates in the first year
 To provide academic and social support to first
year students

4. Issues peer
mentors will Time management

 Note-taking
assist with  Learning Styles
 Exam preparation
 Study Skills
 Unfamiliar administrative
issues
 Balancing competing
deadlines
 Assignment writing
 Information technology skills
(ICTs)

5. How?
 Through online discussion support and
engagement with AD lecturer via Blackboard
 2 day training workshop
 Ongoing support
 Reflection process
 100% engagement = Certificate of Participation

6. How do mentors benefit?
 Leadership and capacity building of
senior students
 Sense of satisfaction
 Self worth
 Enjoyment in sharing expertise
 Gaining new personal insights

7. Why peer support?
 Research by McInnis, James and
Hartley (2000). Heirdsfield, Walker
and Walsh 2005
 Peer mentors more effective during
the first year transition
 Assist in making social connections
with new students
 Sense of belonging, retention and
skills development

8. Why e-mentoring?
 To overcome time and geographic barriers
 Out of classroom time- inside classroom time
 Geographic – link between Faculty and Fundani
 Social Presence awareness ( Garrison and
Arbaugh 2007)
 Social presence give students the feeling of
connecting and belonging to a community

9. Blackboard
PERCEPTIONS POSSIBILITIES
 Repository –  Learning environment
Students: perceived  Access to online
as a place where you resources, internet,
get notes  engagement, reflectio
 difficult to access, n, discussion,
can’t logon  connection with
 Unfamiliar, formal lecturers, students
 Lecturers: deposit
notes
 Only for lecturers

12. Nature of engagement
AD
Practitioner
Lecturer in
Mentees
Department
Mentors

13. Blended Learning Support
Online Support
Social
Face2 Face Media, MXit,
FB, BBM,
Twitter

14. Thank you – any questions?