E-mentoring for K-12 Students: Support for NASA Virtual Visits Free

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been involved in extensive research and exploration of our planet and universe for over 50 years and continues to inspire generations of students all over the world. NASA considers providing a variety of education programs designed to inspire the next generation of explorers a priority. By encouraging students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, these inspired students would theoretically then enter the pipeline for future NASA employment. One such program is NASA’s Digital Learning Network (DLN). This program provides access to STEM lessons presented through NASA missions and goals via video and web conferencing technologies. The DLN’s success in reaching large numbers of students throughout the country is well documented. Subsequently, as technology has become more sophisticated and accessible, there is a continued effort by NASA Education to focus on incorpo rating twenty-first century technology into K-12 learning opportunities.

Today’s students “demand more than a glorified correspondence course or a televised lecture” (Rogers, 2001, para. 1) and NASA Education meets this demand via the DLN quite economically through its varied technologies. DLN’s alignment with NASA Education’s dedication to providing K-12 students with inspirational tools and opportunities has initiated a new venture that builds upon what the DLN has already established through “Virtual Visits”; providing mentoring opportunities to these students. While the idea of mentoring and role modeling is not new, research has indicated it is an effective means of inspiring these learners as they strive toward their career goals.

Supporting this idea, Penny and Bolten (2009) state that “Education has long found mentoring effective and with the advent of online tools, comes e-mentoring, sometimes referred to as online mentoring, cyber-mentoring, or even virtual mentoring” (p. 170). Bierema and Merriam (2002) indicated that customarily, popular forms of mentoring are associated with career, academic, and psychosocial development. Mentors are often considered a key component toward achieving personal and professional success. Additionally, the use of technology from the most basic form of e-mail to computer conferencing technology has significant implications for enhancing the potential of the mentoring process (Bierema & Merriam, 2002).

Although mentoring from a distance is most often reliant upon the technological capabilities of school districts and may possibly offer unfair advantages to technol-ogy-rich schools, educators have found online mentoring to be effective. Penny and Bolton (2009) further emphasized that “e-mentoring has significant implications for mentoring” (p. 170). They clarify this point by saying that “Successful mentoring involves frequent and regular interaction … [but] barriers such as time, work responsibilities, geographical distance and lack of trust often reduce, if not halt, interaction” (Penny & Bolton, 2009, p. 170). The purposes of this article are to validate Virtual Visits in the mentoring process and to provide evidence to support the growing importance and necessity for educational organizations to provide unique mentoring opportunities to the K-12 population using web-conferencing technologies.

Mentors are regarded as valued contributors to a student’s educational experience, significantly guiding and providing positive influence for students as they begin to seriously consider future career options (Gross, 2011). Unfortunately, finding mentors who have the time to work with students face-to-face or schools having the ability to provide field trips for their students to enable them to have first hand career experiences creates difficulties for this essential component of learning to occur. Serving as a mentor before the advent of current technologies, one was forced to be physically present at the school in order to work with a mentees. Large time investments were required, which proved to be an inconvenience, especially if working full time. An additional hindrance was the circumstance surrounding school and mentor location inhibiting equitable mentor distribution. O’Neill (2005) states that development of such relationships have the potential to be entangled by work schedules, office location, or time involved in the mentoring process, which discourages potential mentors. As a result, new ways of offering mentoring relationships must be encouraged and explored. Potential roadblocks for mentoring opportunities are easily lifted through online mentoring programs or e-mentoring.

E-mentoring, according to Penny and Bolton (2009), sometimes referred to as telementoring, cyber-mentoring or virtual mentoring, allows students the opportunity to meet with experts in a wide variety of professional fields via the Internet. Bierema and Merriam offered a comprehensive e-mentoring definition, and defined it as a “computer mediated, mutually beneficial relationship between a mentor and a protégé which provides learning, advising, encouraging, promoting, and modeling, that is often boundary-less, egalitarian, and qualitatively different than traditional face-to-face mentoring” (2002, p. 214). Interestingly, Single and Single stated that “E-mentoring practitioners and researchers have not suggested that e-mentoring replace face-to-face mentoring, but have viewed it as a way to provide mentoring opportunities that otherwise would not exist” (2005, p. 305). As technology has evolved, the chance to meet professionals online in spite of the boundaries of distance, time, and culture, has opened new windows of opportunity for students to gain access to mentors in a variety of academic and professional career fields. Bierema and Merriam (2002) stated that these technological advances, particularly forms that allow mediated communication such as -mail and chats, enhance the mentoring process.

There are numerous advantages of e-mentoring relationships. Penny and Bolton’s (2010) view is that technology simply erases the barriers to participating in a traditional mentoring relationship. E-mentoring is efficient regarding cost and time and mentors have the ability to share a great deal of information in a smaller more concentrated amount. Additionally, Single and Single explained that,

Overall, researchers identified that e-mentoring serves to take advantage of the benefits of traditional mentoring with 21st century technology.

Penny and Bolton (2010) assert that e-mentoring allows for mentors and mentees to cross cultural boundaries. For example, disabled, minority, and disadvantaged students in varied environments are given access to any mentor located in the world. Subsequently, there is no longer a need to rely on subject matter experts who are located within a particular geographic location. Additional barriers such as age, gender, and status can also be overcome through the use of e-mentoring. Penny and Bolton (2009) note that through e-mails and chats, mentors and protégés are somewhat anonymous. The anonymity makes social and cultural barriers less important and allows the relationship to develop freely without interference, bringing together people who would not normally interact. Single and Single implied that “impartiality allowed the e-mentoring relationships to develop to the point where there was trust and openness within the e-mentoring pairs” (2005, p. 307), enabling the “development of a relationship that could foster the informational, psychosocial, and instrumental benefits provided by mentoring” (2005, p. 308). Studies show impacts on introverted students. In Hubschman’s study (1996), no significant differences were found between mentored and nonmentored students, but introverted students who had engaged with mentors had higher achievement scores than those who did not have mentors. Therefore, the results of the study suggest some impact was made on the mentored introvert group (Bierema & Merriam, 2002).

Additionally, there have been studies focusing on the impact of e-mentoring with groups that would be considered high-risk participants such as girls and minorities. The e-mentoring enviornment encourages these groups to explore nontraditional fields, providing access to role models and advocates that might not necessarily have been available through traditional mentoring (Bierema & Merriam, 2002). In their study on the impact of student’s career aspirations, attitudes, and behaviors in science and technology, Bennett et al. (1998) positively correlated the effects of e-mentoring participation with young girls in three ways: sustaining or increasing the desire to pursue studies in STEM fields, increasing understandings of what professionals in these disciplines do, and helping to develop skills for pursuing careers in these academic concentrations. The greatest change occurred in participants’ behavioral shift in the group classifying themselves as not likley to pursue a career in STEM fields. Fifteen percent of these female students in particular changed their classification to somewhat or very likely to pursue these careers at the conclusion of the study (Bennett, Tsikalas, Hupert, Meade, & Honey, 1996).

Moreover, the literature suggests both mentees and mentors receive benefits from an established mentoring relationship. Penny and Bolton (2010) affirm that mentors gain a sense of competence and satisfaction promoting good communication skills while mentoring youth. These positive feelings encourage them to promote mentoring to their colleagues. The strengths of the practice notwithstanding, e-mentoring does have its shortcomings. One such limitation is that e-mentoring spreads across all organizational cultures from high school to K-12, and nonprofits to corporations. Taken at face value, this appears to be a positive attribute of e-mentoring; however, O’Neill et al. (2005) state that the large cultural span can confuse a mentor and limit his or her understanding of how best to communicate their message. In addition, the large pool of mentors can prove to be overwhelming to manage without proper planning. Another potential barrier is highlighted by Bierema and Merriam (2002); they point to a critical fact within the definition of e-mentoring; the concept requires access to the technology. Owning a computer could be cost prohibitive for some individuals and school systems. Combating this barrier, public access is spreading through local coffee shops, libraries, and other localities allowing more of the public that may have limited funds access to these tools.

As with any virtual communicative outlet, miscommunication occurs often, particularly if the electronic medium is the only means with which communication occurs. Poor communication leads to abrupt endings of a virtual relationship or delayed starts in the beginning of the program (Bierema & Merriam, 2002). NASA Education, specifically the DLN, was able to consider both the negative and positive aspects of e-mentoring and develop a program that serves K-12 education.

According to Godshalk, “It is indisputable that computer-mediated communication technology, that is the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging and related technologies, is changing the social landscape and the process of how we communicate with one another” (2009, p. 1617). Utilizing such technologies to provide unique mentoring opportunities is at the heart of e-mentoring. Reflecting upon the research and experience of those who have sought validation for the e-mentoring model, various implications have become apparent. Admittedly, mentors in any capacity provide career development, psychosocial support, and role modeling (Godshalk, 2009). However, e-mentoring increases the ability of mentors to reach beyond their own communities as well as provide expanded opportunities for students to obtain knowledge and experiences necessary for successful career choice and advancement (Godshalk, 2009).

NASA’s DLN has introduced a new opportunity for educators to integrate the strengths of e-mentoring through the Virtual Visits (VV) program. VV, introduced to DLN customers in 2011, captializes on the strengths of e-mentoring through an organized system that promotes subject matter experts (SME) on the DLN’s website. SME’s are then made available to students across the country through an established scheduling system working to balance the mentees’ needs with the most appropriate SME.

VV was created to support NASA Education’s overarching goal to “continue the Agency’s tradition of investing in the Nation’s education programs and supporting the country’s educators who play a key role in preparing, inspriring, exciting, encouraging and nurturing the young minds of today who will be the workforce of tomorrow” (NASA Education, 2011). Decreasing funds for school districts has caused the traditional field trip to become as endangered as some species. Likewise, increasing budget cuts on the federal level have necessitated NASA Education to achieve its overarching goal in innovative ways where professionals, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers can still inspire students with NASA’s missions without having to be physically present.

In 2003, NASA engaged all 10 of its centers to deliver synchronous presentations centered on STEM concepts to students and educators across the country; and the DLN was established. This static module approach had served the project well through its use of video conferencing technology required at the school site to connect to the DLN studio. As the years progessed and web conferencing technology has become more refined, the DLN expanded its connectivity alternatives making room for the VV initiative.

VV provides opportunities for fourth-12th-grade teachers who want to connect their students with NASA experts. The SME’s address specific areas of student interest in STEM-related concepts to NASA missions and research (DLN Virtual Visits, 2011). Educators access the DLN website (dln.nasa.gov) and select the Special Events link located on the left of the homepage to access VV. The page provides video vignettes of various SME’s representing multiple STEM careers allowing educators the opportunity to preview a potential SME’s content. Once the teacher has chosen a career area in which to focus, the registration link allows that teacher to request an opportunity to have their students meet a SME. Scheduling a VV is at the educator’s convenience, delivered with a variety of conferencing formats that meets the parameter of the school’s technology constraints. SME requests come directly to the VV coordinator who matches the most appropriate expert with the class request, facilitating the date and time of connection between the two parties.

As a concept, VV comes at an opportune time. Drexel University researchers have studied a similar e-mentoring program. According to those who conducted the study at Drexel, “Online mentoring can serve as an effective and viable option to the more traditional face-to-face model” the group wrote in the Journal of Vocational Behavior after surveying about 1,400 students (Gross, 2011). Success has been immediate, as the VV model had 22 requests within the start of the 2011-2012 school year (DLN Virtual Visits, 2011). As a result, the DLN expects the number of events to grow as the program becomes more widely known. As Gross (2011) states in his article, the concept of online mentoring is not as popular as one may think, considering the popularity of social networking. VV is a burgeoning example of e-mentoring programs. The potential of growth in opportunities such as this is boundless.

Future directions and aims of e-mentoring in general will play a pivotal role in how VV are received and developed. Knouse (2001) discusses future alternatives to e-mentoring’s current understanding claiming that team mentoring could offer unique feedback in a workplace environment as well as provide social support in any setting. Bierema and Hill support Knouse’s claims stating that “Virtual mentoring has the potential to better support a multicultural workforce by providing access to mentoring that might otherwise not exist” (2005, p. 565). Furthermore, the use of e-mentoring with specific populations such as students with special needs has great implications. As Shpigelman et al. (2009) indicate,

There are implications for career development as well as personal growth as a result of innovative e-mentoring such as the DLN’s VV.

E-mentoring—and more specifically VV—embrace the conceivability to disseminate knowledge in a twenty-first century tech-nologically-rich society. With the increasing needs for students to be linked to mentors who provide practical academic connections in various fields of study, VV provides a practical and inexpensive means for which connections can be made and lives changed (Bierema & Hill, 2005). Providing opportunities to meet with role models through video and web conferencing, VV is a significant contribution to the e-mentoring field that allows equal access to all students regardless of their location, social status, and learning levels. Consistent with the literature, NASA’s e-mentors have indicated that they have benefited from their involvement in VV events. There is clearly much more to learn and discover about e-mentoring, VV, and the technological advances that will inevitably continue to surface. An increasing need for positive role models throughout K-12 education who would provide relevant and useful connections for students is inevitable. In combination with what we know about the positive correlation of e-mentoring and student attitudes in STEM with the naturally inspiring research happening at NASA on a daily basis, VV has potential to encourage many students to pursue these fields.