The Dissertation Process and Mentor Relationships for African American and Latina/o Students in an Online Program

Berg, Gary A.

doi:10.1080/08923647.2016.1227191

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One strategy that seemed to strongly influence student perceptions of satisfaction with the online mentoring relationship was that mentors should be responsive, and express concern and care for the well-being of the student as an individual (Crawford et al, 2014;Jacobs et al, 2015;Kumar & Coe, 2017;Ross & Sheail, 2017;Stein & Glazer, 2003;Welch, 2017). Further, mentors should maintain cultural sensitivity during communications with mentees who may experience communication and social norms differently than do their mentors (Berg, 2016;Deshpande, 2017;Nasiri & Mafakheri, 2015;Sussex, 2008).…”

Section: Strategies and Best Practices For Mentoring Online Graduate Students Supporting Online Graduate Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Differences in motivation, participation, values, and personal characteristics influence the effectiveness of mentoring relationships (Sussex, 2008). Researchers have asserted that the online mentoring relationship should include psychosocial and interpersonal as well as intellectual aspects (Berg, 2016;Doyle et al, 2016;Jameson & Torres, 2019;Kumar & Johnson, 2017;.…”

Section: Factors Influencing the Online Mentoring Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They also found that the perceived similarity of values, not demographics, had an effect on the mentoring relationship. If value similarities lead to more trust and more trust leads to higher satisfaction, it follows that mentoring pairs should be intentionally matched whenever possible (Berg, 2016). The same authors suggested that it was not only personalities and values but also knowledge and skill matching that were important to effective mentoring.…”

Section: Similarities In Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Graduate education includes a wide spectrum when it comes to the clarity of expectations and programs of study, the experience of setbacks, and the growth of the student into individualized study, depending on the discipline and level (master's or doctoral). The crux of this process is often the one-on-one dialogue between a student and their advisor or mentor (Berg, 2016;Deshpande, 2017;Sussex, 2008). This process can become more difficult in an online context, in which enrolled students might be non-traditional and culturally diverse, and faculty members might lack experience mentoring students in the online environment (Deshpande, 2017;Kumar & Johnson, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Mentoring Graduate Students Online: Strategies and Challenges

Pollard

Kumar

2021

IRRODL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The proliferation of online graduate programs, and more recently, higher education institutions’ moves to online interactions due to the COVID-19 crisis, have led to graduate student mentoring increasingly occurring online. Challenges, strategies, and outcomes associated with online mentoring of graduate students are of primary importance for the individuals within a mentoring dyad and for universities offering online or blended graduate education. The nature of mentoring interactions within an online format presents unique challenges and thus requires strategies specifically adapted to such interactions. There is a need to examine how mentoring relationships have been, and can best be, conducted when little to no face-to-face interaction occurs. This paper undertook a literature review of empirical studies from the last two decades on online master’s and doctoral student mentoring. The main themes were challenges, strategies and best practices, and factors that influence the online mentoring relationship. The findings emphasized the importance of fostering interpersonal aspects of the mentoring relationship, ensuring clarity of expectations and communications as well as competence with technologies, providing access to peer mentor groups or cohorts, and institutional support for online faculty mentors. Within these online mentoring relationships, the faculty member becomes the link to an otherwise absent yet critical experience of academia for the online student, making it imperative to create and foster an effective relationship based on identified strategies and best practices for online mentoring.

show abstract

Section: Strategies and Best Practices For Mentoring Online Graduate Students Supporting Online Graduate Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Factors Influencing the Online Mentoring Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Similarities In Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Mentoring Graduate Students Online: Strategies and Challenges

Pollard

Kumar

2021

IRRODL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other studies have exclusively investigated online supervision and mentoring strategies during the thesis stage of the programmes (Gray & Crosta, 2019). These studies have all reported the challenging nature of developing effective supervision practice at a distance -both from students' and supervisors' perspectives, whilst stressing the importance of setting up positive mentoring relationships for student completion (e.g., Andrew, 2012;Berg, 2016;Kumar & Coe, 2017;Roumell & Bolliger, 2017). Erichsen et al (2014) and Maor et al (2016) both suggest that setting up a regular synchronous meeting would reduce students' feeling of isolation.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Student Experience of Online PhD Studies

Lee

2020

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim/Purpose: This article investigates thirteen students’ lived experiences on an online PhD programme, aiming to develop a better understanding of the nature of doing a PhD online. Background: A large number of adult students with full-time professional roles and other social responsibilities have returned to universities to pursue their doctoral degree in order to advance their personal and professional lives. Online PhD programmes are now one of the viable choices for those who wish to combine their PhD study with other professional and personal roles. However, little has been known about students’ lived experiences of doing a PhD online, which are seemingly different from those of other doctoral students who are doing their studies in more conventional doctoral education settings. Methodology: The present qualitative study employs a phenomenological approach to develop an in-depth understanding of doctoral students’ lived experiences in doing their PhD studies online. The present study was conducted in an online PhD programme at a Department of Education in a research-intensive university based in the United Kingdom (UK). Thirteen students voluntarily participated in a semi-structured interview. The interview transcripts were analysed following Van Manen’s (2016) explanations for conducting a thematic analysis. Contribution: The paper presents seven themes that illustrate the essential nature of doing a PhD online, answering the two questions: (1)What are the lived experiences of online PhD students? and (2) What are the particular aspects of the programme that structure the experiences? Findings: The characteristics of online PhD studies are multifaceted, including different elements of PhD education, part-time education, and online education. Those aspects interact and create a unique mode of educational experiences. In a more specific sense, the journey of an online PhD – from the moment of choosing to do a PhD online to the moment of earning a PhD – is guided by multiple, often conflicting, aspects of different doctoral education models such as the professional doctorate, the research doctorate, and the taught doctorate. The present study demonstrates that experiential meanings of doing a PhD online are constructed by the dynamic interplay between the following six elements: PhDness, onlineness, part-timeness, cohortness, practice-orientedness, and independence. Throughout the long journey, students become better practitioners and more independent researchers, engaging in multiple scholarly activities. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is essential to understand the unique characteristics and experiences of PhD students who choose to pursue a PhD in online programmes. Based on the understanding, online doctoral educators can provide adequate academic supports suitable for this particular group. The study findings highlight the importance of supporting students’ adjustment to a new learning environment at the beginning of the programme and their transition from Part 1 to Part 2. Recommendation for Researchers: It is crucial to develop a separate set of narratives about online PhD education. Common assumptions drawn from our existing knowledge about more conventional doctoral education are not readily applicable in this newly emerging online education setting. Impact on Society: It is important for online PhD students and potential ones in the planning stage to better understand the nature of doing a PhD online. Given the growing popularity of doctoral education, our findings based on the reflective narratives of thirteen online PhD students in this paper can support their informed decision and successful learning experiences. Future Research: A comparative study can more closely examine similarities and differences among diverse models of doctoral education to capture the uniqueness of online PhD programmes. It is worthwhile to investigate students’ experiences in online PhD programmes in disciplines other than education. A more longitudinal approach to following an entire journey of PhD students can be useful to develop a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of an online PhD. Some critical questions about students’ scholarly identity that emerged from the present study remain unanswered. A follow-up phenomenological research can focus on the existential meanings of being a scholar to this group of students.

show abstract