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Three primary strategies exist for e-mentoring/e-coaching. The two most straightforward
approaches are to simply move coaching and mentoring to the Internet or
to blend traditional mentoring/coaching with e-mentoring/e-coaching. The third
strategy is to use e-mentoring/e-coaching to support instrumental (tactical) learning,
such as assigning a coach or a mentor to help someone who has just completed
an online course. Arguably, supporting instrumental learning is not really mentoring
or coaching but, as discussed earlier, there are no fixed definitions.
e-Mentoring and e-Coaching Straight Up
The most obvious strategy is to move the relationship from the physical world of
face-to-face meetings and dialog to the virtual world of Internet-based exchanges
and dialog. The challenge of implementing formal e-mentoring/e-coaching should
not be underestimated. As with a traditional program, there must be clear goals and
senior management buy-in to get support and help in promoting the program, and a
means of program evaluation.
In best practices documented by Single and Muller (n.d.) of MentorNet, they
identify the structured implementation as “the most important, and overlooked,
elements of a mentoring program. Structured implementation includes the training,
coaching, and community building tasks that help participants make the most of the
e-mentoring experience.” In addition, e-mentoring/e-coaching programs require reliable
and supported infrastructure and technology such as e-mail, instant messaging,
threaded discussions, and other applications.
Structured e-mentoring/e-coaching programs can be voluntary or mandatory, but
in either case there must be incentives to motivate both mentor and proteges. While
incentives are part of traditional programs, they deserve extra attention in virtual programs,
where it is easier to lose interest because there is no physical connection. There
is also the added requirement of making sure that technical frustrations do not create
obstacles. If protegees or mentors are technically challenged using e-mail or they
are frustrated by websites that are not reliable, these challenges will consume energy
and time that should be spent on the mentoring experience.
The role of the instructional designer or program manager in implementing online
mentoring and coaching is significant. Despite the ubiquitous nature of e-mail,
instant messaging chat, and the use of other technology for communication, participants
must be oriented. Part of running a program is preparing participants to assume
their roles, to understand the goals and non-goals of the program, and to
recognize boundaries. The task of matching mentors and proteges is a larger responsibly
for e-mentor/e-coaching program coordinators than for traditional program
coordinators. Selecting and matching virtual pairs has an added dimension of
challenge because the program administrator may not know the parties. The greatest
effort in these programs is related to the organizational and interpersonal issues.
Blended e-Mentoring and e-Coaching
Blended mentoring and coaching is likely to happen in traditional programs, even
if it is not formally organized. Mentors and proteges skilled in using online tools
will naturally gravitate to this mode of communication. There are a number of tactics
for blending face-to-face and virtual mentoring/coaching. In a model recom-
mended by the Australian Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and
Managers (n.d.) there is heavy reliance on e-mail for administering the program
and as the primary contact mode for mentors and proteges, but it is assumed there
will be face-to-face meetings.
e-Coaching for Instrumental Learning
One of the popular value-added services from commercial WBT course library
providers is to make an e-coach (sometimes called online mentor or e-mentor) available
to learners. These programs provide learners with someone to answer questions
about the course content or the mechanics of the WBT program. The coaching takes
place via e-mail, online chat, or application sharing.
These relationships are not “mentoring” or “coaching,” as discussed above, but
they do share some attributes. The relationship has very clear goals and expectations.
One of the key differences is that the mentor/coach does not have an exclusive relationship
with the learner. In instrumental coaching there is a generic e-mail address,
instant message name, or chat room for the learner to contact. A coach is
available 24/7 but may not be the same person all the time. The interactions have
more of the flavor of JIT assistance than a personal relationship.
Metacognitive e-Coaching
There is yet another form of e-coaching that does not conform to the definition of
traditional coaching—metacognitive e-coaching. This strategy is to provide the
learner with coaching or support for learning how to learn online. This kind of
coaching is needed in both behaviorist and constructivist programs.
Learners who are either new to online learning or are new to constructivist strategies
benefit from being coached in how to learn in these new environments. This is
the gray area between technical support and help with learning. This is where students
need to learn the skill for approaching an online course the way they have
learned the skills for approaching traditional classroom courses, such as how to take
notes, engage in classroom discussions, navigate a textbook, or create an outline.
These are learning skills, not necessarily skills related to a specific course.
Metacognitive e-coaching is frequently found in higher education distance education
degree programs. Online degree programs fund roles that are dedicated to
supporting learners and coaching them to succeed.
Research done at Glenrothes College, Scotland, found that when using e-mail as
part of online instruction learners needed clear guidelines such as the minimum
number of e-mails to send during one week and acceptable online behavior and
what constitutes an acceptable response for peer critique response (MacKinlay, 2000).
Even programs that are considered “page-turners” benefit from coaching learners
in how to get the most out of the program. In some cases it may be a simple welcome
message, periodic check-ins, and feedback on performance. These coaching activities
help learners build confidence and the skills needed to succeed.
When learners are exposed to constructivist instructional designs, such as problem-
based, inquiry-based role play, and case-based learning, the instructor also needs
to play the role of coach. Ron Oliver (2001) suggests “the role of the teacher . . . be
defined as that of a coach and facilitator in place of the more didactic style often assumed.
In contemporary settings, this form of learning support is called scaffolding
in recognition of the way in which it helps to build knowledge and is then removed
as the knowledge construction occurs” (p. 206). Learners unfamiliar with constructivist
learning in the traditional world benefit from coaching that helps them assume
an active role as learners and helps them make use of the resources available to them.
Upward e-Coaching
Upward e-coaching puts a new spin on coaching. In this strategy, younger workers
who are technology savvy are part of a reverse coaching program. In this program
e-coaches help more senior colleagues learn to navigate the Internet, coaching them
on searching and using new applications. These junior staffers assist senior management
in better understanding the potential of the new technologies and how
these technologies are viewed and used by members of a generation that has grown
up with the Web. The advantage of using the Internet in this kind of coaching is that
tools such as instant messaging and application sharing allow coaches and students
to share fast, short, and just-in-time questions and support.
John Joseph (2001), a Wharton Fellow in eBusiness, describes such a program at
the General Electric Company. In the GE program, senior business leaders receive a
coach drawn from a pool of younger talent within the company. Joseph reports, “GE
chief executive Jack Welch ordered over 600 of his top managers, ranging in age from
30 to 60, to seek out young Internet-savvy professionals in the company and become
their students.” What might surprise some readers is that even Jack Welch has an
e-mentor. | 
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