WISP PILOT E-MENTORING PROGRAM


Summary of Findings
Comments from Protègès | Comments from Mentors
Comments on Unique Aspects of E-Mentoring

In Spring of 1997, the Women in Science Project completed a two year pilot electronic mentoring program.


WISP's e-mentoring program (EMP) paired undergraduate and graduate women in science, math, and engineering with industrial scientists and engineers using electronic mail as the primary means of communicating and building a relationship. Through relationships with their mentors, student protègès became acquainted with opportunities in technical and industrial careers, were given access to professional networks and received personal and professional guidance, support and encouragement.

Dartmouth College chose to develop an industrial electronic mentoring program because women students, currently under- represented in the fields of physical and quantitative sciences and particularly in engineering, can benefit from having more experienced mentors who help them make the connection between their classroom studies and the world of work. Mentoring is often restricted to participants whose workplace locations and time commitments permit face-to-face involvement. The mentors most available to women on rural college campuses are those in the academic profession, but many students eventually seek employment in business and industry. The expansion of electronic communications capacity and the increasing prevalence of e-mail usage on college campuses and industrial workplaces diminishes the previous limitations of time and location and opens up new mentoring possibilities.

Summary of Findings


Findings from the evaluation suggested that protègès and mentors found their tele-mentoring relationships to be a valuable, viable and personally rewarding experience:

Value of the e-mentoring program: Protègè perspective
About 75% of the protègès rated the value of having a mentor through the program as somewhat high to very high. Most protègès indicated that the EMP provided them with an increased understanding of the professional and personal rewards of careers in industry, as well as some of the challenges and difficulties of industrial careers. A number of protègès also indicated that they gained an increased understanding of strategies to overcome challenges to women pursuing careers in science. Most protègès indicated that the EMP had increased their interest to continue taking science-related courses in college and in choosing a major in science. Similarly high numbers of protègès indicated that the program had increased their interest to pursue graduate studies in science and a science/math/engineering career in industry.

Value of the e-mentoring program: Mentor perspective
Mentors described personal and professional benefits of serving as an e-mentor. Professional benefits included networking with experienced and newly emerging colleagues, supporting job recruitment, networking with women professionals, attracting a new talented pool of young people into the field, and becoming conversant with the young people soon to join the work force. Mentors also mentioned their own personal development which included acquiring broader perspectives, having an opportunity for self-reflection, and fostering particular mentoring, management and communication skills.

Distinctive qualities of electronic mentoring:
Protègès and mentors saw electronic communication as an ideal medium for quick, convenient and easy communication with a partner, enabling interaction between members in different time zones across the country, and around the world. A number of participants spoke to specific advantages of electronic communication: the written form allowed protègès to express themselves more thoughtfully, or to feel less intimidation in speaking boldly, and there was value seen in having a written trace of correspondence. EMP participants also described some limitations of electronic telecommunications for mentoring: e-mail could be impersonal; asynchrony of communication made difficult the more natural flow of conversation and exchange of ideas possible with face-to-face or phone conversations; spontaneous open discussion, guiding a conversation, or correcting a misinterpreted question or comment, was more challenging.

Recommendations for program improvement:
Participants recommended that e-mail be supplemented with in-person visits over meals and to a mentor's workplace, and occasional phone calls. A number of mentors also recommended that video-conferencing technology, and other technology-based group forums such as user groups and web-sites be considered as additional forms of communication, to enable some virtual "face-to-face" conversations, and group discussions and gatherings.

Program satisfaction:
The vast majority of both protègès and mentors expressed a desire to continue communicating with their partner beyond the current EMP period, and to participate in the program once again next year.

 

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Comments on the E-Mentoring Program


Comments from Protègès
"I think no matter how many brochures, articles, etc. that you may read, there's no substitution for talking to an actual person who's going through the experience. Plus, having a mentor meant that I could get very personalized input that would be relevant to me."

"I thought this was a really great program. Due to a particular set of rare occurrences this past term I would say that M. was instrumental in keeping alive my interest in chemistry as a career (rather than turning to medicine or some other field of science), by dispelling a number of myths in regards to the lifestyle and safety of such a career."

"It definitely gave me the assurance that there are women who made the choice to enter industry who are happy with the decision and are successful in what they are doing....with this program, I was able to talk about ways to approach my education that will be beneficial in an industry career."

"I found it encouraging to know that I am not destined to a life behind a microscope -- that there were other things out there in the science field that I could do which allowed me the sort of freedom and creative initiative I value."

"Being on campus is not a necessity ..., as long as they have regular access to e-mail. I almost didn't participate in the program because I was going to be in South Korea for winter term, but as it turned out we had a good stream of correspondence going across the Pacific and my experiences there added to the quality of our dialogue."

"I found this program extremely valuable. It was very interesting to me to speak with a professional woman about her life and experience in a field which I am very interested in entering. I feel like I have a much better idea of what I would be stepping into as an industrial chemist than I did before my participation in the program."

 

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Comments from Mentors on E-Mentoring Program:
"I enjoyed communicating with my protègè and learning about her. It was rewarding to develop a relationship with a female engineering major who is still involved directly with academia and finding out what college life is like in 1997."

"Most rewarding for me was just getting in touch with a young student, finding out what makes her tick, and learning of the issues on her mind. Also, I enjoyed answering her questions. On a selfish note, I have two daughters and I wanted an idea of the kinds of issues they may face."

"T. was going through an experience that was very similar to one I had in grad school so to be able to be someone she could talk to was rewarding because I knew how I felt at the time... "

"It feels good to share little pearls of wisdom that I may have come by the hard way...."

"L. wasn't as self-confident as she might have been going after an internship-type of job. I told her all she needed to do was show the interviewer that she could learn whatever was necessary. The next week, she got the first job applied for and was very proud. (So was I!)"

"I felt that it was a good chance to get in touch with the next wave of talent coming out of college..."

"... it gave me a greater appreciation for the types of information {new college grads} need in helping to chose a career path."

"Having to describe what you do helps you reflect on why you think it's important and fun. I also found it helpful in thinking about the qualities I was looking for in new employees in my company."

"Watching/helping others allows me to see where I have been. It helps me to reflect on my past to better design my future."

"One's ability to develop others is something my company rates us on, this opportunity helps my ability to do that."

 

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Comments on Distinctive Qualities of Electronic Mentoring
E-mail is great as a medium because it allows quick and effective communication between people who are rarely available." (Protègè)

"I don't have to worry if I have an urge to "talk" to her at 3 a.m." (Protègè)

"For remote locations, such as Dartmouth, it enables the students to be exposed to a broader range of individuals." (Mentor)

"The communication can happen when you have time and cheaply from anywhere in the world. My protègè this year was in South Korea when we started the relationship and we were still able to communicate using e- mail. Trying to coordinate schedules over the telephone with such a time difference would have been daunting." (Mentor)

"You can answer when you want, and your replies can be more considered than in a phone conversation or a face-to-face." (Mentor)

"I was able to think clearly before asking and stuttering on the phone or in person. I could write and rephrase my questions, in order to get the response/answer that I was looking for. Through e-mail, I feel no intimidation. I felt that I could be more up front ... and slowly ask my questions after we established a relationship. There was no hesitation." (Protègè)

"You can always go back and read what your mentor has said, which is often reassuring." (Protègè)

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