Digital Academic Revolution Mentorship Competency

Faculty at Cal Poly recently completed an important pedagogical research study focused on using Screen Coaching as a primary tool in mentorship. As a result of the research, Martin Mehl (Sr. Lecturer, Communications Studies) and Dr. Luanne Fose (CTLT, Lead Instructional Designer) were officially recognized at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) “Innovate/HBCU Affordable Learning Summit” in New Orleans, LA with the “2017 Effective Practice Award” for their Digital Mentorship Competency (DMC) Pedagogy.

A key goal of the research was “integrating effective digital mentorship through screencasting assessment to optimize knowledge-transfer and learner (professional) preparedness”. The study was conducted with approximately 2500 students and 22 faculty participating.

“When the right people make the right tool to support the right mission”

Key to this research was using screencasting by both teacher and student (“student turned mentor and mentor turned student”) in the mentorship process. ScreenPal was chosen by the researchers as it met all 7 of their core evaluation criteria and was the “…best fit, for the least complex, most robust and cost-effective tool that would cater to the widest audience possible…”

The digital mentorship communication competency pedagogy is unprecedented in the education field with a sequencing effect serving as both faculty skills development and student learning outcome enhancement. Key findings regarding effectiveness and impact include:

• Data revealed a 5-10% course grade elevation in total grade distribution
• Faculty grading reduction time ranging from 30-70%
• 100% methodology retention post initial exposure

The digital mentorship paradigm with screen coaching works…hear directly from the mentorship-change agents at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) who are already on board:

“We reduced the student to faculty ratio to one-on-one, making the transition from information byproduct (upload, download & overload) to information literacy (guidance, digestion and distribution through mentorship competency in training, coaching and leadership).”

Though the research was conducted with faculty at Cal Poly, the research team feels the findings apply equally to K-12 and professional learning.

The team has published a six-article series through the Online Learning Consortium, Center for Research in Digital Learning & Leadership:

Digital Academic Revolution Mentorship Competency – Publications

1. The Declaration: Mentoring the Process of Learning with Screencast Assessment – Plugging into Students’ Digital DNA a Decade Later.
2. The Conversation: Transformative Teamwork in a Learn by Doing Approach – Student Turned Mentor & Mentor Turned Student; Viewing Instructional Design & Pedagogy as a Holistic Unit.
3. The Process: Mentorship – Recruitment, Refinement and Transfer. Online Learning Consortium, Center for Research in Digital Learning & Leadership.
4. The Technology: Vision-Driven Instead of Vendor-Pushed Solutions – When the Right People Make the Right Tool to Support the Right Mission.
5. The Analysis: Learning from our Metadata. Online Learning Consortium, Center for Research in Digital Learning & Leadership.
6. The Instruction Manual: Capturing, Coaching & Creating the Learner of the 21st Century