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Mentoring Online Courses

What is a mentor?

A Mentor is someone dedicated to helping other amateurs expand their knowledge and skill in Emergency Communications and other technical subjects important to the amateur community.

Mentors are also expected to keep themselves current with the course material as it is updated over time, but this doesn’t mean that you have to know every detail. When a student asks a question, you can look up the answer in your own course material or ask for assistance from other mentors to make sure you’re delivering the right answer. Teachers have known for years that the best way to learn something is to teach it. Mentoring is the next best thing since you get questions about the material you may never have thought about. Mentoring is sure to stretch your knowledge in ways you never expected.

FAQs

  • What does a CEP online course mentor do? -

    The ARRL’s online Continuing Education Program is made up of self-study courses. All of the necessary material and practice quizzes are included in each Learning Unit so students can get the information, test their knowledge, and get immediate feedback about how well they understand it. No self-study course is perfect though, so it’s necessary to have mentors available to help students go beyond the material and to clarify concepts, create perspective, and provide assistance where needed. True understanding is never the result of just reading and taking multiple choice test questions, so most courses include student activities that emphasize practical application of the knowledge they’ve gained. A computer cannot review student activities. A person, a mentor, needs to review what the student submits to determine if it really demonstrates understanding. Sometimes a very simple error or oversight in a submitted activity will become an obvious teaching point that helps the student learn more about what they are studying. Mentoring requires a commitment to spend some time every day so that you can be responsive to your students. As a general rule, when a student asks a question or submits an activity, the mentor should respond within 1-2 days so that the student gets feedback while the topic is still fresh in his or her mind. Mentors usually spend 15 minutes a day per student on average reviewing student questions and activities and following up on student progress. A small stipend helps to offset the cost of phone calls, equipment maintenance, or other expenses a mentor may have.

    Review our Resources for Online Mentors for more information on the mentor's role and responsibilities for supporting students in our online courses.

  • How do I become an online course Mentor? +

  • Special requirements to mentor Intro to EmComm (EC-001)+

  • Where do I find the Online Mentor Guide I need to read to prepare to be an online mentor?+

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