Evaluating the Impact of Online Mentoring Sessions on Student Engagement

Abstract

Asynchronous learning offers flexibility but often struggles to maintain high levels of student engagement, particularly among first-year undergraduates. This study examines the impact of online mentoring sessions on student engagement in an asynchronous course delivered to first-semester students enrolled in the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) programme at the University of Moratuwa. The BIT programme, conducted in the open and distance mode, does not provide synchronous live lectures for any of the modules. However, the students have often shown interest in getting more assistance with live interactions. Taking the increasing student concerns into consideration, an online mentoring session was proposed. An instructor would conduct a 1.5 hour online synchronous session for each module starting from the first semester. Instructors were selected based on their specialization on the module content. From the logistics perspective, this introduced additional burden on the resource persons who are already loaded with work. The need for an evaluation of the effectiveness of the newly introduced programme was identified. In that regard, a mixed-methods approach was employed, combining LMS activity data with student surveys and feedback. The intends to provide insight on the effects on student engagement following the introduction of online mentoring, particularly in areas such as student view content in around the first three weeks. The delivery of mentoring sessions provides insights of student engagement: enhancing comprehension, confidence, and inclusivity. The study underscores the potential of culturally and linguistically responsive online mentoring to improve student engagement in asynchronous learning environments, particularly in diverse educational contexts. The preliminary results indicate that students with access to the online mentoring program exhibited higher engagement, with an increase in the number of content views and interactions. Specifically, the presence of a mentor led to an approximate 5% increase in student engagement, suggesting that personalized support positively influences students’ interaction with course materials. The findings highlight the importance of mentorship in enhancing student participation in online learning environments.