Michigan Virtual

Category: Mentoring

The Digital Backpack - Your Resource For Online Learning

Just the essentials: What mentors of online students want and need from professional learning

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Research indicates that online learners perform better when they have strong onsite mentor support. But mentors need support, too. Drawing on survey responses, this blog examines mentors’ current practices, key challenges, and unmet needs—and what those insights mean for designing more effective professional learning.

Online Learning, Mentoring
FEB 06, 2026
Professor helping student during computer class

Mapping the Mentorship Landscape: Insights on Mentoring in Different School Settings

Kelly Cuccolo

This blog is based on a larger report from Michigan Virtual and explores the experiences of mentors working in different school settings. It additionally includes potential options for supporting mentors in their efforts to assist students in their online learning courses.

Research, Online Learning, Mentoring
SEP 28, 2023
Online Learning, Mentoring
JUL 06, 2020
Illustration of two minds connected

What Does Research Say About Mentoring Online Students?

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

There exists an ever growing body of research on mentoring online students. In this article we seek to answer the question: What does this research tell us about mentoring K-12 online students?

Research, Mentoring
MAR 27, 2020
illustration of desk strewn with books and online learning devices

Why Mentors Matter: A Conversation with Jered Borup

Michigan Virtual Logo Michigan Virtual

Why are on-site mentors so important for online students? In this article, Jered Borup, a digital learning researcher and professor at George Mason University dives into research that supports the critical role that mentors play in highly successful online learning programs.

Research, Mentoring
JAN 17, 2020
Man Training Woman On Computer In Office

Revisiting Mentor Voices

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

In 2017 and 2018, the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute published a series of blog posts written by Michigan Virtual’s Regional Mentor Leaders to bring to life what mentors do to build and maintain a supportive online learning environment to help students be successful. We thought it worthwhile to revisit these posts and again hear firsthand what mentors had to say about the work they actually do day to day and what it means to them.

Mentoring
DEC 23, 2019
illustration of arrows pointing to the right

Mentoring as Personalized Learning

Justin Bruno

The mentors of K-12 online learners wear many hats and serve as a critical pillar of support for their students. What is less commonly recognized is how mentors act as stewards of personalized learning for their online students. The constant pulse-checking mentors do with their students allows them to work with an online teacher to customize instruction and support based on their students’ needs.

Mentoring
NOV 18, 2019
person using a laptop with question marks

Strategies for Mentoring Online Students

Debbie Lynch

In this month's Mentor Forum, we hear from Debbie Lynch, our Outreach Coordinator for Mentors about the important role that mentors play in online learning and some strategies for connecting with and supporting online students.

Mentoring
OCT 15, 2019
Ripe Apples in Orchard ready for harvesting

Rural Virtual Learning

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

This is the fifth in a series of blog posts written by Michigan Virtual's Regional Mentor Leaders to bring to life what mentors do to build and maintain a supportive online learner environment to help students be successful. If you are a mentor and would like to share a strategy, a success story, or another topic that illustrates how you support students, please email mvlri@michiganvirtual.org.

Research, Mentoring
APR 16, 2018