Mentoring teaching skills in higher education within the context of open distance learning (ODL)

Abstract

To sustain and develop teaching skills relevant to a contextualised ODL environment, a college at the University of South Africa (Unisa) embarked on a formal mentoring programme. The focus of the programme was to mentor newcomers in appropriate teaching skills. The mentors were experienced academics who will be retiring from the system over the next decade. The aim of the research was to investigate which ODL-related teaching skills are ideally conveyed through formal mentoring. A mixed-method research approach was followed, employing document study and individual e-interviewing. It was found that due to a student corps with diverse characteristics and needs, the emphasis remained on preparing mentees for tuition via print media, while incorporating technology to arrange for constructive learning through interactive communication. Major teaching skills to be mentored related to presenting quality study material in the proper register for reader understanding, providing constructive feedback on evaluated assignments and employing myUnisa (a web-based learning system) to facilitate learning. The study contributes to a refining of the discourse on mentoring for constructive ODL teaching.