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Published: 2018

Total Pages: 236

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This case study explored virtual mentoring as an instructional tool for an online professional development course for health information faculty. Embedded mentoring was a unique characteristic of the course. Mentors were assigned a participant whom they provided instructional delivery and mentoring support in absence of a course instructor. This exploratory study examined how faculty participants perceived the virtual mentoring, how they perceived their learning and how teaching presence was perceived within the course. The Community of Inquiry theory and associated framework guided this research. The theory implies that critical reflection and social discourse within a community, when guided by teaching presence results in collaborative thinking that supports higher order learning. The framework provides a constructivist model for the development and delivery of online courses. This individual case study examined one online course that used mentors to provide instruction and mentoring. The research involved observation of historical evaluative data sources from the asynchronous online professional development course. Qualitative analysis involved evaluative course documents that included free text assignments and surveys that contained Likert style response scales and open-ended responses. The data sources included two course activities, a standard course evaluation and a modified Community of Inquiry survey instrument. The findings illustrate that the virtual mentoring aspects of the professional development provided mentoring support, assisted in the acclimation to academia and contributed to learning. The course learning experience contributed to transformational learning and professional growth for participants that increased teaching. Participants identified that all indicators of cognitive, social and teaching presences were perceived in the course. The course was facilitated by voluntary mentors and was successful in delivering mentoring support, facilitation of learning, and teaching presence. This research contributes to a body of knowledge regarding virtual mentoring as an instructional tool to engage faculty participants in discipline specific learning. This study demonstrates a Community of Inquiry designed professional development course where health information faculty felt mentoring support, learned through the community, and reported cognitive, social and teaching presence within the course when mentoring support was provided in absence of an instructor. This study presents an alternative approach to professional development and mentoring in other areas of career and professional development contexts.