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My UniSpace: applying e-mentoring to language learning

My UniSpace: applying e-mentoring to language learning
My UniSpace: applying e-mentoring to language learning
This article discusses My UniSpace, an innovative project which involves undergraduate students in a British university mentoring online pupils aged 14–18 who are studying languages. The project was funded by Routes into Languages, an initiative aimed at increasing take-up in modern languages. My UniSpace offers pupils (mentees) the opportunity to develop their skills in the target language and to receive support in preparing for their language examinations by working with university student mentors, whilst at the same time allowing them to find out more about higher education. It also seeks to give the mentors themselves the chance to develop their own communication skills, which might enhance their future employability. The article outlines the advantages of e-mentoring for widening participation in languages and how My UniSpace was set up. It then evaluates its effectiveness after its second year of operation in the light of feedback from the participants and by considering the documented exchanges that took place. Finally, it considers lessons that might be learnt to ensure that e-mentoring relationships in languages have a high chance of being successful.
0957-1736
313-328
McCall, Ian Douglas
92bf8f12-27ab-4746-80f0-12c9704aa457
McCall, Ian Douglas
92bf8f12-27ab-4746-80f0-12c9704aa457

McCall, Ian Douglas (2011) My UniSpace: applying e-mentoring to language learning. Language Learning Journal, 39 (3), 313-328. (doi:10.1080/09571736.2010.538950).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This article discusses My UniSpace, an innovative project which involves undergraduate students in a British university mentoring online pupils aged 14–18 who are studying languages. The project was funded by Routes into Languages, an initiative aimed at increasing take-up in modern languages. My UniSpace offers pupils (mentees) the opportunity to develop their skills in the target language and to receive support in preparing for their language examinations by working with university student mentors, whilst at the same time allowing them to find out more about higher education. It also seeks to give the mentors themselves the chance to develop their own communication skills, which might enhance their future employability. The article outlines the advantages of e-mentoring for widening participation in languages and how My UniSpace was set up. It then evaluates its effectiveness after its second year of operation in the light of feedback from the participants and by considering the documented exchanges that took place. Finally, it considers lessons that might be learnt to ensure that e-mentoring relationships in languages have a high chance of being successful.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 21 October 2011
Published date: 2011
Organisations: Modern Languages

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 201563
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/201563
ISSN: 0957-1736
PURE UUID: 805bbd1c-2ea0-41c4-92ca-071417e5e08e

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Date deposited: 31 Oct 2011 14:44
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 04:22

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