The Influence of Technology on Mentoring Relationships and Programs

The 2010 Summer Institute focused on the use of technology in mentoring. Find out how rapid changes in communication technology over the last 10–20 years are altering the context in which mentoring takes place and the mechanisms that drive mentoring relationships.

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2010 Research Fellows

Thomas Keller, Ph.D., Director of the Summer Institute

The Duncan and Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth, and Families with an Emphasis on Mentoring in the School of Social Work at Portland State University. He is also Director of the PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research. Professor Keller studies the development and influence of mentoring relationships in school and community settings and the role of parent involvement in mentoring interventions. Prior to earning his Ph.D., he worked for several years with a Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in Seattle as a caseworker, supervisor, and program director.

Michael Karcher, Ph.D., Ed.D.

Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at University of Texas-San Antonio. He is an expert on cross-age peer mentoring in schools and has created online trainings for high school mentors. He recently completed “Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE),” a randomized control design evaluation of school-based mentoring in conjunction with Communities in Schools. Professor Karcher is the author of numerous articles on mentoring in school settings, and he is co-editor of the landmark Handbook of Youth Mentoring.

Susan Murphy, Ph.D

Professor and Director of Strategic Leadership Studies at James Madison University in Virginia. The School of Strategic Studies focuses on leadership theory and applications for educational and nonprofit administrators. Professor Murphy has examined the role of mentoring in career development, leadership in youth organizations, e-mentoring in the workplace, and the effect of culture and of mentor and mentee characteristics on relationship quality. With colleague Ellen Ensher, she published a book in 2005 entitled Power mentoring: How successful mentors and protégés get the most out of their relationships.

Kevin O’Neill, Ph.D.

Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in Canada, where he directs the Online Learning Relationships Lab. His research focuses on uses of the internet to enhance K-12 education. He has numerous publications on knowledge-building communities and curriculum-based telementoring programs, in which adult volunteers work with small teams of students for extended periods on ambitious classroom investigations. Professor O’Neill is also the creator of the Telementoring Orchestrator software program designed to support online mentoring.

Jean Rhodes, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts—Boston. Professor Rhodes is a pioneering scholar in the field of youth mentoring. She has published dozens of articles and chapters on youth mentoring relationships, use of research in mentoring programs, and ethics in mentoring. She is author of the seminal book entitled Stand by me: The risks and rewards of mentoring today’s youth. Professor Rhodes chairs the Research and Policy Council and writes the popular Research Corner for MENTOR:National Mentoring Partnership. Professor Rhodes has been named a WT Grant Scholar, WT Grant Distinguished Fellow, Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and Fellow of the Society for Research and Community Action.

Carmit-Noa Shpigelman, Ph.D.

Lecturer in the Department of Education at Western Galilee College in Isreal. Her research focuses on e-mentoring, particularly for youth with disabilities. She is interested in how computer-mediated communication can serve as a tool for development of interpersonal communication skills as well as online support and online employment opportunities. Her research has been published in journals such as CyberPsychology & Behavior, International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, and Computers in Human Behavior.

Peg Boyle Single, Ph.D.

Formerly Research Associate Professor in the Department of Education at University of Vermont, is now an independent consultant. At the University of Vermont, she was Director of the Faculty Mentoring Program. Dr. Single is an expert on e-mentoring, e-training, and electronic communities and has numerous publications on how these approaches can be used to promote academic success. She conducted evaluation research on MentorNet, a novel mentoring network supporting diversity in science and engineering. Dr. Single is also a writing coach and author of the recent book entitled Demystifying dissertation writing: A streamlined approach from choice of topic to final text.