Peer electronic mentoring for transition into university: a theoretical review

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The European Space for Higher Education and the calls for lifelong learning highlight the responsibility universities have to facilitate their students´ access and success, and places career guidance (especially in the early transition phase) as a central element of institutional quality. While doing this, it is important to promote community development as part of the integration of each student in the higher education system, so peer mentoring initiatives have become widely adopted across European universities. In this context, information and communication technologies can help to reduce isolation and distance between students, facilitating student collaboration, creating community feelings among students and making it possible to European universities. In this context, information and communication technologies can help to reduce isolation and distance between students, facilitating student collaboration, creating community feelings among students and making it possible to create new guidance programmes that improve access, support and guidance to students. In the confluence of three main areas of research and practice (transition to university, student guidance through peer mentoring, and computer mediated communication (CMC), this paper proposes peer electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) as a new guidance alternative to facilitate student transition to university. Therefore, we review the scarce literature existing in the area, gathering theoretical reviews, anecdotal experiences and programme results, and finally we propose questions for future research.