Learning Contract submitted time to think about Applied Practice teaching activities.

My learning contract has been submitted and I have found the focus for my ABPOT.   To provide you all with an idea behind my project I wanted to share the rational I wrote an element of my submitted learning contract. My ABPOT project will look at the introduction of a Buddy scheme a scheme, which will not only facilitate collaborative learning between cohorts, but provided newer cohorts with additional pastoral support, support which is usually provided by a personal development tutor.  
According to Palloff, 2003 students are becoming more involved in supporting their learning in an online community of learners.  In turn this encourages students to form social bonds that as they deepen will motivate the learner to establish an identity within the group through active participations and contributions to the collective knowledge of the group.


I decided that even before I dive into creating a proposal, which will outline a buddy scheme to both BOE faculty and its cohorts  it was clear that I needed to take a step back , to reflect on the following questions: 

• What is peer support/mentoring ?
• How can this be used effectively online?  
• What are the benefits of online peer support/mentoring?

With this in mind I have take the time to search for any information on the  topic of peer mentoring and  I have stumbled across an array us useful indicative literature The task in hand is to engross myself in the following literature and introduce this topic to those on the MSc BOE: 

•   Developing Online Peer-to-peer Mentoring Programs for Distance  Degree Programs
• Online Peer review- An Alternative  to face to face
•  Peer Support/Peer, Provided Services, Underlying Processes, Benefits, and Critical Ingredient

As the days past this list of literature will grow and I will and I am going to take the time to share the highlights of my research, before I share this with you shortly in a live environment.


My next post will deal with the following themes: 

• Peer Mentoring and consider the questions a posed above 
• Introducing the theme of Online Peer Mentoring

Resources 
Palloff, R.M. and Pratt, K. (2003), The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners, Jossey-Bass, San Franscico, CA