Online mentoring of dissertations: the role of structure and support

Abstract

This study focused on the mentoring experiences of 10 faculty members during the dissertation stage of two online professional doctoral programs. Interview data provided insight into the strategies used by the professors in the areas of virtual communication, research design and dissertation development, and psychosocial support, and the challenges they faced during the online mentoring of dissertations. The findings emphasize the importance of structure and scaffolds both in research education and in interactions in the online environment, due to the absence of opportunities for research apprenticeship and on-campus mentoring.