Contrast

Mentors make a difference

In the State of Michigan, schools are required to provide an on-site mentor for every student who chooses to take an online course. Why? Because mentors provide critical support to online learners. By developing a face-to-face connection, keeping students on schedule, and providing guidance and support, mentors make online courses less overwhelming and more manageable for students.

Michigan's online students need more support

If we’re going to improve the pass rate for online students in the state of Michigan, we’re going to need to work together to provide online students with more support.

Our state’s mentors are doing the best they can to support their online students. Despite filling this critical need, local mentors often lack training, a professional community, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Here at Michigan Virtual, we’re ready to improve our state’s pass rate for all online learners (regardless of provider) by empowering Michigan mentors with free resources & professional development opportunities.

What are best practices for mentoring online students?

Find out in our free guide, Mentor Guide to Online Learning

You're not alone…

Being the only mentor (or even one of a handful of mentors) for online learners at your school can be an isolating experience. When you’re the only one (or one of a few) in your position, it can be difficult to define your responsibilities and figure out what exactly you’re supposed to be doing to help your online students succeed.

In our experience, we’ve found that mentors need more opportunities for community building and professional development as it relates to the unique but critical role they play in their schools. That’s why we’re offering Michigan mentors opportunities to connect with one another and share best practices.

Ready to boost the success rates of your online students?

Get started building a highly effective mentoring program at your school with our webinar Boost the Success Rate of Your Online Learners

Resources

Below you will find a variety of free and low-cost resources & professional development opportunities designed to build community among and empower Michigan mentors to support online learners with research-based best practices.

Many of our resources are designed for all mentors (regardless of online learning provider), but we also have a selection of resources designed specifically for the mentors of Michigan Virtual students.

For Michigan Virtual Mentors

Affiliation Presentation

SLP Quick Start Guide for Mentors

Michigan Virtual Policies

Mentor Presentation

SLP & Brightspace How-To Articles

Extension Policy

Brightspace Presentation

Mentor Checklist

Michigan Virtual Mentor Community

The Mentor's Corner

For All Mentors (regardless of provider)

Downloadable Mentor Guide

Mentor Meetups

Free Review of Your K-12 Online Program

Michigan's Online Learning Law (21f)

Count Day Webinar

Online Mentor Community

Additional resources for mentors

Blog Articles on Mentoring

Want to learn more about best practices for mentoring online learners? Check out our series of blog articles on mentoring written by experienced mentors and K-12 researchers!

Research

Artificial Intelligence in Education: A comprehensive AI framework and resources