Benefits And Drawbacks Of Mentoring And Online Learning

Typically, classroom-based learning comes to mind when thinking about how someone might participate in CPD to expand their knowledge. But with the increased use of technology and creative learning methods, there are now many opportunities for people to participate in CPD. Everyone may learn and advance their talents in a variety of methods, both for personal and professional objectives. Coaching, mentorship, workshops, remote learning, guided reading, secondments, on-the-job training, and many more types of learning are examples of this. However, there will always be benefits and drawbacks to any technique of learning, depending on things like personal learning preferences, levels of motivation, the subject matter being learned, and the accuracy of the knowledge being conveyed. Mentoring and online learning will be the two learning strategies that will be examined. Mentoring, according to Manchester Metropolitan University (2019), includes the idea of a person with specialized expertise assisting others in the development of their own talents. It is a partnership with the aim of boosting confidence and giving them the chance to direct the growth of their workplace. According to Manchester Metropolitan University (2019), mentoring differs significantly from training, teaching, and coaching, and the mentor need not have a particular teaching credential or one that attests to their expertise in the sector.

Utilizing mentoring to support an employee’s development in the workplace has several benefits. To make sure that learning is occurring with a clear direction, a mentor must be able to listen to their protégée and offer pertinent, open-ended questions. The ability to learn while doing the work is one of the main benefits of mentorship. They are not required to participate in outside training, which may be expensive in terms of time and money and may not be as useful to the organization as on-the-job training. Gaille (2016) asserts that mentoring at work is very beneficial since it promotes consistency. According to Gaille (2016), a productive workplace must be constant for production to be foreseeable and managed. This is especially important when integrating new employees since it might take a while for them to develop their skills to the level needed for consistency. This can possibly create disruption. Therefore, in this regard, mentoring a new employee may greatly shorten this period when done well since the person learns the information and experience necessary to do their responsibilities as anticipated by paying attention to their mentors’ instructions. Additionally, Gaille (2016) made the argument that businesses have unique practices and vocabulary that may not make sense to new hires. To ensure that communication is unaffected, a mentor who has been part of this system for a considerable amount of time may work with the employee to clarify the terminology. A new employee’s first few weeks on the job might be frightening, particularly if they don’t comprehend the language or terminology being utilized. As a result, the mentor may not only assist the mentee become more effective, but also more confident and happy. However, a mentor must be careful not to mentor in a manner that causes the protégé to rely on them. This alone might lead to issues later on since the protégée can lose their capacity for autonomous work and struggle to operate without their mentor’s help and guidance. Because some employees are dependent on others, this might raise the mentor’s stress levels due to the extra pressure, as well as have a detrimental impact on the productivity of the business.

The capacity to establish solid connections is essential to the mentoring process since a significant portion of mentoring is the ability to do so. When employed successfully, mentoring may build a highly successful support network. Reddy (2016) provided an example of how important it is for a mentor and their mentee to have a mutually trusted connection and must set shared objectives for the duration of the mentoring relationship. In this regard, the purpose of this procedure must be questioned if they are not genuinely on the same page with what they want to achieve. As a result, there are advantages and disadvantages to employing mentoring as a means of professional development. Learning may benefit greatly from a mentor’s ability to create a relationship where both sides feel valued and respected and are able to agree on objectives. The mentor may be of great assistance to the mentor in the first stages and can help to make their participation in this program fun, interesting, and gratifying. This, however, assumes that the selected mentor really wants the position and will give it their all throughout the process. It must also be taken into account that if a mentor is pushed into the role, the employee can feel pressured, like a bother, not want to ask questions, or feel like a burden, and may feel overall extremely negatively and unhappy about the experience. The mentor should ideally be replaced whenever it is feasible, but in a smaller organization, this may not always be possible. This is a highly unfavorable aspect of this style of learning. Reddy (2016) emphasized the risk involved in employing mentoring as a learning strategy since there is a high likelihood that dissatisfaction may arise from both parties. For instance, if the mentee is a slow learner, a mentor who lacks patience may get impatient with them. On the other hand, a mentee who is eager to learn rapidly and get active in the business but may have a bored or distracted mentor may also impede growth since the mentee may feel that their mentor is holding them back. Both of these scenarios would hinder the development of a strong bond and a mentoring relationship that is beneficial to learning. Additionally, the quality of the learning experience depends on the mentor who is offering it. The mentee will probably have a very pleasant experience and learn a lot of information and confidence via this process if the mentor is enthusiastic, educated, and patient. However, there is always a chance that a mentor may not genuinely possess accurate and up-to-date information, which would then be transmitted to the employee, who may then create inaccurate and antiquated practices. Unquestionably, a mentoring program may be a highly effective learning tool if it is well handled, but it does depend on having a competent mentor.

In Guided Learning, the second kind of learning will be examined. Generally speaking, guided learning refers to a learning program where you may study from home with the help of online activities and guidance rather than physically going to the learning center. There are several benefits to this kind of instruction. For instance, The Cambridge University Press (2020) provided the example that it may cost £30,000 to study a full-time MBA for one year in face-to-face settings. However, three years of distance learning might cost as much as £16,795. This is a big advantage of distant learning since it makes education less “elitist” and makes it easier for those who want to study to pay for the tuition. The price of face-to-face learning may drastically reduce the number of people who can afford it.

The Scholarship Position Team (2014) said that there are several advantages to distant learning that would enhance students’ wellness. This involves time and energy being greatly maintained and augmented via distance learning. Since the student won’t have to worry about getting to the center or being on time, their anxiety and stress levels may decrease. If it can truly improve a person’s wellness while they are learning and make the whole process delightful rather than unpleasant, it is a big advantage in and of itself. The freedom that distant learning offers the student is yet another very good aspect of it. With the flexibility of juggling a family, a work, and a typically hectic schedule, this technique enables the student to study and get credentials in order to improve. A highly valuable life and career skill to learn is the ability to properly handle a variety of life’s responsibilities while studying. This requires time management, personal drive, and the capacity to set priorities. abilities that are all conducive to a successful job. Distance learning, although potentially very effective for certain individuals, may be quite challenging for those who lack the self-discipline and motivation to finish their studies without outside pressure. If students struggle to remain motivated on their own in these conditions, face-to-face, classroom-based education may be the preferable alternative. Similar to this, some students may appreciate and gain from the physical engagement that classroom-based learning encourages, where they may benefit socially from their classmates and the tutor. As a result, some students who desire this relationship could be even less motivated to participate in remote learning because they feel too alone. However, classroom-based learning may be impractical for certain individuals, leaving those who are eager to learn without a way to further their knowledge. For instance, although remote learning enables access to learning anywhere in the globe, certain regions may not be conducive to the development of specific skills. As a result, people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and locations may grow on an equal footing with those who can afford to attend or live close to an educational institution. However, despite the fact that distant learning has many advantages, certain abilities cannot be learned using this approach, such as practical basic tasks that need hands-on practice. Additionally, for occupations that need strong communication skills, practicing social interactions via distance learning is more challenging than it is in class activities.

As a learning strategy, mentorship and remote learning may both be very successful; yet, they also have certain drawbacks. As long as they have a skilled mentor, the learner may acquire important experience and confidence through this strategy. Mentoring is a fantastic way to completely participate inside an organization. This, however, greatly relies on the mentor’s caliber; a bad mentor might do more harm by giving the mentee a bad experience with minimal production. However, this is a fantastic approach to get practical knowledge and thoroughly comprehend a new organization. In a similar vein, remote learning has the potential to be far more accessible and inclusive for individuals who cannot afford or attend traditional education. It is a great approach for people to manage a busy lift with their studies while they are working and gaining certificates. This approach won’t, however, work for everyone since you need to be self-motivated and able to prioritize your life around your studies. Not everyone will be able to do this since some individuals would need a lot of support to reach their objectives via in-person instruction. Additionally, depending on what is being learned, this technique may not be acceptable at all. For instance, a nurse who exclusively participates in remote learning would not be deemed competent in an industry where a practical skill is necessary, such as the ability to do blood tests. Therefore, learning techniques are useful as long as they are suitable for the learner and the task being studied. It is possible for the strategy to be very successful if it is the right fit for that individual and expertise. However, learning will be hindered if this is not a good fit.