HP's E-Mail Mentor Program Provides
Rewards For Students, Educators And Mentors

What could a sixth-grade student and a professional engineer possibly have in common? With Hewlett-Packard Company's E-mail Mentor Program, students and industry professionals, working side by side with educators, get the opportunity to learn together as part of the students' overall academic studies. Today, more than 1,500 e-mail mentor relationships have been formed between HP employees worldwide and students in 246 schools across the United States. These mentors typically invest about 30 minutes a week corresponding with students -- asking questions, exchanging ideas and suggesting different Web sites for report research.

The program, which was developed in 1995, helps students who struggle with specific subjects, such as math and science, in an effort to help them develop academically.

In its first two years, the program has had many successes. A fifth-grade teacher, for example, recognized that one of her students seemed to lack motivation to learn. In response, she linked him to an HP mentor via e-mail, and the two corresponded with one another for a half-hour each week, working together on a report assignment. As part of the mentor-mentee exchange, the student experienced a new sense of importance in his schoolwork as he learned to navigate the Internet. The result? This fifth grader triumphantly earned an A+ on his report. In addition, he is now considered an "e-mail expert" and serves as a mentor to the fourth-grade class, teaching them how to use e-mail.

Creating One-on-one Relationships
HP's E-mail Mentor Program was developed when HP software engineer David Neils began enlisting fellow HP employees to volunteer their time with students via e-mail. This program creates one-on-one relationships between HP employees, educators and fifth- through 12th-grade students. Through regular e-mail correspondence, HP employees help motivate students to excel in math and science and improve their communication and problem-solving skills.

To participate in this program, teachers must integrate the use of the mentors into their curricula. For example, a sixth-grade teacher from Hillsborough, Calif., asked her students to work with their mentors to identify a female or minority mathematician and to learn about the specific type of math that he/she specializes in. Through extensive correspondence with their mentors, these students developed an understanding of sophisticated mathematical disciplines -- some of which went beyond areas familiar to the instructors themselves. One student from this classroom said that having a mentor made her think about all of the possible things she could do with her life and that she valued the mentor relationship highly.

Once the relationship is established, the curriculum integration component of the program fosters a natural discussion between mentor and student revolving around math and science. Mentors help students answer questions about science projects, math equations and any other interests that may emerge. Often, mentors provide students with universal resource locations (URLs) for various Web sites to help them with research. Students are empowered to take charge of their own learning as they gather information in a new and interesting way. As a result, they become more familiar with using the Internet and quickly improve their research skills.

Building Communication Skills
Typically, most mentor/student relationships begin with an exchange of e-mails enabling the student and mentor to get to know one another.

Since this may be the first time a student has ever used e-mail, the benefits of this program as a language-arts tool are immediate. Quickly, students realize that this HP professional is truly interested in what they have to say, and, in many cases, this "real audience" encourages students to take more responsibility for their education. For example, many students ask their teachers to check their e-mail for spelling and grammar mistakes. These are good habits for any student to develop, especially for those in the program who are learning English as a second language.

Through these exchanges with industry professionals, students develop a concept of education that goes far beyond the traditional classroom. Seeing how math and science are used at HP every day strengthens the students sense of relevance of these subjects to their academic careers and the professional world. Exposure to new people and places through e-mail correspondence and Web research fosters an awareness of educational resources and career opportunities that exist around the globe.

For students in remote areas of the country, these discoveries can change their perception of what life and their future holds for them. For example, a female high-school student in Palmer, Alaska, was interested in medical research, but felt limited by her remote location and the lack of scientists in her area. Through correspondence with her mentor, she is now developing a research topic, making connections through e-mail with scientists who are interested in her specific area of research and applying for a scholarship that may enable her to do this research.

Linking Industry and Education
The HP E-mail Mentor Program provides a valuable link between industry and education. In addition to the many benefits for students and mentors, teachers also benefit by discussing with mentors new ways in which they can make their curricula more relevant to current issues in the professional world. This program also provides teachers with a means for transforming e-mail, an existing, accessible technology, into a valuable tool that links students to the richness of resources that exist in the world around them.

Mentors and teachers also experience many benefits as a result of involvement with the HP E-mail Mentor Program. Since the program requires, on average, only 30 minutes per week of a mentor's time, is not restricted by time zones or geographical barriers and can be completed successfully without leaving the HP site, a wide range of HP employees from around the world are able to participate. Mentors feel a sense of personal reward from helping students excel academically and personally, and they develop a better understanding and appreciation of the educational needs of today's students.

Educators who would like information on how to enroll in the 1997/1998 E-mail Mentor Program should visit the program Web site at http://mentor.external.hp.com.

The HP E-mail Mentor Program is one component of HP's effort to assist students and educators in the academic community. Information about HP education programs for colleges and universities can be found at www.hp.com/info/college_lab.

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