Mentoring and Reverse Mentoring in P5bl

Understanding the goals and constraints of other disciplines are key to working well in cross-disciplinary Problem-, Project-, Product-, Process-, People-Based Learning (PBL) teams. Education environments rarely offer learners opportunities to participate in authentic cross-disciplinary PBL experiences. This paper reports on the role of mentoring in cross-disciplinary learning in Stanford University's PBL program. It addresses Architecture/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) industry’s needs to broaden the competence of engineering students to exercise the acquired theoretical knowledge and understand the role of the discipline-specific knowledge in a multi-disciplinary PBL environment. In PBL undergraduate and graduate students play the roles of apprentice and journeyman, and faculty and industry practitioners play the role of "master builders" and mentors. An analysis of mentoring opportunities is presented within a situated perspective on learning, exploring theoretical constructs and practical implications of the development of communities of practice that reach beyond the university walls. The study presents an analysis of mentoring techniques in scaffolding students' cross disciplinary design process, as well as a description of students' rolls in scaffolding mentors understanding of cutting edge collaboration technologies in A/E/C. The paper discusses implications for the design of PBL environments and processes and implications for university and industry relationships.