We are a social animal. We care what others think about us. But we don't care what computers think. So there is also a role for humans in mentoring systems.

We are a social animal. We care what others think about us. But we don't care what computers think. So there is also a role for humans in mentoring systems. Software can remind us and track whether we've met our objectives. It can do the boring, repetitive work. But the interactions really only mean something if your mentor is in the loop. He or she might be asking you a question. Or maybe its the software, with the mentor having only approved the question and seeing the response. This blended system could greatly reduce the effort involved in mentoring someone. And if everybody knows its the software asking repetitive questions (Is this done yet?), the mentor doesn't come off as a nag either.