Yes! "Guiding on the side" or as you refer to "mentoring" is an important component to online teaching. We need to move away from thinking of material as a lecture that we are providing students. In addition, today's students come exposed to so many things that I find it makes each course I teach different and interesting--that has to br brought out more. It helps us teach students by building on what they already know to achieve course requirements.

I agree. The course has helped me give names to areas that before were murky and now I will pay special attention to student types of participation and projecting my presense even more.