In part one of the facilitation course, I actually learned how to create an audio introduction. It had not occurred to me that audio introductions were even possible in this way and it propelled me to constantly think of ways to deliver content outside the box in an untraditional way, while effectively meeting objectives in an interesting manner. The software was surprisingly easy to use for me.
Next, I was surprised that part of the learning in this course will be hands-on. Specifically, each student will take a lesson to facilitate to the rest of the class. While I think learning by doing is an excellent way to drive home course concepts and grasp them, use of the technology made me somewhat nervous. The good thing about it is that students have a choice between using Wimba and Blackboard Collaborate as a tool. This lets us know that there is more than one tool available to support online instruction and we should learn to tape into those resources.
Facilitating online means that instructors have to manage discussions to reach students to ensure that they have grasped course content. An instructor can achieve that by designing course content that is interesting. Some ways to do that are to utilize multimedia and social networks as support tools and ensure that links are live so that students can access them. Social networks are online communities where students and instructors can share ideas and experiences. For example, a student can follow a mentor using Twitter as a resource. Another dynamic to manage facilitation is to offer feedback and grades in a timely manner, and when students have questions, communication should be frequent. A start page can connect social sites that students and instructors choose to use in one place. Managing student interaction (nettiquette) is important as well since electronic communication is in and of itself another language and conflict can ensue.
In online instruction, I learned that the role of the instructor changes from the top-down model to a student-centered model. This increases student learning because instructors cater to different learning styles of students and also realize that student learning encompasses their own particular experiences. To that end, there are four (4) basic roles of an online instructor: Pedagogical, Managerial, Social and Technical. How well an instructor masters these skills will make the difference between a competent instructor and an exemplary one (of course there can also be incompetent category as well).
Technology
Technology is a big part in the online environment and from my experience, there is a learning curve with learning and using technology and I will have to spend a fair amount of time becoming adept at using it. For the instructor, technology also involves creating digital content, course design and setting up communication sessions (collaborative, synchronous, and asynchronous). The following link demonstrates some strategies that can be used in an online class:
Pedagogy
An instructor must be able to communicate to reach students and be able to assess (measure) learning and grasp of course concepts. This is where the technical role meets the facilitation role. Frequent feedback and open communication can serve to achieve this objective.
Managerial
Another skill of an exemplary instructor is the ability to manage online conflict, motivate students to learn, and time management since so much information will be presented.
Social
The social role intersects with the pedagogical role in that instructors must be knowledge builders and be able to meet students within their specific learning styles. This builds on the constructivism theory of online instruction and means that all objectives must be geared toward student-centered learning.
I am looking forward to learning more about the dynamics of online facilitation and would like to understand how it differs from the traditional classroom setting.
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