Facilitation Week Reflection

Online facilitation was not too much different from facilitating in a classroom environment, although the tools may be different. In the beginning stages of this class, I must admit that I was unsure of the expectations and what was involved in online facilitation. This was especially daunting since student facilitation was to begin in the first few weeks of class but as I read the requirements in the syllabus, everything became apparent.

  
A effective  facilitator, whether online or in a traditional learning environment, weaves in the above items as part of his or her facilitation to maximize the learning session. One of my initial apprehensions was the fact that  I was unfamiliar with WIMBA from a moderator's point of view and  unfamiliar with Blackboard Collaborate in all aspects. I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of having to learn the functionality  and also be able to effectively weave in course concepts that may be new.

Synchronous Session

In synchronous sessions, facilitators must have at a minimum, a basic understanding of the concepts to be presented. This can be a challenge, especially if the concepts are new and unfamiliar. Facilitators must also conduct research to gain a knowledge outside course materials to supplement the sessions. It has been my experience that any questions related to course subject matter can and will be asked by participants. As such, facilitators must take the initiative and conduct independent research in anticipation of  such questions to be able to respond intelligently. To prepare for the synchronous session, I looked at other information to supplement the presentation. Additional information always makes it more interesting since participants may learn something new. I was also able to prepare by collaborating with my co-facilitator to divide up the content.

As far as the synchronous session was concerned, I was not surprised by input from the participants but I was pleasantly elated to know that the software was not that difficult to navigate.  Additionally, I have seen synchronous facilitation in the business world with similar software so my perspective did not change.

Asynchronous Sesssion

As far as responding to student posts, I was not sure what questions would be asked and how I would respond. Also, I wondered if there was something I missed that students would have a question about. The great thing about asynchronous sessions is that I had the chance to think about and reflect on my answers without the pressure of providing instant feedback. If there was something I was unsure about, I had the opportunity of time on my side. The challenge with the asynchronous sessions was to keep abreast of all the different posts to provide prompt feedback, one of the holy grails of online facilitation.

Overall, I believe both sessions were fairly successful.