Facilatator should be able or willing to adjust from student need, for example, some student may need instructors to answer their question, or teachers, student may need a councilor, or a student may need a guidance from the course. I believe the facilatator should able to be all of them.
Eric,
To a point yes. I do think that strong distance programs do provide technical help. I also know that some distance programs do limit the control a facilitator has regarding content and delivery.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Greetings.
The course facilitator is the manager of his or her course. Thus, this person is the first to know if there is a technical issue within the course. Or if a student needs help with his or her assignments. The online facilitator is the Captain of his or her (ship) course.
Best, Eric Freeman
Penelope,
Great point. Yes, you have to be librarian and sometime career counselor. It surely isn't boring!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Amy,
You make a great point. I would propose that we probably have more shoes and that some shoes we wear more than others because we like doing that or we are good at it. Students typically are diverse and they don't know how their learning "fits" in the online environment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Well it could be four pairs of shoes or four hats but it's all the same. An online facilitator needs to be the guide through the course but also be a shoulder to lean on when students are going through tough times. Online facilitators also need to have some degree of IT knowledge so they can guide students through technical issues of the mild nature. Many times I play the Librarian as I guide students through the many helpful sections of the library. We are basically the first help desk that students will contact with any issue and we must be able to help them or guide them to where they will get the help they need.
Why do you feel it is important for an online facilitator to wear four "pairs of shoes"?
Because we need to meet the needs of students. I would argue it's important for F2F instructors do wear the same four "pairs of shoes" at relatively different levels of importance. Online instructors need four really "hard working" pairs of shoes because we lack the benefit of body language and, most of the time, tone of voice. Plus, we typically will have a more diverse group of students in terms of age, location, and higher learning experience. Therefore we have to be a jack of all trades and use a plethora of learning strategies in order to best meet the needs of all these different students we can't see or hear. Whew!
gene ,
Good point! Sometimes we are more comfortable in one pair of shoes than another but all are important to complete the "look". :)
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
i like having 4 pairs of shoes that remind me to focus on the students & encourage good communication & community & guide them through the process to become successful with the learning outcomes. the shoes are somewhat different in design & style but i need to wear them all each week, so the heels will not wear out on just one pair: four pairs last much longer than just one pair & it's more fun.
Jacqueline,
What a great analogy. You really do understand the role of the facilitators.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I am going to use an example that I think most can relate to. It is like working in a restaurant. If you do not juggle everything, the restaurant will fall apart. You have to communicate with the customers(just like you need communication with students), help construct dishes (building the course), clean (grading), and managed issues that arise during service (tech issues/student questions/social issues). If you let one thing go or not give it your attention, the problems can start to build up.
Perry ,
These are great points. It is important you know what is going on with the students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Perry ,
Good post. It is important to realize there are several skills needed to facilitate an online course. I also think that is really true for a f2f course, we just seem to be more comfortable in those roles.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sabrina,
True, I think that is why it is so important that instructors have some type of experience in an online course. You have to put yourself in the students shoes. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lois,
I think faculty members instructing online classes have a primary responsibility to monitor activity in courses routinely to be certain that course operates well and that students are fine with completing tasks assigned.
A good source is technical support for assistance, though I like to also include a document that details FAQs for possible issues or concerns if one is not included in the course template.
Sincerely, Perry Spann
Greetings!
I feel it is important for an online facilitator to wear four "pairs of shoes" in order to be certain to properly frame the information students will need to succeed in courses. The facilitators are to guide students, effectively, through learning in the class, and the shoes help to have consistency and substantial interaction and participation.
The shoes are part of building community to help learners complete tasks necessary to support the course objectives and to illustrate strategic learning through methodological means.
Sincerely, Perry Spann
The Learning Model of the Future of Online Learning will be based on providing a personal experience for the learner. The learner will have access at anytime to any resources available in any format chosen. This new model is not simply a new version of the traditional classroom model where learners are grouped by age, experience, knowledge base, assessment or structured position in a program or curriculum. It represents a revolutionary approach. The restrictive elements of the traditional model are time, matriculation and technology. It is dependent on the instructor who is responsible for assembling the materials to be learned.
Eman,
Great point. An instructor doesn't always get to choose their roles.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
An online instructor depends not only on his/her communication skills but also on the students’ communication skills. The facilitation of an effective environment leads students to achieve their learning outcomes which are the ultimate goal that a facilitator can accomplish. Thus, a successful online facilitator needs to play different roles; instructor, social director, program manager, and technical assistant.
Elizabeth,
True, you have to develop your teaching style to help that transition. Students will rise to the occasion.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
