Ron Rojas

Other shoes on the shoe-rack?

The facilitator roles characterized by the shoes (Instructor, Social director, Program manager and Technical advisor) offer a vivid image of how fluid we should be in the online environment. The idea of looking at my feet while dealing with an online student and noticing that my shoes don’t match (left shoe different than the right shoe) makes me smile and not feel uncomfortable at all. Being able to multi-role is one of the most challenging aspects— I think— of the online environment and the hallmark of a proficient facilitator. In fact, there are other roles that seem to emerge, such as that of a therapist. Student frustrations from previous courses, overloads because of late work, personal or professional worries that start interfering with the learning process, and self-doubts are some of the situations that bring learning to a stand-still. So in order to jump start the learning process again, I find myself wearing another set of shoes, those of a therapist. Once students feel better and overcome the effects of these personal situations, then I’m ready to go back to my main shoes (Instructor, Social director, Program manager and Technical advisor). Although I don’t wear therapist shoes all the time, I know where they are along with some other pairs used less frequently. What matters to me is being able to continue recognizing the need for multiple roles (or shoes, should I say) and the ability to sustain the best possible learning environment. So “if the shoe fits… wear it!”