As facilitators, we wear every shoe out there. Because of our communication, structure, and organization, students begin to view us as more than just a facilitator. They trust us and feel comfortable with us and with that said, they want to open up to us for more than just their education.
That is so true in the online learning environment. The faculty member usually is the only person readily available and monitoring the course. I also provide the students with the name of the dean and other persons who may be able to assist them, just in case I am not readily available.
The instructor is usually the only person checking in on a course to ensure students have all they need to be successful. A program director or dean may "pop" in to check on a faculty member, but the one monitoring the day to day effectiveness of the course is the instructor. The instructor does need to wear many shoes or take on many roles in the on-line learning environment.
The instructor guides the students through the coursework and is available to answer questions and provide feedback. The instructor fosters a sense of learning community as the social director. An introduction thread allows students to learn a little about each other. I request that students address each other in the threads by name so that they continue to build community and get to know each other a bit more. Part of my rubric includes a substantive response to another student's post. As far as technical assistant, the faculty member should be well aware of the technology and course items, but they should also be able to guide students to other technical support provided by the college, especially what may be available on evenings and weekends when the instructor may not see a plea for help in the question and answer thread.
Ted,
You do make a great point as you may have to be a psychologist. You are the face of the university for many students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Edward,
I really appreciate how you wrote this. I agree you have a different relationship with the student based on the role you are playing. Very interesting. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Christopher,
You are correct, you have to use all your shoes to keep students engaged. Good answer.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The instructor does much more than simply instructor. The individual must serve as a guide through the course. Second, the instructor must be facilitator. Third, the instructor mus be the IT expert with technology. Finally, the instructor must be psychologist to the student with many issues.
Ted Framan
Well, as an Instructor the online students recognize the credibility of the Facilitator. He or she knows the ropes so to speak so there is an expectation of some order. As a social director the facilitator inpires interest a reason to live the course so to speak. As a program director there is a secure feeleing that there is a method to the maddness planned for making it throught the hoops. As a technical assistant the facilitator supports the creative input of the student allowing the student to be comfortable in the fascinating technical virtual learning environment.
Yes... especially in the asynchronous environment. It is the facillitators job to ensue the effective learning is taking place in the classroom. This is often only accomplished thru the fallitator wearing many hats. Each hat bring a unique skill to the classroom.
John,
Yes, you make a great point. You have to know your university 's resources and be able to push students to them. It does help your workload and provides students with the help they may need.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Juliet,
I love the word fluid. I do think an online course must be more fluid. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Thomas,
It does seem like much juggling is done; but the results are worth it!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Charlene,
What a great post. Yes, that social director may be the one job that separates the an online course with a correspondence course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Melissa,
True, what do you think is the hardest pair of shoes to wear?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Colleen,
You are right; you are the first line of defense regarding students and the institution. Great post
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Rashunda,
You make such great points. You are right; you should do the same no matter what delivery methods are used.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Greeting.
The facilitator has a whole array of actions they need to monitor and engage on.
The readings identified four.....instructor, social director, program manager and technical assistant. This
List could be expanded with the many subsets of skills and actions required.
Our role is to engage in a manner that will help our students through the process. We should be aware of the support tools and help provided by the university that we can refer students to.
This also requires us to maintain our level of skills required and stay engaged in all classes. This would include training such as CEE.
Be awesome.
John
Because each course is different, thus the use of technology varies. Each student has different strengths and weaknesses, and all of these variables causes the instructor to be open minded and fluid in assessing the needs of the course and student and giving each what is needed to encourage success.
Not only are the four "pair of shoes" important but we must continue to organize, manage and control the class. Not easy sometimes…
When I first review the “four pair of shoes†concept I agreed with every concept except the social director. Then I realized that the online environment can be a cold and dark place. Introduction (bios) can bring realness to the instructors and the students. This also allows for the student to discover some things they may have in common. This will enhance the ability to interact with each other and remove the “pulling teeth†feeling we may have while trying to communicate.
