Nate,
You are correct, and again, you are the representative of the university or college that the student has primary contact.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sherrilyn,
You are right! Isolation is both you and the student's enemy! Students need to feel a part of something.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Suzanne,
Yes, the hats do change based on the course and the class. Even in online courses, classes of students have different personalities and you must adjust to that!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jan,
You are right, it is so important that the bridge building starts with the instructor. You must model the positive aspects of communication to set the tone for the whole course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Leigh,
Yes, you are the point of contact for EVERYTHING! You are also the representative of the university. The students have no office to go to they have you!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Douglas,
I agree and that makes you a good teacher in any environment!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Ron,
You make a great point. I have some conflicts regarding flexibility. You have to be able to "live" with what you allow students to do. The one think you must do is be consistent with all of the students. "If you are going to be unfair, be equally unfair"
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Christi,
You are right! You set the tone for communication and you have to be an expert in content and technology!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It is important that the online facilitator wear four pairs of shoes because the facilitator is responsible for guiding the learning of the students. The facilitator should act as the subject matter expert. The facilitator sets the tone for how learning should occur.
Because the student is dependent on them for guidance and they are usually the first one they go to if they have any questions or need any help.
That is why its important to provide students with content options beyond the Course Management System. I provide my students with both my mobile phone number and I encourage them to text me if they need course help. This is important as there are times they will not have access to the course or even a computer but most have mobile phones with text messaging options. I find these options make them far more comfortable with taking courses online.
I think this is important because you never know what the students need. The more prepared you are the easier it will be to help them succeed in the course and in life.
Today's instructors must wear many different pairs of shoes to be successful. The instructor must play the role of the teacher, imparting important information; IT expert, to help students navigate through unfamiliar tools; counselor, assisting students in making strategic decisions about class and their programs as a whole; cheerleader, providing encouragement and empowering students when they flag; and parent, providing corrective discipline in the form of assessment when students do not meet expectations for any given task.
Nothing is one dimensional including the role of an educator. Therefore, to provide the best on-line course offering the instructor has to be informed on all aspects of teaching.
It is important to meet the needs of students. With class size capped at 35, this can be hard.
While four pairs of shoes are critical to success in the online environment, I find that they apply to all environments, even when you can see the student. Having a good concept of these different aspects creates the most successful pattern for interacting with students.
Susan
Definitely Michael- we must wear multiple hats! and since we cannot see our students face to face, there are some "extras" we must consider.
As an on-line facilitator, one must be ready for anything. On line instructors need to be able to facilitate the class, work out technical issues, be the social example, etc. For new students especially, the instructor has to set the tone, and be able to make the students feel comfortable with their new environemnt. This takes an array of responsibilities for the instructor. The instructor has been there done that, hopefully, and is ready or should be ready to assist in a variety of ways.
Do to the fact that the instructor is the person with whom the student has the most contact with, it is important that the online facilitator play more than one role. They must be first and foremost a facilitator. However, they also must be the social director, administrator and IT person.
This is all to ensure that the student process is smooth and that they are not isolated from the classroom.
Yes, I do, however, the circumstances will dictate which pair is appropriate depending on the circumstances. The online environment is dynamic in nature and the composite of students in a course can also affect the need for the style of facilitation and mentoring.
Suzanne
Many students in an online environment often feel they are isolated and alone. A facilitator is the one person who can build a bridge with the students so that they will be able to socialize and collaborate with the other students.
Communication is more tricky in an online environment as the facilatator and students do not have the benefit to utilize non-verbal communication. Therefore, the instruction and feedback from the facilitator must be clear and positive so the students can be self motivated to explore the content and solve the problem on their own and among themselves.
