Monique,
How do you perceive these roles?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It is like the saying"wearing many hats". An online facilitator has many responsibilities.
Michael,
You are right. It's definitely a combo, multi-tasking role as an online instructor. Thanks for your input.
The online facilitator must be willing to be the teacher, the IT expert, the course manager and the course writer.
Mark,
Interesting, I think it changes how we engage students when we go online. To keep the students engaged is the trick!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Without the face to face interaction with the student the facilitator has more "jobs" to manage and has to be more intuitive as to what is going on in the online classroom. The facilitator has to careful that the students do not get out of bounds in the course
Thank you Dr. Crews. I totally agree. Isn't it this way in life as a whole; communication is key.
Miriam,
Ah. . .if you have a TA, that's great. Many time, however, we do not and the instructor must facilitate effectively. Thanks for your input.
Miriam,
Communication, communication, communcation. . .and did I say communication. It is the key. Students much be proactive in their communication and the instructor must encourse and model good communication as well. Nice job.
TAs are very important as they can identify problem areas and students. Also TAs can take on students, who are experiencing difficulties and mentor them.
Yes, indeed. Without the appropriate communication of the content material and the means through which to accomplish the course goals, many students will not successfully master the course content.
Many times in a online course, student success depends on a professor who is nurturing and can guide the student to effectively practice appropriate learning practices.
Michelle,
You make a great point. The roles are all intertwined. Good point!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Why do you feel it is important for an online facilitator to wear four "pairs of shoes"?
“Online instructors/facilitators wear "four pairs of shoesâ€: instructor, social director, program manager, and technical assistant.â€
As online instructors I feel our primary purpose is to teach our students the course material. Within this role we also act as a guide. We have the privilege of leading students through the subject matter and we get to share our experience along the way.
Whether you are an on-ground instructor or online instructor, there are always going to be human interaction. Within any human interaction there is usually a social element that comes into play. In a virtual classroom, proper social etiquette or netiquette is vital. Students cannot see each other or the instructor, so they can hear sarcasm or see humorous gestures. It is very easy for a student to feel offended by another student even if that was not the intent. Our job as a social director is to show students how to properly and effectively engage one another. Students usually follow the instructor’s lead. If someone does “violate†the rules of netiquette, we can quickly step in.
Students will look to us not only as subject matter experts, but also as a “program guideâ€. Where is their next stop? Why did they have to take a certain course? How is the information they are learning going to help them once in the field? These questions are only a few examples of how we can fulfill the title of a program manager.
Lastly, is our role as a technical assistant. If a student is struggling with any of the following: using an e-book, receiving and sending emails, uploading assignments, entering synchronous platforms, navigating through the course, posting discussion board responses, etc., they are more than likely going to contact the instructor instead of tech support. The instructor has an established rapport with the student; therefore, the student will feel more comfortable if they need help. It is our job to understand and have a working knowledge of every aspect of the technology that the students utilize.
Mary,
Helping students understand the learning outcomes helps them figure out what they need to do and learn. Offering information in a variety of ways will help them become engaged in the learning process and overcome any roadblocks. Nice job.
Lynn,
Involving students to explain something in their own language is helpful. Everyone takes in information in different ways so providing information in a variety of ways is helpful. Nice job.
Patricia,
Facilitation is an important part of the online instructor's role. It's hard sometimes not to just give students information, but allow them to discover the information and then facilitate the discussion. Thanks!
It is important for the instructor to wear "four pair of shoes" or more importantly to have all the information necessary to guide the student as an online student.
Students lose interest quickly or become frustrated if the first person they go to cannot help them. This in turn interrupts learning for the student or sometimes the student gives up and quits.
Learning is what instructing is all about so we should provide help to students who have to overcome road blocks such as technology, misunderstandings and the like.
I might have to restate something I've said because the student didin't understand which I can "see" by the puzzled look on their face. Also, I might ask the student (by name) if they have any questions. There's not only one way that is correct. Sometimes another student will raise their hand and ask to explain the information to the "puzzled" student.
There are different aspects of teaching and in order to be a successful instructor you have to facilitate the students in the different roles so that they can be a successful learner.
Reginald,
Does this differ from the F2F? Just a thought. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
