Janet BachmanCUR 532December 1, 2014Melinda Medina

This training program is for trainees with no previous experience necessary in online education.

Audience The audience will be 12 new asynchronous

instructors.

Current skill sets The participants are computer literate.

Current experience Some participants have taken an online course of

some kind.

The key skills the facilitator needs to be successful as a distance facilitator:

1. Ability to establish presence. 2. Create and maintain a learning community. 3. Develop and facilitate online courses

effectively.

The successful instructor also:

1. Gets to know his/her students. 2. Gets to know the mechanics of an online

course. 3. Is accessible and respond to student

inquiries in a timely manner. 4. Goes beyond the university requirement of

posting a brief, weekly announcement. 5. Provides substantive feedback and positive

critique. 6. Injects some fun into the classroom .

The trainees will identify 3 ways that they can help establish an online presence in the online classroom.

The trainees will identify 4 ways to create and maintain a sense of community in the online environment.

The trainees will identify 5 strategies for creating and facilitating effective online courses in the online course environment.

Trainees will discuss 2 ways in which the mentor relationship benefits the mentor and/or the mentee.

Trainees will share their favorite technology or media tool that engages and enhances student learning and discuss how it enhances learning in the online classroom.

Trainees will spend 1-2 hours experimenting with and learning one “new” collaborative technology tool and submit the results to the class discussion board.

Trainees will write 100 words in response to a prompt which portrays either cyber-bullying, inappropriate posts, or lack of participation or engagement to address this behavior.

Trainee successThe trainee will complete informal assessments at the end of each module, and at strategic points during each training module.

The trainees will demonstrate their knowledge through sample posts, journal reflections, tentative goals and objectives for their own projected online course, and a short informal assessment at the end of each module.

Each trainees will also be given a course evaluation. If each trainee notes that they have learned more about online facilitation and/or they are less anxious about online facilitating, that will be another measure of success.

Facilitator skills and instructional materials

The skills needed for effective distance learning facilitators:

-the skill to establish online presence -create and maintain an online learning community -develop and facilitate online courses effectively

Open and respectful communication and self-disclosure

Welcome messages and course information before the course begins

Post instructor introduction video and course navigation videos

Create an organized and easy to navigate site

Cont’d.

Distribute important information in the announcement forum

Establish expectations for how often the facilitator will check messages

Give timely feedback Share expertise with students

Cont’d.

Use students’ names Monitor student progress Problem solve with students

Post an introduction in the discussion board and also share your favorite movie or book.

In MyBinders or on another online journal source, discuss 3 ways an online instructor creates presence. Have you used any of these practices already?

Facilitator: Use group work Use open-ended questions on the

discussion board Require students to participate in

discussions

Students: Participate in online class discussions Read the posts of classmates Write thoughtful messages in response

In MyBinders or on another online journal source, describe 4 ways a sense of online community is promoted by either the facilitator or the student.

Use practices to engage the student. Welcome the student to contact the

facilitator if they need help. Use online materials that are organized and

pleasing. Post the schedule and due dates. Create clear objectives.

Create activities that reinforce objectives Create assignments that require students to

use higher order thinking skills Use a conversational style to communicate

with students while referencing learning materials

Use graphics that download easily

5 skills that every online educator should have:

1. Communication 2. Engagement 3. Classroom management 4. Feedback 5. Mentorship

Skills to create effective distance learning: 1. The instructor posts course requirements. 2. The instructor establishes a learning community. 3. The instructor requires students to respond to content discussion

questions. 4. The instructor responds to student postings. 5. The instructor gives feedback in a timely manner. 6. The instructor develops learning activities that encourage interaction

between student and instructor, student and content, and student with student.

7. The instructor gives assessments soon after the learning activity has taken place.

8. The instructor gives assessments that reflect the needs of the individual learner.

9. The instructor documents student achievement and provides formal and informal feedback.

10. The instructor provides a rubric for grading. 11. The instructor provides opportunities for students to give feedback.

A good strategy to help facilitators learn these skills is Experiential Learning:Learn, Do, Reflect.

Teacher as learner Teacher as adopter Teacher as co-learner Teacher as re-affirmer or rejector Teacher as leader

Connectivism Activity theory Transactional distance theory Transformative learning theory

What is engagement?

Engagement is the extent to which a student in a course is interested, curious, attentive, optimistic and passionate during learning, which motivates the student to learn and achieve.

Get to know the students Become familiar with the mechanics of an

online course Be available and also respond to students

within an appropriate time frame Post more than the weekly announcement Give substantive feedback and positive

critique Create some fun in the class

Intellectual engagement Emotional engagement Behavioral engagement Physical engagement

Using MyBinders or another online journal, identify 5 strategies for creating and facilitating effective online courses in the online course environment.

Post any questions that you have about this module in the discussion area or in a private message to the instructor.

Management and technology tools

1. Provide orientation to online faculty 2. Provide training and development 3. Retain faculty 4. Reduce professional isolation 5. Provide support and feedback on

performance 6. Help mentees achieve greater levels of

confidence in teaching

1. Match one or more experienced online faculty with a beginner for the length of the program for support and advice.

2. Provide vision for technology use 3. Individualize technology support 4. Break down hierarchal structure 5. Establish open dialogue and collaborative

relationships 6. Provide mutual benefits for mentors and

mentees 7. Emphasize the creation of a learning

community

More experienced online instructor, usually older.

Must have taught at least one online class successfully.

New facilitators can work in a group to mentor each other, but it is not as effective.

Challenges 1. Online and distance education courses are mostly

taught by adjunct instructors. What is the evaluation policy of the university for part-time faculty?

2. Are instructors properly trained and prepared to teach at a distance using technology?

3. Regarding student evaluations, has the dean or chairperson outlined rewards and evaluation expectations for facilitators teaching distance courses?

4. The effectiveness of the course can be hampered or enhanced by technology or by the skill of the facilitator. Is the effectiveness of the technology being assessed at the same time as the effectiveness of the facilitator?

1. Communication and community building

2. Training and mentoring 3. Faculty support

Mentors may act as evaluators. Student evaluations of the online instructor

may be taken into consideration. Administrators may know little about what

an online facilitator actually does.

LMS- learning management system CMS-course management system

Present information, such as lectures or videos-LMS

Conduct class discussions- LMS, CMS

Conduct private discussions- LMS

Receive assignments - LMS

Provide assignment feedback and grades - LMS

Audio – Podcasts http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education

/grammar/words-that-arent-words Video –YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvJuzE-

g7OM Visuals and infographics – Piktochart https://magic.piktochart.com/output/3413835

-faculty-development-models

In the online discussion area, discuss 2 ways in which the mentor relationship benefits the mentor and/or the mentee. Respond to one post of another classmate.

Also in the discussion area, trainees will share their favorite technology or media tool that engages and enhances student learning and discuss how it enhances learning in the online classroom. If you like, post a link to a project made with that tool. Respond to one post of another classmate.

Issues and classroom management

Glogster

Voicethread

Audioboom

Cultural

Experiential

Non-traditional

Asynchronous – allows learners the same information without having to be in the classroom at the same time as the teacher or other students, can’t perceive visual or auditory cues of students, no travel costs

Synchronous – learners and teachers must be present, immediate feedback, pace is set by slowest learner, travel is expensive, easier to collaborate

Digital divide

Non-users

Delayed use

Messages

Comments

Audio

Cyber bullying Inappropriate posts Lack of participation or engagement

Trainees will spend 1-2 hours experimenting with and learning one “new” collaborative technology tool and submit the results to the class discussion board. Respond to one post of another classmate

Trainees will write 100 words in response to a prompt which portrays either cyber-bullying, inappropriate posts, or lack of participation or engagement to address this behavior. Post in discussion board. Respond to 2 other classmates.

Audioboom. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://audioboom.com/about/education.

DeCesare J. User Uploads and YouTube One Channels for Teaching, Learning, and Research. Library Technology Reports[serial online]. February 2014;50(2):12-20. Available from: Professional Development Collection, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 22, 2014.

Glogster. (2014). Retrieved from http://edu.glogster.com/. Got skills? 5 abilities every online facilitator should

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Haythornthwaite, C. (2011). E-learning theory and practice. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Jones, R. C. (2014). Keeping students engaged in the online classroom. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/keeping-students-engaged-in-the-online-classroom/

Junk, V., Deringer, N., & Junk, W. (2011). Techniques to engage the online learner. Research in Higher Education Journal, 10, 1-15. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/847386660?accountid=45

Kelly, R. (2013, March). Managing controversy in the online classroom. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/managing-controversy-in-the-online-classroom/

Malamed, C. (2014). Using podcasts for learning -Updated. Retrieved from http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/podcasts-for-elearning/

Nontraditional undergraduates: Definitions and data. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/97578e.asp

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2011). The excellent online instructor: Strategies for professional development. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Piktochart. (2014). Retrieved from http://piktochart.com/ Schneider, K. (n.d.). Choosing a global theory for distance

education. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/boisestate.edu/edtechtheories/choosing-a-global-theory-for-distance-education.

Slatinsky, D. (2013). Synchronous or asynchronous? How to pick your training delivery method. Retrieved from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1197/synchronous-or-asynchronous-how-to-pick-your-training-delivery-method

The glossary of education reform: Student engagement. (2014). Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/student-engagement/