The facilitator must be the instructor, social director, program manager, and technical assistant. Each of these roles holds importance. For example, the instructor must know the material they teaching. The more knowledgeable about the information the better the class will go. As the social director we are the means to keep interaction going from peer to peer and to the instructor. Online classes need interaction, after all communication is the key to success for the instructors and the students.
While a program manager knows what materials to place in the course. We would be responsible for making the assignments good learning tools. The last one, technical assistant is just as important. The instructor must know how to utilize each of the tools. If they do not understand them they will not be an effective instructor. As you see it takes all of the above to be an online instructor.
Hello,
An online facilitator must wear four "pairs of shows" because at the same time, she is Social Organizer, Administrator, Technical Support and Instructor.
Wearing 4 pairs of shoes is important in any environment. Technology has uped the anti, so to speak, because it lacks the personal f2f contact. That being said, a facilitator who is just technological will lose the student in need of being introduced to subject matter and people without faces. A progam director keeps communication without body language moving in a direction related to the class objectives. Being balanced in all 4 of these areas meets the needs of each individual learner.
the instructor has a role of manager and faciliator he/she has to be involved with each student and give them feed back and manage to make sure evry one is there and counted for
Do you lose the contact or is it just different? Thoughts?
I think that the answer is both. It is different and change takes time. For the older student you can lose contact because they become more frustrated with technology. I have experienced this student as needing more f2f time to adjust. If f2f time is not available more structured hours that the facilitator can spend with them might be helpful
Is that the only reason for role of manager and facilitator? what about accountability
The role of the online facilitator is multifaceted due to the challenges of an online environment. The facilitator must act as the instructor for the course insuring the material and resources are available to the student for them to be able to develop the understanding of the course objectives. The role of teacher is still essential and the students must have someone to explain and guide them through the individual learning tasks.
The online environment dictates a new sense of community needs to be developed. Students need to be encouraged to utilize new means of establishing peer and faculty relationships. If they are not active in the online environment a sense of belonging and ownership will be harder to develop. This will result in lower morale and decreased participation. Guiding communication through media such as blackboard and live chats are only part of the issue. Encouraging students to join clubs and attend virtual events helps bring a sense of belonging to the student.
The facilitator is responsible for ensuring the material is developed and available for the course and must have the skill necessary to navigate the students through the material in a manner that allows for timely feedback and reinforcement of the course objectives. The administrative functions need to be managed so the learning process does not get interfered with.
Virtual campuses require technology to be effective. The facilitator needs to be able to manage the technology, utilize it in an appropriate manner to increase productivity of learning, and be able to create similar skills in their students. The facilitator should strive for the students to be comfortable with the technology resources available to them and foster an attitude of the students desiring to expand on this knowledge and incorporate it into their lives outside the classroom. When a student can see benefits from learning how to use technology outside the classroom a stronger bond is established for developing and incorporating those skills.
You articulated your answer well!
In order for students to acheive their learning outcomes, online instructor should be competent, creative person and have administrative, manager's and social skills.
How does that compare to the "pairs of shoes" in the text?
Online facilitators are like being F2F facilitators. You need the 4 pairs of shoes to be successful in a teaching environment. All 4 roles are essential for a student to feel empowered and comfortable to learn. The 4 pairs of shoes is what makes the facilatator effective.
I don't understand your comment about online facilitators being like f2f facilitators. Why do you say that?
The online facilitator must be able to "reach" their students even though they are online.
What do you think is the most important role?
I believe all four pairs of shoes are essential for ensuring an engaging experience for the online student: instructor, social director, program manager, and technical assistant.
As instructors, we bring our individual strengths and weaknesses to the online environment. We need to recognize this and when the needs of our students are different from our strengths, we still need to be able to respond to and meet their needs. We can do this by taking training (like this one) to improve our understanding and increase the tools that we have to deal with these issues. We can also lean on our peers, getting help from them when we run across an issue that we have not seen before and are unsure how to handle. The important thing is responding to the student's needs so that they have an environment that helps them be successful in meeting their goals.
Good insights. Do you think there is more mentoring in face to face than online for educators?
I think that the students feel more comfortable talking to an instructor face to face. In the online world, the students do not physically see the facilitators and in my experience they are more hesitant to approach the facilitator in this manner.
An instructor has to be all things to the online student. Good communication is important for the student to feel he is in an active environment. I want the students to feel they are in school and not sitting at a computer in their home and surrounded by other distractions. The instructor needs to be the main resource when additional information or technical assistance is needed.
An instructor needs to monitor forum discussions as he would over hear a conversation to ensure there is a correct understanding of the information and provide feedback. An instructor should provide things to do besides read text like frequent quizzes that go along with the material they read or use study guides.etc.
True, what do you see is which role to you feel is your strength? Weakness?
