Facilitator Training Program

Penny L. ValentineOctober 3, 2016

CUR 532Garth Beerman

Welcome

Hi, my name is Penny L. Valentine and I will be your instructor for this online training program. I would like to welcome each and everyone of you to my class and I look forward to facilitating and sharing information to help you develop the skills that you need to teach others to be successful in the online environment.

This is a asynchronous training program that will be exclusively online for the course of three days. The training will be broken down into three parts over the course of the three day period.

I will be here to assist you in any way possible. It is my job to make sure that you get the information that you need to be successful. I will be monitoring your online progress several times during the day. If you should have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by email at plvalentine@cox.net or by phone at (225) 571-6224 between the hours of 9:00 am – 8:30 pm EST.

Training Program AudienceThis asynchronous program will be taught over the course of three days and was designed for new online facilitators that have never taught a traditional or online course.

Course Requirements Must be 24 years of age Must have a Bachelors degree No teaching experience is necessary Must have basic knowledge in the use of technology Learners must participate in online discussions Read and respond to their peers post

Training Program Goals

Key Skills that a facilitator needs to be successful as a distance facilitator.

Must be able to manage/motivate

their students

Must be able to develop and control an online classroom

Must be able to have an online

presence

Must be able to actively engage their

students

Must be able to develop an effective

online course

Must be able to communicate

effectively

This training will focus on all of the above while providing the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure that each distance facilitator will be successful.

Training Program ObjectivesProgram objectives

Learners will be able to provide constructive feedback

Learners will be introduced to different technologies

Learners will be able to actively engage their students

Learners will be able to have an online presence

Learners will be able to develop and maintain a learning community

Learners will better understand the concept of online learning

Learners will develop the skills necessary to be a online facilitator

Training AssessmentThe training program will use the following assessment;

Self Reflection

Discussion Questions

Quizzes

Surveys

Practice Stimulations

Learners will be given quizzes, practice stimulations and will have to do self-reflection on each module. Students will have to complete a end of course survey after each module.

Module 1

Day 1

Introduction

Skills needed for effective distance learning facilitatorsPlease read https://elearningindustry.com/top-5-online-learning-skills-online-instructors

Theories of distance learning

Theories foe engaging distance learners

Introduction

Assignment 1

Post an introduction/bio on the discussion board

Facilitator Skills and Instructional MaterialsSkills needed for the effective distance learning facilitators.

Positive Learning

Environment

Constructive Feedback

Online Presence

Effective Communication

Skills Needed for Effective Distance Learning FacilitatorsThere are several skills that an effective facilitator should have in order to be successful in the online environment. The two skills that stood out to me the most were; Effective Communication The Ability to Manage/Motivate Learners

Communication is key. In order to be an effective facilitator one must be able to communicate and interact with his or her class. It is the job of the instructor to guide discussions and ensure that students are understanding the materials presented to them. Communication is what makes the course interesting. Feedback is given by the instructor which helps enhance learning and sparks further discussion and class interaction. The instructor plays a major role in the communication process by asking and answering any questions that his or her students may have. According to Palloff and Pratt (2011), the excellent online instructor is always active and engaged throughout the course and makes time for their students.

Business skills tutorial: Effective communication | lynda.com

https://youtu.be/zMUSEYR80E8Please watch this video on Effective communication.

Once you have completed watching this video please logon to Lynda.com and find an additional video on effective communication that will help your peers better understand effective communication. Write down two important tips to share on the online discussion forum that will help your peers become better communicators.

Facilitator SkillsPlease answer the following questions and email to me at plvalentine@cox.net

1. How can an online instructor establish presence in the online community?2. What can an online instructor do to motivate his or her learners?3. Name one skill that is needed for an online instructor to communicate effectively?

Phases of Development for Distance Learning FacilitatorsThere are five phases of online faculty development; Visitor – Faculty who has some idea of technology integration in traditional courses

and who has posted a syllabus, assignment or used e-mail to complete an assignment

Novice – Faculty who has never taught or taken an online course but who has used some communications technologies to supplement face to face teaching

Apprentice – Faculty who has taught an online course for one or two terms. They have an understanding of the online environment

Insider – Faculty that has taught more than two terms and are comfortable with the online environment

Master – Faculty that has taught multiple online courses and are skilled in online course design. These instructors are very comfortable in the online environment (Palloff and Pratt 2011).

Theories of Distance Learning

Behaviorism

Cognitivism

Constructivism

Theories of Learning

YouTube VideoBehaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism & Learning and Instructional Theory

https://youtu.be/0YOqgXjynd0

* A Short Quiz will be given at the end of the video

Theories of Engaging Distance Learners Make sure goals and objectives are clearly stated. Keep an online presence Make learning fun Instructor will get to know each student Give constructive feedback Engage your learners by providing them with the tools and the information that they

need to be successful Keep the discussions flowing Know your learning community

Theories of Engagement

Emotional Engagement

Behavioral Engagement

Physical Engagement

Group AssignmentWrite a 500 word paper on the theories of engagement and upload it to the group assignment tab.

* Please logon to your learning team tab to see the members of your group

Module 2

Day 2 Identify the goals and objectives of the mentoring program

Guide to understanding the role of a mentorhttps://www.thebalance.com/a-guide-to-understanding-the-role-of-a-mentor-2275318

Management and Evaluation Programs for Facilitators

Learning Platform

Technology

Mentoring Goals & Objectives To help guide the new instructor to be successful To help train and develop the new online instructor To help the new online instructor to gain confidence To help the new online instructor to find different teaching strategies To listen To give guidance To be an outlet to help the new online instructor the tools that they need to help their

students

Criteria Have at least six years or more of online teaching experience Must have successfully taught four online classes Must be advanced with technology

Mentors A good mentor must have patience. The individual that you are mentoring may not

fully understand what and why you are having them do a certain activity or task. They may not even know why they are interested in becoming an online instructor. Therefore, the mentor has to show compassion and be patience with the mentee.

In all things that we do we must have patience. Everyone is not born with this trait. Patience is a learned behavior and is something that a good mentor has to have in order to ensure that the person that they are mentoring is successful.

A good mentor has to be caring in order to mentor others. They have to first care about educating others and have the will to want to make sure that the world is equipped with great educators. These mentors care about training instructors the right way and always make sure that they have the tools that they need to be great.

If the mentor does not care about the future of our educators he or she will not be a good mentor.

Mentors A good mentor has to be knowledgeable in order to mentor others. He or she has to

be willing to share information with their mentee so that they can get the information needed to be good online instructors. They should be willing to share contact information with their mentors so that they can build relationships with others that can help them. Also, they have to be willing to know who to call to get valuable information that they may need to help others.

The mentor should know everything possible about the subject that they are mentoring in. It is important that if you are going to mentor someone, you should have the knowledge needed to do so.

A good mentor is a role model for others. They should carry themselves with pride and confidence. They should lead by example by being organized and they should know everything there is to know about their profession. They should be open and honest with the person that they are mentoring. They should tell them the good and the bad about the profession. A role model takes the time to listen and answer any question or concerns that their mentor may have.

Mentors A role model is someone that we look up to. A good mentor is just that type of

person. He or she will ensure that their mentee is groomed and ready to be successful as an online instructor.

A good mentor must be reliable. They should make time to meet with their mentors on a regular basis. They should call and check on their mentors to make sure that they do not have any questions and are getting the information that they need to be great. Mentors should make themselves available to assist their mentees when needed. A good mentor always keeps their word and will do whatever it takes to help his or her mentor.

Being a reliable mentor plays a big part in making the person that you are mentoring great. It lets them know that you are there to mold and guide them to be excellent educators. They know that if they need you are only a phone call away

Activity on MentorsPlease complete the crossword puzzle on mentors and upload to your assignment tab.

Management and Evaluation Programs for facilitatorsPlease read article about mentors

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED509629.pdf

• All new mentors must go through a six week online training program to ensure that he or she is prepared to mentor

• In order to be active mentor one has to take 2 hours of online training to keep up with the latest information and technology

Challenges Ensuring that online instructors are properly trained Making sure that there is a good match between mentor and mentee

Strategies

Mentoring in groups

Online Trainings

Faculty Development

Learning PlatformsWhat is a Learning Platform?

Is a learning tool that provides instructors, students and parents with resources and reinforcement of educational skills and resources.

Engaging Technologyhttps://magic.piktochart.com/output/15929770-engaging-technology

Kahn Academy

Learn ZillionTeaching Channel

AssignmentResearch one learning platform and start an online discussion about it with your peers.

Module 3

Day 3 Tools for Project-Based Learning

Distance Learners

Synchronous & Asynchronous

Classroom Management Issues

Tools for Project Based Learninghttps://prezi.com/uq-o6tzft-q1/top-web-tools-for-project-based-learning/

Dipity

Glogster

Amimoto

Tools for Collaborationhttps://magic.piktochart.com/output/16516383-social-networking

Google Classroom

Facebook

Distance Learner Non-Traditional Individuals who are interested in advancing in their career Individuals with families and who work fulltime

Asynchronous & Synchronous

QuizA quiz will be given on what we have learned thus far.

Learner Feedback

Instructor will give feedback on all assignment via

comments

Instructor will send messages on student

progress

Instructor will send audio voice recordings giving his

or her comments to assignments

Challenging Lack of student participation Individuals that may post negative or inappropriate feedback in discussion forum Making sure that all students are clear of what the rules and regulations are for the

class Ensuring that everyone is clear/sure of their expectations

ADA Learners and Associated Strategieshttp://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html

Must provide tools

for learners with disabili

tiesMust ensure that we are not

discriminating against individuals with disabilities

Must make sure that we make special accommodations for students with disabilities

End of Course AssessmentLearner will be given a end of course test followed by a online survey of the class

Thank YouIt has been a pleasure being your online facilitator for this class. I hope that the information provided was beneficial to you. Thank you for making this class a enjoyable experience.

Penny L. Valentine

ReferenceseLearning Industry. (2016).  Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/top-5-online-learning-skills-online-instructors

Haythornthwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-learning theory and practice . Los Angeles, CA: Sage           Publications Ltd.

Khan academy. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/

Learn zillion. (2016). Retrieved from https://learnzillion.com/

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2011). The excellent online instructor: Strategies for professional development . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Reilly, Janet Resop et al. "Faculty Development for E-Learning: A Multi-Campus Community of Practice (COP) Approach." Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 16.2 (2012): 99-110.

Teaching channel. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org

Valentine, P. (2016). Facilitator Training Program. Unpublished paper, CUR 532-Faciliting Online Learning, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ