Facilitator Training Program

Candice Rodgers
CUR/532
October 12, 2015
H. Garth Beerman

Welcome
Rodgers Community College is launching an online
associates degree program in the administration
office to the traditional program offered on campus.
This will be the first online program offered at the
college. The facilitators that are teaching the face-toface courses will also teach the online courses.
Rodgers College understands that excellent
educators are key to students persistence in online
courses. That is why it is essential to provide faculty
with a 3-day training. Providing good training will
ensure the faculty has all the essential components
to be an excellent online facilitator.

Table of Contents
Synchronous 3-Day Model
Part I Vital Information in the Facilitator
Training
1.1 Training Program Audience
1.2 Training Program Goals
1.3 Training Program Objectives
1.4 Summative Assessment of Trainee Learning

1.1 Training Program Audience

The target audience of this training is the facilitators that teach
the traditional administration office program at Rodgers
Community College. Each qualified facilitator has at least three
years of work experience in the related field, a minimum of two
years of teaching, and a Bachelors degree in the related field.
Since faculty teaches the traditional administration office degree,
it is assumed the facilitators are skilled in communication,
writing, verbal, and organizational skills (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
Since this would be their first time teaching online at the
community college, the trainers assume the facilitators would be
considered novice. Novice facilitators have no experience
teaching online, but may have taken a course as a student. These
facilitators may have also had experience using technology to
communicate in the classroom and may have posted their
syllabus online. Since these facilitators are face-to-face teachers,
they should have knowledge of Microsoft Office, computers,
feedback, and collaboration.

1.2 Training Program Goals

The goal of the training program is to train facilitators
how to teach effectively online. To train the facilitators
effectively, the trainers need to understand how adults
learn. Trainers need to acknowledge adults experience.
They learn best when the training is built on past
experience and knowledge. They are also motivated to
learn when it is something meaningful and comfortable
for them physically and psychologically (Palloff & Pratt,
2011). Surveying the adult learners is critical to the start
of training. It gives the trainers information on what the
learners are hoping to learn during the training. By
having this information, the trainers should be able to
tailor the training to meet the needs of the audience and
meet the training objectives.

1.3 Training Program Objectives

It is important for facilitators to feel confident in teaching. To make them feel confident, the
following objectives will be:
Day 1
Help them overcome any fears they may have by teaching an online course. Building up
their confidence will be done by providing a training experience that provides a shift from
learner to a facilitator, exploring different teaching styles, and help establish a presence
online.
Day 2
Explore the best teaching techniques for online teaching, critique and support the
development of the facilitators first online class.
Explore the foundation of online learning and offer ongoing support through mentoring
and training.
Discover teaching techniques for the discipline and support alternatives to face-to-face
teaching methods.
Day 3
Master the online course learning system, emails, chats, and learn different online tools for
the course and lessons.

1.4 Summative Assessment of

Trainee Learning

The success of the trainees will be measured in

many ways. One way to measure the success of the
trainees is by evaluating the trainees reactions.
Trainers can tell if the training was successful by
seeing if the trainees were engaged and responsive
during training. Giving them a survey at the end of
the training will also provide their view of the
training. Another way to measure the success is
through an assessment given at the end of the
training that will cover the objectives (Palloff & Pratt,
2011). If the majority of the trainees are passing the
course, the training was effective. The success of the
program will be measured by the success of
feedback and the completion of the assessment.

Table of Contents
Synchronous 3-Day Model
Day 1
Part II Facilitator Skills and Instructional
Materials
2.1 Training Materials
2.2 Phases of Development
2.3 Theories of Distance Learning Adult Learning
Theory
2.4 Theories for Engaging Distance Learners
Theory of Transactional Distance

2.1 Training Materials

To teach the 3-day courses effectively, the
trainer will need to have:
Clear requirements and materials for the
training
Develop learning activities
Provide feedback
Computers to facilitate the training and
learning community

2.1 Skills for Distance Learning

Facilitators
To be an effective online facilitator, instructors will need:

Visibility

Compassion

communication skills

Commitment

Organizational

technical skills
It is vital for facilitators to establish a presence in the online environment. Students want to know that the
facilitator is present. Online instructors also need to be

Fair

Open

Flexible

Student-focused

Student-centered instructions
Communication is key to online education. Facilitators need to provide feedback frequently and knows how
to communicate well using technology. The students want to know that the educator is committed. A
committed online educator motivates his/her students and is also motivated to learn. While teaching the
course. Since instructors will be teaching online, it is important to have time management and organizational
skills. Technical skills are also important. If instructors cannot use technology, they would have a hard time
instructing an online class.

2.1 Strategies to Present Skills to

Facilitators
There are many strategies to present skills to
training. The trainer will start the class with an
icebreaker. Each facilitator will give an introduction
about themselves and give a reason for why they are
in the online training.

Discussion Boards
Each facilitator will log in to the learning community
and navigate around the site.

Groups
There will be groups where the facilitators can work
on projects like a team during the three-day training.

2.2 Phases of Development

When working with a phased approach to online training, it is important to understand
that the learners are attending the training at different levels of their development. It is
critical to honor their experience. Five phases of faculty development are(Palloff & Pratt,
2011):

Visitors - The visitor phase is faculty who may have posted an assignment or
syllabus online and played with the idea of integrating technology into the traditional
classrooms.
Novice - The novice phase is faculty who may have taken an online class, but never
taught online. In their classrooms, they may have supplemented some of the
communications to technologies.
Apprentice - In the apprentice phase, faculty taught one or two terms. They are
learning the required skills and understand the online classrooms.
Insider - Faculty who have taught more than two semesters are in the inside phase.
They are comfortable online, may have designed an online course, and have the
basics of technology management.
Master - In the master phase, faculty members have mastered the requirements to
teach online and have taught online for several semesters. Their peers can call upon
them for online support, and they have mastered integrating technology into the
online classrooms.

2.3 Theories of Distance Learning

Adult Learning Theory
When training adults, it is good to understand the
principals of adult learning theory. Online faculty
training is a phased process. Each faculty member is
on different levels. Although all faculty members
need an introduction to the training, not all need
the same level of training. The faculty learns best
when their experience and knowledge is being
acknowledged. The training needs to be
individualized. Because the training in meaningful for
them to teach online effectively, most of the
trainers should be ready to participate and learn
new technology (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).

2.4 Theories for Engaging Distance Learners

Theory of Transactional Distance
Theory of transactional distance is a
pedagogical concept. As the level of interaction
decreases from the educator and learner, the
learners autonomy must increase (Barbadillo,
1998). There needs to be more structure and
dialog to meet the needs of the distance
between the learner and educator.
Example - There will be more focus on the
dialogue, such as real-time communication or
two-way communication.

Table of Contents
Synchronous 3-Day Model
Day 2
Part III Management and Technology Tools
3.1 Mentoring Program
3.2 Management and Evaluation Programs
3.3 Learning Platform LMS/CMS
3.4 Technology Tools to Engage and Enhance
Student Learning

3.1 Mentoring Program

The goal of the mentoring program is to help
faculty gain confidence in online teaching.
Building confidence is done by providing faculty
with ongoing training and support, retain and
orient online faculty by pairing them with
faculty experienced with online teaching
(Palloff & Pratt, 2011). The program will
provide real life examples of what will and will
not work in the online class. This mentoring
approach also will help weed out faculty
members that are not suited for online
teaching.

3.1 Mentoring Program Objectives

The objectives of the mentoring program are to:
Gain a deeper understanding of how to use
technology in online classrooms.
Provide individualized support to faculty for
online teaching.
Use network and group approach to mentees.
Provide collaborative relationships and establish
dialogue.
Provide the same benefits for mentees and
mentors.
Provide a learning community.

3.1 Identification Criteria

The approach for the mentor program will be
hierarchical. With the hierarchical approach, there will be
a mastered faculty member paired with a less
experienced faculty member (Palloff & Pratt, 2011). The
mentors have been teaching for over five years and have
taught over ten successful classes. To train facilitators,
the mentors must have had five online training courses
within the last two years. The mentors also have a great
deal of online teaching and experiments with new
technology for course delivery and development. They
present at conferences, publish their work and speak at
conferences. The mentors are not necessarily older than
the mentees, just has more experience. Their criteria of
success is effectively teaching students, with at least 80
percent of the students passing the courses.

3.2 Management and Evaluation

Programs
Community Approach Affect Management
The learning community is the backbone of
institutions. When faculty learns together in
a learning community, they can get a deeper
learning experience. They can share ideas,
give constructive feedback and support each
other. A faculty learning community allows
great opportunities to meet the needs of the
institution and allow facilitators to become
better educators with minimal budget
expenditure (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).

3.2 Challenges and Strategies to

Manage Adjuncts
When trying to manage adjunct faculty in a learning community, there
can be challenges and strategies to manage them from a distance.
Challenges
Lack of training can
impact students retention.
Lack of technical support.
Lack of voice regarding
program structure,
governance, and design.

Strategies
Adjuncts need to attend a
mandatory faculty
development training for
online courses.
Involve online adjuncts to
faculty communities
Include adjuncts in
discussions on issues,
teaching practice, and
faculty learning community.
Offer incentives and
stipends for course
development and
conferences.

3.2 Evaluation Strategies

Faculty evaluations are important to institutions. The reasoning for
evaluating faculty is to motivate, engage the in professional
development, and to let them know how they are doing in their online
classes. The entire force behind evaluations and management strategies
is to create good teachers (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
Model of Good Teaching

The design of learning experiences

The quality of learner-educator interactions

Quality learning

Improvements of teachers over time

3.3 Learning Platform LMS/CMS

Learning management system is software to assess, facilitate, plan,
implement and monitor the students learning (Wright, Lopes,
Montgomerie, Reju, & Schmoller, 2014). It is the centralized place for
course content. It helps faculty effectively develop courses,
communicate with students, receive assignments, provide feedback, and
upload videos. When choosing a learning management system, there
should be a consideration for the educator and students needs. The
institutions website and the learning management system will be the
most valuable technology that has the greatest impact on the students
success. When choosing an LMS, the institution should:

Understand the pros and cons of the software.

Have a committee to select and make decisions regarding the
learning management system.
Choose the most appropriate system that fits the institution,
faculty and students.

3.3 Learning Platform Blackboard

In this training course, the learning platform
system is Blackboard. In Blackboard the
trainers and trainees will be able to log into
Blackboard to explore how to:

Set up the classroom

Conduct class and private discussions
Provide and receive assignments
Provide grades and feedback

3.4 Technology Tools to Engage and

Enhance Student Learning
Technology can help expand their learning experience and engage
students in the learning process. Some of the technology used for
student engagement is:

Audio Add interest to the materials and good for auditory

learners. Audio gives online learns a break from so much reading.
Faculty can create a discussion board that is audio-based to discuss
topics.

Video Great way to communicate with students. Faculty can

capture a video of themselves or upload videos from sites, such as
YouTube and PowerPoint.

Infographics Images can improve the understanding and

readability of the course content. It engages the students to see
images and enriches the content from the simple formatting (Bart,
2011).

Table of Contents
Synchronous 3-Day Model
Day 3
Part IV Issues and Classroom
Management
4.1 Technology Tools for Student Collaboration
4.2 Different Distant Learners
4.3 Synchronous and Asynchronous Facilitation
Skills
4.4 Technology Management Issues and
Resolutions
4.5 Classroom Management Issues and
Resolutions Feedback

4.1 Technology Tools for Student

Collaboration
Collaboration tools allow students to collaborate, solve problems and think
critically. It helps students to get a better understanding of a lesson or concept
(TeachThought, 2012).

Glogster is graphic blogs that are an online tool used online to create
digital stories, presentations, posters, lessons, and videos (Glogster, 2015).
Once the digital content is finished, it can be shared instantly with the
instructor and class in several ways, including cloud solution.

MindMeister is a great web tool for mapping out learners ideas. It is a

great for facilitating collaborations or working on individual projects.
Learners and facilitators can develop their ideas and share it with others to
collaborate and brainstorm collectively and create presentations
(MindMeister, 2015).

Wikis are web content pages that can be edited by many users. It allows
students to research and brainstorm together to complete a project.

4.2 Different Distant Learners

When teaching online courses, it is important
to have a multicultural viewpoint. Faculty must
be able to teach multicultural classes. There
will be different distance learners such as:
Age 18 and older
Gender male and female
Education Associate, Bachelor, Master and
Doctorate degrees
Location anywhere globally
Background different religions, beliefs,
cultures and ethnicity

4.3 Synchronous and Asynchronous

Facilitation Skills

Synchronous Learning

Learners can communicate

with each other at the
same time.
Learners can engage and
respond instantly to each
other.
Learners need to schedule
a time to participate in
different time zones.
Learners use face-to-face
meetings, chat and
videoconferencing to learn
and communicate
(Hrastinski, 2008).

Asynchronous Learning
Synchronous
&
Asynchronous Learning

The learning is
student centered.
There is increased
student engagement.
Communication is
through technology.

Learners can communicate

with each other on their own
time.
Leaners can collaborate
over a period of time.
Learners can log on from
any time zone and
communicate with each
other on their own time.
Learners use blogs, email,
and discussion boards to
learner and communicate
(Hrastinski, 2008).

4.4 Technology Management Issues

and Resolutions
Issues

Resolutions

Software system catches a virus.

Download software to manage virus,

such as Systematic or McAfee.

Links not working for course

assignments.

Always have backup materials and

check links before class.

Technical issues using the learning

management system.

There are tutorials available for

Blackboard and technical support.

4.5 Classroom Management Issues

and Resolutions Feedback

Sometimes students have a hard time accepting feedback

from facilitators. It is important for facilitators to
provide feedback promptly to students. When providing
feedback facilitators should:
Provide feedback on assignments and postings
Make sure the feedback is positive and gives good
constructive criticism
Allow students to give feedback
Should be ongoing throughout the entire course and
discussions
When students are taking a quiz hearing a ring is
positive feedback that the answer was correct

4.5 Classroom Management Issues and

Resolutions Challenging Behaviors
There are a lot of challenging behaviors when dealing with
online courses. Faculty have to know how to deal with the
behaviors in the classrooms. Some of the challenging
behaviors are:
Issues

Strategies

Cyber-bullying

Promotes consequences of the act.

Have reporting information available to all
students.
Faculty should receive anti-bullying training

Inappropriate posts

Promote consequences of the act such as

drop from program or deduction of points.

Lack of participation and

engagement

Make rules clear about participation at the

beginning of class. Find ways to engage
students by asking questions.

4.5 Classroom Management Issues

and Resolutions ADA Learners
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against
anyone with a disability (U.S. Department of Labor, 2015). There is
adaptive equipment for students with disabilities. Students with
disabilities have the right to learn like any other student. Students who
have disabilities should provide documents from the Office of Disability
Services so that faculty can meet the needs of the students. Some of
the needs may include:

Visually impaired
Faculty can convert text to audio for she students.

Deaf students
Students can read the materials or use captioning services for videos.

Thank You
Thank you for being part of the 3-day
facilitating training program. I hope that the
training was empowering and provided skills
and knowledge to facilitate an online course.
If you have any questions regarding online
facilitating, please feel free to reach me at
moorecandice@sbcglobal.net.

References

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