2. This skill is important because students need to know
their facilitator is available and will be able to answer
questions and address concerns. It is also important
because the facilitator needs to show leadership and
direction, so the class knows what they need to do to
be successful. A facilitator who is quick to answer
questions and participate in discussions can change
the students perspective of an online class.
3. Facilitators with a strong presence need to be
confident in facilitating online learning and have
experience. A facilitator should be at the Apprentice,
Insider, or Master phase. These phases include
facilitators who know how to develop and teach an
online course, which helps create a strong presence in
the online classroom.
4. According to the Center For Teaching Excellence at
Duquesne University (2015), “While you establish an
online teaching presence through designing the online
course, facilitating online discourse and providing
direct instruction to your students, the importance of
your online teaching presence is that it contributes to
online students’ sense of learning and perception of
community”.
This is why it is important that facilitators be at one
the of the three developmental phases discussed.
Experienced facilitators can provide this kind of skill
and produce a successful learning environment.
5. The facilitator with a strong online presence needs to have
training in a couple of different areas:
Developing and maintaining the online classroom and
course material so they can have a strong presence when
directing the class and explaining the material,
assignments, and more.
Training on finding and addressing the motivation and
goals of students within the class. This will help facilitators
have a strong presence in discussions with the students.
Strong knowledge of adult learning theory so they can
address those principles in the online classroom and make
sure students are learning through discussions, activities,
collaborative assignments, and more.
6. Promoting interaction is very important because this
encourages students to discuss the information they
are using and discuss their experiences using the
information. Discussion can help students feel
comfortable speaking out and helps a facilitator
measure how a student is learning and applying the
information. Discussion is an educational tool that
should be a crucial aspect in both online and campus
learning.
7. Facilitators who are successful at promoting interaction amongst
students have experience working with online classes and are not
dealing with factors in the Visitor and Novice Phases. Facilitators
should be at the Apprentice, Insider, and Master Phases so they can
promote positive interaction amongst the students.
Facilitators can promote interaction through questions, positive
feedback, assignments, chapter discussions, and other learning
activities.
According to Dr. Muirhead (2004), “Instructors can promote greater
online participation by affirming their students’ abilities and
knowledge”.
What Dr. Muirhead states is crucial because being in the Visitor or
Novice Phases can take away from providing positive feed back. This
can happen through inexperience of teaching an online classes.
8. According to Palloff and Pratt (2011), “One of the goals of
training for online teaching should be to model the types
of teaching techniques that a facilitator might use in their
own classes”.
Training the facilitator on techniques they can use to
receive positive interaction amongst the students is very
important. The more the facilitator can practice and use
those skills, the more effective they can become.
Facilitators should also be trained on properly finding the
goals and motivations of students, so they can make sure
the interaction is having a positive impact on those goals
and motivations. This is when the facilitator can use their
skills of making a strong presence in the online class and
change the direction of the interaction if it is negative.
9. Overall, the experience and the training of a facilitator
can play a major role on the success of an online class.
Having online facilitators at a Visitor and Novice stage
could have a negative impact on the class, unless they
have the appropriate training and experience to make a
strong presence and promote classroom interaction.
10. Duquesne University: Center for Teaching
Excellence. (2015). Establishing an Online Teaching
Presence. Retrieved from
http://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-
institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-
learning/establishing-an-online-teaching-presence
Muirhead, B. (2004, June). Encouraging Interaction in Online
Classes. Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 1(6),
Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jun_04/article07.
htm
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2011). The Excellent Online Instructor:
Strategies for Professional Development. Retrieved from The
University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
