The document discusses a study exploring graduate teaching assistants' perceptions of facilitating online courses. It found that GTA's had generally positive experiences facilitating online discussions and building their technical skills, and saw online facilitation as a pathway to future online instruction. However, GTA's desired more training in online pedagogy and learning management systems. The researchers concluded that clearer expectations from instructors and opportunities to further develop online teaching skills could help online facilitation better prepare GTA's for careers in online education.

1. Graduate Teaching Assistant
Facilitation of Online Courses as a
Pathway to Future Online
Instruction
George B. Richardson, PhD
Michael Brubaker, PhD
Laura Nabors, PhD
Renee Hawkins, PhD
2012 SLOAN-C
Orlando, FL

2. Session Objectives
Explore how graduate students’ perceive
online teaching and learning
Explore graduate students’ experiences
facilitating online courses
Explore how faculty currently support
facilitators as online instructors-in-training
Identify additional supports needed to make
online facilitation a pathway to future online
instruction

3. Context
More grad student teaching assistants
employed part-time in response to:
Increasing numbers of UG students
Increasing resource constraints
Increased opportunities for graduate
student teaching
Park (2004)

4. Context
Benefits of employing GTA’s
Reduced teaching loads for academics
Funding for grad students
Teaching experience for grad students
Apprenticeship opportunities for future
instructors
Park (2004)

5. GTA’s as Online Course
Facilitators
Benefits similar to f2f:
Reduced loads for online instructors
Funding for grad students
Online instructional experience for grad
students
**Increased student engagement**

6. GTA’s as Online Course
Facilitators
Hallmark of online instruction is student-
to-student interaction
Student opportunities for self-reflection and
self-monitoring, which facilitate learning
Student facilitators contribute by:
Participating in discussions
Encouraging interaction and reflection
Helping students answer questions on their own
Hew and Cheung (2008)

7. GTA’s Need Special Skills to
Facilitate Online Courses
Need to be able to:
Provide feedback and additional resources
for further learning
Create a friendly interactive environment
Set ground rules
Keep discussions focused
Wang (2004)

8. Preparing Graduate Student
Online Facilitators
GTA’s will need: Little known about:
Generic teaching skills What other supports
training GTA’s need
Online technologies Influence of facilitation
training on GTA perceptions
Ongoing support in How facilitation could
their role as online serve as an
course facilitator apprenticeship for
future online
instructors

9. Current Study
Questions:
What are graduate student’s perceptions of online
teaching?
What are graduate students’ perceptions of their
experiences as online course facilitators?
What are graduate students’ perceptions of the future
of online undergraduate education?
How are faculty currently supporting facilitators as
online instructors-in-training?
What additional supports are needed to make
facilitation a pathway to future online instruction?

10. Procedures
We recruited:
Graduate students who had facilitated an online
course within the past year.
Instructors who had recently supervised graduate
student facilitators in online courses.
No incentives offered
Participants completed brief surveys via Survey
Monkey or using paper and pencil.
*This study was reviewed by the University IRB and determined not to
meet criteria for human subjects research.

11. Participants (n = 10)
7 graduate students who facilitated online
undergraduate courses
4 facilitated School Psychology courses
3 facilitated Substance Abuse Counseling
courses
4 instructors who supervised the
facilitation of online undergrad courses

12. Data Analyses
Qualitative Analysis
Content analysis
Research team identified themes that
emerged from the interview questions

13. Perceptions of Online Teaching
and Learning
Most thought it was effective but some were
unsure.
“its effective if implemented well”
Discussions can be more thoughtful in online boards
All thought online T&L will become more
prevalent in the future, due to:
Accessibility and flexibility
Convenience
Flexibility in presentation of material

14. Perceptions of Online Teaching
and Learning
Students also perceived weaknesses in
online T&L
Lacks informal interaction
More difficult to build rapport
Cheating is a big problem
Instructors may be easier to manipulate

15. “Although there are discussion
boards, they tend to not be as
fluid or immediate.”
“Another possible weakness is in the
area of examination where there is
less accountability and higher risks of
academic dishonesty.”

16. Facilitator Perceptions of
Facilitation
All participants reported favorable overall
experiences with facilitation.
Relationship with instructor was important
Accessible
Clear expectations
Open communication
Increased technological proficiency
Familiarity with course management system (i.e.,
Blackboard)
Acquisition of content knowledge
New content or mastery of familiar content

17. Facilitation as Pathway to
Online Instruction
All participants favored facilitation as a
pathway to online instruction.
Cited increased familiarity with course
management systems as a huge benefit.
i.e., Blackboard
4 of 7 facilitators reported future plans to
teach online.

18. “I think it makes perfect sense. I appreciate the
opportunity to be exposed to the field in a
progressive sense – working my way up from
grader, to facilitator, to instructor.”

19. Current Instructor Supports
Instructors see their role as:
Providing startup support
Addressing questions or problems
Supporting facilitators in the process of
ongoing course development
Selecting students with content expertise and
technological savvy
Substantial variation exists in supports
provided by instructors

20. Additional Supports Needed
Technical
Formal Blackboard/technical training for those not
already receiving this
Training in Instructional Design
Objectives, lectures, activities, assessments, etc.
Enhanced relationships with instructors through:
More effective instructor communication
Clear expectations
Instructional style
Teaching Philosophy
Partnerships or apprenticeships
Develop content in tandem

21. Discussion
General Teaching Practices:
Effective communication between instructor
and facilitator
Importance of the instructor setting
expectations
These lessons manifest differently online:
Discussion boards, rubrics, electronic
communication

22. Discussion
Building technology competencies:
Blackboard (grading, managing discussion boards,
building quizzes, creating/editing modules)
Course design skills (alignment of course and weekly
objectives)
Accessing and utilizing university resources (training,
video production)
Electronic communication

23. Discussion
Scaffolding Effect
Students have a chance to build skills slowly
and not be overwhelmed
Learning Management System (LMS)
appears to be biggest hurdle
Clear pathway to instruction established

24. Discussion
Nuanced Perceptions of Online Education
Understanding of general strengths and
limitations
Awareness of future trends
Understanding that effectiveness depends on
implementation

25. Discussion
Opportunities for Improving Training
More extensive Blackboard/technical training
from School (not University)
Helping instructors to understand their role
with these students in training
Apprenticeship/partnership (explore development
opportunities)
Leadership functions (setting expectations,
making style and philosophy explicit)

26. Limitations
Limited sample
Few survey respondents – low response rate
Preservation of anonymity prevented collection of
demographic data
Data collection procedures were limited in
scope
Surveys did now allow for interview – participant
interaction.

27. Future Directions
More extensive data collection
Larger sample
Variety of disciplines
Collection of demographic data
Use of incentives to boost response rate
Explore the impact of online course
facilitation of future online instruction

28. Selected References
Ahern, J., Stuber, J., & Galea, S. (2007). Stigma, discrimination and the
health of illicit drug users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 88, 188-196.
Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2008). Attracting student participation in
asynchronous online discussions: A case study of peer facilitation.
Computers and Education, 51, 1111-1124.
Hislop, G. E. (2009). The inevitability of teaching online. IEEE Intelligent
Systems, pp. 94-96.
Kelly, R. (2012). Using student facilitators in the online classroom. Online
cl@assroom: Ideas for Effective Instruction. ISSN: 15462625
Wang, Q. (2004). Student facilitator’s roles in moderating online
discussions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39, 859-874.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Education, and Policy
Development (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online
Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Studies. Washington,
D. C.

29. Contact Information for
Presenters
George Richardson, Ph.D.
george.richardson@uc.edu
Michael D. Brubaker, Ph.D.
michael.brubaker@uc.edu
Laura Nabors, Ph.D.
laura.nabors@uc.edu
Renee Hawkins, Ph.D.
renee.hawkins@uc.edu