Facilitating Online
From Wikiversity
Facilitation is a rare and valuable skill to have. It is a service that is often used at conferences, debates, workshops and tutorials, or simply where groups of people need someone to help negotiate meaning and understanding, and to keep everyone engaged and on task.
- Good facilitation depends very much on good communication skills.
- Good online facilitation depends very much on good online communication skills.
This topic is used in:
[edit] Learning support and certification
Learning support and certification services are offered for this topic by:
- Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. Contact Bronwyn Hegarty: bronwynh[AT]tekotago[DOT]ac[DOT]nz
[edit] Content
[edit] Communicating online
It is commonly held that there are two main ways to communicate online. Asynchronous and synchronous. It is in the platform for communication where there is great variety in online communication.
These are all different platforms that can be commonly referred to as examples of asynchronous (not at the same time) online communications.
In this list are a range of platforms for synchronous (at the same time) online communications.
Asynchronous and synchronous are common ways to categorise types of online communication into those that generally happen independent of real time, and those that are dependent on real time. For example, a phone conversation is very much dependent on real time for communication between two or more people to be successful, where as an email exchange can be delayed for long periods of time.
A platform is a way to identify different online environments or tools for communication. The different platforms often appear very similar to an inexperienced user, but they can convey information and communication in very different ways with varying levels of success depending on who is using what platform and in many cases, how well the communication is being facilitated.
Facilitation in an online platform can be critical to the success of a communicative objective. For many and especially for the inexperienced, the absence of visual cues such as facial expression and body language, and auditory cues such as tone and pitch, can create difficulties in sending and receiving messages. In these instances an experienced online facilitator is necessary to assist in clarifying misunderstandings, encourage participation and help people move forward in their discussions. But the same can just as easily be said for face to face communication where subtle and not so subtle forms of prejudice and discrimination can easily affect constructive dialogs. Facilitating online just requires a sensitivity and awareness to a different, possibly unfamiliar set of potential communication problems.
[edit] Advantages & disadvantages of online communication
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility: accessible 24x7, any place as long as you have an internet connection | Text-based: Predominantly relies on inputting text which can be challenging for those who don’t like to write or have poor keyboard skills, but with the advance of broadband connectivity and voice and video conference technology — this will be less of an issue. | |
| Levelling: reserved people who usually don’t speak up can say as much as they like while “loud” people are just another voice and can’t interrupt | No physical cues: without facial expressions and gestures or the ability to retract immediately there’s a big risk of misunderstanding | |
| Documented: unlike verbal conversation, online discussion is lasting and can be revisited | Information overload: a large volume of messages can be overwhelming and hard to follow, even stress-inducing | |
| Encourages reflection: participants don’t have to contribute until they’ve thought about the issue and feel ready | Threads: logical sequence of discussion is often broken by users not sticking to the topic (thread) | |
| Relevance: provides a place for real life examples and experience to be exchanged | Time lag: even if you log on daily, 24 hours can seem like a long time if you're waiting for a reply; and then the discussion could have moved on and left you behind | |
| Choice: a quick question or comment, or a long reflective account are equally possible | Inefficient: it takes longer than verbal conversation and so it’s hard to reply to all the points in a message, easily leaving questions unanswered | |
| Community: over time can develop into a supportive, stimulating community which participants come to regard as the high point of their course | Isolation: some learners prefer to learn on their own and don't participate in the discussions | |
| Limitless: you can never predict where the discussion will go; the unexpected often results in increased incidental learning | Directionless: participants used to having a teacher or instructor telling them what to do can find it a leaderless environment (and that’s where tutors come in!) |
[edit] Role of the online facilitator
[edit] Establish a user profile
Find out and think about who the group is that you are offering facilitation for. Start by jotting down an estimate of who they are.
For example: learners in the National Certificate in First Line Management (Level 4) have the following profile:
- adults, aged approximately 20-45
- many will have worked for the same organisation all their working life
- some will belong to minorities within their workplace based on gender and/or ethnicity, for example...
- many will possess considerable experience and knowledge that needs most to be formalised rather than learned from scratch
- they will possess varying levels of technical competence
- they will hold various expectations about their roles as learners and facilitators’ roles as “teachers” depending on their past learning experiences, and
- some will find it challenging to collaborate across organisations and then apply their learning to their own context.
From this profile, how might you go about anticipating types of online communication that might occur in this group? What platforms might be most suitable, what skills does the group have that may help determine the platforms, will synchronous and/or asynchronous communications be needed, what technical difficulties can you anticipate?
[edit] Responsibilities in practice
Introducing yourself to all participants at the start of the course
- Prepare a brief self-introduction and photograph for the “Your tutor/s” section of course website.
- Provide your contact details (email, phone if applicable, availability etc.)
- Where possible, send an informal introductory email to the group before the course begins, inviting participants to introduce themselves in a fun way.
- Respond to any student messages of self-introduction.
Establishing and maintaining academic relationships with individual participants
- Know who is participating in the course (as far as names allow).
- Receive course evaluation feedback indicating positive relationship building.
Acting as first point of contact for course-related inquiries
- Make it known that all course inquiries are welcome.
- Respond to and pass on course-related inquiries within at least 24 hours (during the week) or on the Monday morning following a weekend inquiry.
- Acknowledge an inquiry even if you can’t answer it immediately or have passed it on.
Familiarising yourself with course content and online expectations
- Are conversant with the course materials and approach before the course starts.
- Skim through course activities and content before the course starts, noting all Discussion Board activities.
Responding to student messages in a timely manner
- Respond to student messages and queries within a 24 hour time frame (during the week) or on Monday morning (weekend requests).
- Notify participants if replies will be delayed within the timeframe above, or specify down-times (holidays, etc.)
Tracking participant progress and contacting those who may be behind or having difficulty
- Check who is absent from the Discussion Board on a fortnightly basis.
- Email participants who have not contributed for some time with encouragement.
- Notify the Academic Coordinator of participants who remain out of contact for one month or more.
Contributing to and modeling good practice in online discussion forums
- Initiate new discussion threads as required
- Monitor Discussion Board postings, responding as necessary, with clarifications, additional points and positive feedback
- Monitor postings to ensure standards of netiquette and appropriateness of online behaviour is observed
- Emailing learners privately to point out lapses in standards of netiquette etc.
- Provide social space where necessary for non course related discussions
- Request assistance if required.
Providing feedback and sharing knowledge and expertise
- Use feedback to encourage discussion between participants.
- Are proactive in clarifying any misconceptions, inaccuracies or ill-judged contributions.
- Share advice and tips of a technical or study-related nature to support participants.
Conduct face-to-face workshops
- Prepare workshops and communicate times and requirements to participants.
- Facilitate and carry out evaluation tasks at workshops.
Liaison with related groups and stakeholders
- Communicate with Academic Coordinator as required.
- Communicate with Library & Learning Services as required.
- Communicate with eLearning & Web Support as required.
Act on course-related feedback
- Pass on common queries and suggestions from participants to your manager.
- Make changes to the way the course is structured and facilitated as necessary.
[edit] Online communication skills
You might agree with these two features of online communication:
- it contributes to the information overload we suffer today, and
- reading on-screen is tedious, slower and more tiring than paper.
We find ourselves scanning online text, trying to pick up the information we need, quickly. For this reason online text needs to be concise: short sentences, short paragraphs with breathing space in between to make it easier on the eyes and brain.
We’re aiming for economy in language, but with your personality shining through. Think “spoken text”, conversational in style.
Without facial expressions and gestures your words convey your personality and attitude through tone, known as your “online presence”.
Do you come across positive, warm and interested? Or dry, humourless and detached?
The way you approach online communication can result in a highly value-added experience for other participants. Following are some initial tips for communicating online.
- Simple things like always finding something positive in a message or revealing that you have learned a new thing or two can be hugely encouraging and motivating to the person you are responding to – especially when online learning is a new experience.
- Taking the time to paraphrase and quote exerts from prior messages can be an important for demonstrating your understanding and indicating what exactly you are refering to. It is also useful to others who may be entering the discussion late in that it helps them to quickly catch up.
- Hyperlinking to relevant content or examples of a difficult concept are ways to help keep your message short and concise, but still offering further reading to those who wish to understand more of what you are trying to communicate. The use of hypertext or links is generally more useful to the more experienced online communicators.
- Going that little bit further by gently passing on a technical tip such as how to create hyperlinks, can help to build confidence and willingness to communicate online.
Please feel free to ad your own tips to this list, or discuss initial tips for communicating online in the discussion page.
[edit] Working "out of synch"
The aim for your online communication is clarity.
A good habit is to use the “Preview” feature on the Discussion Board to both proofread and check your messages for possible ambiguity. Try to read your messages objectively. If a participant asks a specific question, they’ll be expecting a clear cut reply. Frustration breeds fast (and is infectious) when someone waits 24 hours for a reply only to find it vague or off-topic. You need to anticipate the possible ways your messages could be interpreted.
Think about your way of questioning too. Are you posing a question to provoke thinking – a rhetorical question – or with the expectation of an answer? Make sure that’s clear in the way you pose the question.
[edit] Online etiquette
You are modelling the way you’d like participants to communicate with each other. And since spelling and grammar are not completely dead yet, show that you value them too and set the standard. Good manners and a positive tone online - known as “netiquette” - are essential if you’re going to help build a supportive learning community. So, how is netiquette demonstrated with words alone?
- Use a greeting and a sign off e.g. “Hello everyone”, “Morning all”, “Cheers”, “Till next”, “All the best with...”
- Acknowledge what participants have contributed
- Thank a contributor for a suggestion or tip
- Refer back to and link ideas in participants’ messages (i.e. being inclusive, like making sure no one is left out at a party)
- “Sound” positive and encouraging, (avoid being cynical, sarcastic or negative)
- Make requests or suggestions politely rather than giving orders
- Give gentle reminders
- Avoid using ALL UPPER CASE (the equivalent of shouting online) and copious exclamation or question marks e.g. ????????????, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Weave in current events of interest, but remember not everybody lives for the rugby.
Should a participant communicate in an inappropriate way (by being provocative, confrontational or derogatory etc.) take up the matter with them individually by email. Such messages can be deleted from the Discussion Board using the “Remove” button at the right when reading the message.
[edit] Time management
Why is time management an issue online? As we’ve highlighted already, online discussion can be hard to follow with lots of concurrent threads and directions. And because it’s all about interaction between people, it’s quite simply hard to contain. Some participants too, might need some extra help getting started and it’s through the discussion that they often turn for help. All these factors can make for a time-consuming, but valuable part of online learning.
[edit] Asynchronicity demands flexibility
An asynchronous course is always on, 24 x 7, and there’s no telling when participants will contribute or be logging on in the hope of a response – from colleagues and tutors alike. The time management challenge then is to control the time you put in, but also be flexible with it so that you’re in step with the pace of the discussion and the volume of messages.
An online tutor might decide, for example, to spend 15 minutes in the morning and then slightly longer in the evening so that both ends of the day are covered. Asynchronicity offers flexibility for both participants and tutors, and also the possibility for tutors to be really quite responsive without having to be online all day long.
[edit] How much is enough?
OK, so now we’ve painted a picture of you as a Super Tutor who knows no bounds. But of course there have to be limits, particularly given the potential for online discussion to spiral away beyond expectation.
The need for your facilitation usually changes over the period of a single discussion, and over the course. Often your input is needed most at the beginning to get things rolling and encourage participation by all group members. Whether a discussion is assessable or not will also influence participation, and therefore your input.
Online discussion pioneer, Gilly Salmon, from the UK Open University developed a five-stage model that you can use to visualise the online tutoring/facilitation task (which she refers to as "e-moderating") and how it changes over time. Examine the model in detail now. See how both moderation and technical input is greatest at the beginning, and then tapers off as the discussion and the group get established?
Your aim should be to achieve the process in the model; investing more time at the beginning – without creating dependence – and then gradually stepping back as participants take charge. Even in the latter stages however, you still have a monitoring role and need to be “present” in case you’re needed.
[edit] What should I prioritize?
Busy people must prioritize. If you find yourself under considerable time pressure at some point, use these ascending levels to make your time count: Level 1 – deal first with any participants who are struggling or whose progress depends on a question being answered. No one should be left dangling in cyberspace (support focus). Level 2 – attend then to commenting briefly and encouragingly to demonstrate your presence, making sure to address any major misconceptions or misunderstandings. Spread yourself across the different threads which can be likened to different discussion groups in a classroom (moderating focus). Level 3 – take it further; make connections between different messages and/or threads, converse with contributors, foster social interaction (interaction focus).
Setting expectations Hand in hand with prioritising goes setting expectations – a much under-utilised time management technique. You can manage time pressure to some extent by giving people realistic expectations about how often you’ll be online and what your turnaround time will be.
If you know for example that your schedule will only ever allow you to be online after 7pm on any day, then communicate this. Participants’ expectations will be more realistic and they can choose to work around this if they wish. This obviously applies too if you are going to be offline for several days.
Another time to set expectations is at the beginning of the course. It’s likely that frequent, laboriously detailed messages will be difficult to sustain. Start out as you mean to continue and aim for frequency over volume (acknowledging however, the need discussed in the five-stage model to invest more effort at the beginning of the course).
[edit] Further reading
- 147 Practical Tips for Teaching Online Groups : Essentials of Web-Based Education
- Wearing Four Pairs of Shoes: The Roles of E-Learning Facilitators by Ed Hootstein - An article in Learning Circuits.
- Extra Readings - Links compiled by Barbara Dieu, Graham Stanley and Aaron Campbell for the EVONLINE 2005 session on Weblogging
- The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online - Howard Rheingold
