Peter,
What a great example. You make a great point that should be noticed by all. We may have needed to add another and that is industry expert. I had not thought of that. Great, another pair of shoes. . . . :)
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I like the example of 'wearing different shoes' rather than 'different hats' because it implies that as instructors, we are 'moving' and 'on a journey'.
And as we all know, different shoes are suited for different occasions. And that applies to teaching too! When wearing my practical flat instructor shoes, I am teaching the basic knowledge content of my course - simple and factual. My beautiful sparkly social director shoes provides hospitality to encourage students further communication and socialization within the online class. My serious black heels are necessary as the program manager to keep my class room in order. And last but not least are my Birkenstock sandals to answer all those techie questions (since technology is continually changing).
Life as a teacher would be boring without a complete set of shoes for my class room!
Lauree,
I love how you took the analogy and made it better! It really does require "moving and standing" in different places to make sure you meet the needs of each student.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I feel it is important for an online facilitator to wear four "pairs of shoes," because we are pretty much the "eyes" and "ears" for the course. The student depends on us to direct the course because they pull from our strength to guide them through. We have to direct our classroom in different ways from being a social director to the person that explains technology because they are learning through us. I think this also helps the student to trust our guidance when we showcase how much knowledge we have (we have to be careful not to be boastful) because then it will motivate them to find the same knowledge as well.
Joi ,
You are right, you are also the eyes and ears of the university as you are the contact point for the student. We prove ourselves by provide accurate information and guiding students through their learning journey.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Students can feel very overwhelmed in a online course, especially if they are new to the online environment or to the content itself. It is very important as a facilitator to be able to meet whatever specific needs each student has as it relates to engaging with the course.
Sarah,
You are so right. Can you imagine being a student and never taking an online course, logging onto the LMS? That would be so overwhelming. It is the instructor that becomes the guide to help the student find their learning "groove".
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
As an online fascilitator, because we aren't active within a physical classroom, we have to play all sides in order to relay the information to the student. We have to be instructor, tech assistant, program director and social director because these students rely on all of that in order to be successful in the course. We are the first line of communication so even if we don't have the answer, we need to have the resources available for them.
Telicia,
So many times the instructors are the only contact students have with the university. Once you solve a problem for a student, you have proven to them you are a valuable resource and they will continue to go to them for answers.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It is important for online facilitators to wear multiple pairs of shoes. This has become the norm and standard in the online arena. Instructors are the nucleus to the course as they provide the necessary guidance, support, foundation for the success of our students. While students rely on us to guide them through the course, they themselves are wearing multiple pairs of shoes battling the day to day responsibilities of work, family, school, etc. We have to very cognitive and supportive to the many different ways we communicate with students.
Loriann,
You make such an important point; it isn't just us wearing different shoes students do too! For us as facilitators we need to recognize the shoes they are wearing to help them adapt to the learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Why do you feel it is important for an online facilitator to wear four "pairs of shoes"?
The first thing that comes to my mind is what I’ve read in the lecture:
Communication, fostering a learner-centered environment, structuring problem-based learning, and providing meaningful, informative feedback are the 4 important tasks for an online facilitator.
I have been teaching online for over five years and I actually think online facilitators wear five pairs of shoes. I have found the fifth pair would be that of a listener. I have many students email me with questions/concerns/problems not really related to my course. They must feel comfortable enough with me to open up and ask for help.
If we as facilitators would close that door, I think that we would see a huge drop in enrollment and student activity.
Julie,
That is true, but many times you are also the social director to help them interact with each other. You may be the diagnostician to determine strengths and weaknesses in learning. You may have to be the technician to help with technology. These other "jobs" are different than a traditional f2f instructor.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Valerie,
I would add that! It is listening to the words and reading between the lines don't you think? Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
As a teacher in an online environment, the students need more from you than the regular classroom. They don't have the personal connection that they can get in a face to face classroom so we have to try extra hard to connect with them through communication and feedback and the other many hats we wear.
Gracie,
You are right. They also don't have the confidence in their skills like they have in a f2f course. It is up to the instructor to help students get their "sea legs" within the online environment. We have to help them reach this goal.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The online facilitator has a multi-faceted role by being mentor, a guide, listener to their particular situation, show them that you will help them immediately if it is truly important, and so you have to demonstrate that you really care about their achievements.
I have a student now that emails all the time with requests that she could resolve, but wants me to be johnny on the spot". How do I handle that?
Maureen
Maureen,
I actually have syllabi language that says I will answer emails during the weekday within 24 hours and during the weekend within 48. I also create a general discussion area. If a student has a question about content in the course or about the course they have to post to the question to the general discussion area. If a student answers it correctly, I give that student participation points. This keeps my email box form overflowing and it give students responsibility to know the course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
As online instructors it is important to wear four different pair of shoes as we have many different types of learners. Some may need lots of hand holding initially, and have questions regarding how to do everything. Others may just have a technical question. Others may need reminding about how to be professional in their postings. For example, I see a lot of text lingo from beginning students, even though the syllabus may state to write in complete and correct sentences. We may need to direct these students back to the initial guidelines and or syllabus. We need to wear several different pairs of shoes, or hats depending on the individual student. At the same time, we should convey professionalism in all of our replies and be concise and consistent as well. I also like the idea of a question and answer area because many students may have the same question, yet some may be afraid to ask. This repository allows other students to answer if they happen to know the answer, or if the instructor answers they can direct others with the same question to this area of the course room, thus eliminating extra work for themselves.
