February 8, 2010

A Checklist for Facilitating Online Courses

By: Mary Bart in Distance Learning Administration, Online Education

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There are two common assumptions about teaching online that can sink even the most well-meaning neophyte. One is that teaching is teaching regardless of
whether its face-to-face or online and theres no reason to deviate from the proven principles that work so well in the traditional classroom. The second
assumption is that teaching online is all about the technology, and if you design your course properly, it pretty much runs itself.

Of course both assumptions are false, but where does that leave online instructors looking for guidance on the right way to teach an online course? A new
research-based tool developed at Humboldt State University can help. Assessing Online Facilitation (AOF) can serve as a valuable guide to best practices in
online teaching. It lists the four main roles of an online facilitator pedagogical, managerial, social, and technical and the associated tasks of each role. These
tasks also are broken down according to when they should be done before the course begins, during the first week of class, throughout the course, and during
the last week of class.

In the recent online seminar Beyond Course Design: Planning for Successful Facilitation, two of the AOFs developers, Joan Van Duzer, an instructional
technologist at Humboldt State University, and Carole Robinson, instructional media producer for Pasadena City College, discussed many of the tasks outlined in
the AOF. Some of the items in the checklist include:

Before the Course Begins:

Pedagogical Review past course evaluations to determine if enhancements for instructional strategies are required.
Managerial Send informational message including how to login, what materials are needed and how to get them, and who to contact for technical
assistance.
 Technical Update hyperlinks to remove dead or broken links.

During the First Week of Class:

Pedagogical Create an ice breaker activity related to a key course objective or concept.
Managerial Contact missing students to encourage their participation.
Technical Assist students with login/access difficulties.
Social Provide a personal and welcoming introduction to develop a personal presence.

Throughout the Course:

Pedagogical Summarize discussions.

Managerial Update the online grade book promptly after assignment due dates.
Technical Model competency with course management system delivery tools.
Social Organize collaborative projects to achieve strong social interaction.

During the Final Week of Class:

Pedagogical Provide feedback on final project.

Managerial Provide general information concerning the nature and format of the final assessment(s).
Social Send an email with a closing personal message to students.

The AOF is available for download here. The Facilitation Activity Record, an optional companion document to the AOF, which provides spaces for facilitators
to make notes of what worked and what didnt work when facilitating a course, and to flag issues that should be addressed before the course is offered again,
can be downloaded here.

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Tags: advice to online instructors, Assessing Online Facilitation, assessing online learning, best practices in distance education, best practices in online teaching,
Educating Online, online assessment, online teaching strategies, teaching online, teaching online courses

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deviate from the proven principles that work so well in the traditional classroom. The second assumption is that teaching online is all about the
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Roger Groves 93 weeks ago 0

 The fundamentals of what makes a good teacher does not start with technology. Enhancements are very different from the core aspects of human
connectivity that influences and inspires someone to learn. Don't try to make it a technology war.

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