Week 8: eLearning Practices in Higher Education

Session 5

In Summary 

Mid Semester break was not a break for us full time staff, however, as we take time off from teaching for the past 7 weeks, it was a time to reflect on how the first half of the semester proceeded.

As part of the weekly theme which focuses on the ELearning practices in higher education, I would like to reflect on the concept of E-Facilitation.

E-Facilitation is an important aspect of online teaching as it refers to the ways in which online dialogue are facilitated and managed.  In online spaces – just as in offline community spaces – people interact for various reasons, e.g., to communicate, share information, build knowledge around a practice or carry out a project and to engage in online forum discussions.

To better summarize my understanding of the concept E-Facilitation, the picture below explains the role of a online E-Facilitator in an online learning environment and that is in relation to trust creation, manage and support the learning discussions and ownership creation.

Therefore, E-Facilitation is key when it comes to online learning and being aware of one's such roles and responsibilities is pivotal to the successful execution of the online course learning objectives. 

While online courses can be facilitated offered without a course facilitator, it is important to acknowledge the role facilitators play in supporting student learning.

 Both Social-Constructive and Connectivist theories highlight the significance of the role and would provide disagreement with facilitating online courses without an instructor. Social-Constructivist theory argues that a facilitator’s role is to serve as a guide, who provides assistance to students in the online learning environment (Anderson & Dron, 2011).

 Their secondary focus should be on course content, while their primary purpose is to assist in the building of course knowledge and content. Great importance is placed on the cognitive presence of learning, ensuring that knowledge is socially constructed and has individual meaning to students in which authentic context is rationalized (Anderson & Dron, 2011).

Equally, Connectivist theories similarly highlight the significance of the facilitator’s role in the building cognitive presence of learners by exposing them to opportunities and networks for learning (Anderson & Dron, 2011).

 Facilitators are seen as role models in the online learning environment and their teaching presence is formed by providing support, constructing learning pathways, and in helping learners “make connections with existing and new knowledge resources” (Anderson & Dron, 2011; para.26).

 While the facilitator may not be the exclusive party to define, generate or assign content, they are one part of the learning system in which the learner will build their own knowledge (Anderson & Dron, 2011).

For more information on the concept of e-facilitation, please have a read of this article: 

Strategies and Practical Recommendations for Facilitation in Online Education

http://www.eurodl.org/?p=current&sp=brief&article=761

References

https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Learning-and-Networking/sdc-networks/Documents/SDC-Good-Practice_E-Facilitation.pdf

http://www.eurodl.org/?p=current&sp=brief&article=761