The Role of the Online Instructor/Facilitator

Zane L. Berge, Ph.D.

A modified draft of this article appears as: Berge, Z.L. (1995). acilitating
!omp"ter !onferencing: #ecommendations rom the ield. $d"cational
%echnolog&. '5(1) (()'*. Please re+ie, and cite the $d"cational %echnolog&
article in an& p"-lished ,or. &o" a"thor.
-erge/"m-c.ed"
Introduction
A prere0"isite to the "se of comp"ter mediated comm"nication (!1!) ,hen
facilitating online instr"ction is access to a high le+el of comp"ting po,er and
a relia-le telecomm"nication infrastr"ct"re. After sa&ing that, 2 ,ant to
emphasi3e in the strongest ,a& that ,hen de+eloping and deli+ering
instr"ction, ,hether online or not, the "se of technolog& is secondar& to ,ell)
designed learning goals and o-4ecti+es. 5hat disting"ishes online instr"ction
from entertainment or recreation is the p"rposef"lness of the designers and
de+elopers in pro+o.ing certain intelligent responses to the learning materials,
conte6t, and en+ironment.
%his article ,ill list the roles and f"nctions of the online instr"ctor in comp"ter
conferencing (!!). 7impl& stated, comp"ter conferencing is 8direct h"man)
h"man comm"nication, ,ith the comp"ter acting simpl& as a transaction
ro"ter, or pro+iding simple storage and retrie+al f"nctions8 (7antoro, 1995, p.
19). #egardless of the le+el of technolog& "sed for !!))s"ch as email, mailing
lists, 1::s, 1;Ds, BB7s, comp"ter conferencing s&stems, or the 5e-))
certain instr"ctional tas.s m"st -e performed for s"ccessf"l learning. 2t ma&
not create the -est learning en+ironment to rel& solel& on !!. B"t "sed alone
or in con4"nction ,ith other media, s"ch as a"dioconferencing, classroom
deli+er& or printed materials, !! can -e "sed to pro+ide an effecti+e
instr"ctional s&stem.
Types of Interaction in Learning
2n essence, learning in+ol+es t,o t&pes of interaction: interaction ,ith content
and interpersonal interaction, (i.e., interaction ,ith other people). Both are
critical in man& t&pes of learning. 2 thin. as an ed"cator designs a co"rse that
is to promote higher order learning, s"ch as anal&sis, s&nthesis, and
e+al"ation, rather than rote memori3ation, it -ecomes important to pro+ide an
en+ironment in ,hich -oth .inds of interaction can occ"r. %echnolog&
a+aila-le toda&, li.e !!, allo,s interaction ,ith and a-o"t the content. 2n the
past, ,hile this interpersonal interaction has occ"rred almost solel& -et,een
instr"ctor and st"dent in distance ed"cation, it is increasingl& possi-le for
st"dents to interact ,ith one another, e+en ,hen geographicall& separated.
Again, different channels of comm"nication can hinder or facilitate
interpersonal and interaction ,ith content. 2t is a com-ination of technologies
and media that pro+ide an en+ironment rich in +ario"s opport"nities for
interaction that the designer can "se, pro+ided the strengths and limitations of
each are ta.en into consideration.
2nterpersonal interaction doesn<t necessaril& re0"ire real)time (s&nchrono"s)
comm"nication. %herefore, interaction among instr"ctor and st"dents can -e
1
independent of time and place. Designers of online instr"ction need to -e
a,are that the higher the content densit& of the materials to -e learned, the
more self)pacing is -ecomes the responsi-ilit& of the learner. =igh densit&
content ma& -e -etter deli+ered +ia recorded media s"ch as printed te6t,
+ideo tape or on a 5e- site))all of ,hich can -e re+isited -& the learner at
his>her con+enience and indi+id"al pace.
%he #ole of the 2nstr"ctor 5hen %eaching in the !! $n+ironment
!learl& the most important role of the online instr"ctor is to model effecti+e
teaching and accept 8the responsi-ilit& of .eeping disc"ssions trac.,
contri-"ting special .no,ledge and insights, ,ea+ing together +ario"s
disc"ssion threads and co"rse components, and maintaining gro"p harmon&8
(#ohfeld ? =iemstra, 1995, p. 91).
%here are man& necessar& conditions for s"ccessf"l online t"toring, ,hich 2
ha+e categori3ed into the follo,ing fo"r areas (Berge, 1995): pedagogical,
social, managerial, and technical. @ot all of these roles need to -e carried o"t
in their entiret& -& the same person. 2n fact, it ma& -e rare that the& are. A
-rief description of those roles follo,s (een-erg, 19ABC D"lle&, 19BAC Eerr,
19ABC 1c!rear&, 199*C 1c1ann, 1999C Pa"lsen, 1995).
Pedagogical (intellectual; task)
!ertainl&, some of the most important roles of online disc"ssion
moderator>t"tor re+ol+es aro"nd their d"ties as an ed"cational facilitator. %he
moderator "ses 0"estions and pro-es for st"dent responses that foc"s
disc"ssions on critical concepts, principles and s.ills.
Social
!reating a friendl&, social en+ironment in ,hich learning is promoted is also
essential for s"ccessf"l moderating. %his s"ggests 8promoting h"man
relationships, de+eloping gro"p cohesi+eness, maintaining the gro"p as a
"nit, and in other ,a&s helping mem-ers to ,or. together in a m"t"al ca"se,8
are all critical to s"ccess of an& conferencing acti+ities.
anagerial (organi!ational; procedural; ad"inistrati#e)
%his role in+ol+es setting the agenda for the conference: the o-4ecti+es of the
disc"ssion, the timeta-le, proced"ral r"les and decision)ma.ing norms.
1anaging the interactions ,ith strong leadership and direction is considered a
sine 0"a non of s"ccessf"l conferencing.
Technical
%he facilitator m"st ma.e participants comforta-le ,ith the s&stem and the
soft,are that the conference is "sing. %he "ltimate technical goal for the
instr"ctor is to ma.e the technolog& transparent. 5hen this is done, the
learner ma& concentrate on the academic tas. at hand.
(
%he follo,ing recommendations come from man& so"rces and e6periences.
Besides the references, these so"rces are listed in the 8or "rther #eading8
section -elo,. Let me emphasis that 2 ha+e categori3ed these ar-itraril&.
%here is considera-le o+erlap ,ith some tas.s. %his is especiall& tr"e of the
iss"es more diffic"lt to address effecti+el&. 2t ma& ,ell -e -eca"se these iss"e
c"t across t,o or more areas that ma.e them partic"larl& challengingF or
e6ample, if 2 sa& that the mechanics of gi+ing feed-ac. online st"dent papers
(as oppose to hardcop&) need to -e de+ised, sho"ld this -e "nder
pedagogical, technical, administrati+e or interpersonal iss"esG 2 thin. a case
co"ld -e made for each as -eing an appropriate categor&.
Pedagogical #ecommendations
$a#e %lear O&'ecti#es( Participants "ust &elie#e their online
interactions is ti"e )ell spent(
aintain as uch Fle*i&ility as +ou %an. Beca"se of the indi+id"alit& of the
learners, co"rses need to remain fle6i-le and the instr"ctor needs to s"pport
this. #ather than presenting an ela-orate seminar agenda at the o"tset and a
comple6 process for st"dents to f"lfill, follo, the flo, of the con+ersation,
,hile g"iding it to,ard the s"-4ect.
,ncourage Participation. %he "se of +ario"s learning options can stim"late
learner participation and interaction))small gro"p disc"ssion, de-ates, polling
acti+ities, d&adic learning partnership e6changes, and one)on)one message
e6changes recogni3ing st"dents messages are some of the acti+ities to "se
,hen enco"raging participation.
aintain a -on.authoritarian Style. 2t is "s"all& -etter to a+oid the 8a"thorit&
fig"re8 role ,hen teaching online, especiall& ,ith ad"lts.
/e O&'ecti#e. Before generali3ing to the conference a-o"t a contri-"tion,
consider s"ch things as the tone and content of the posting, the a"thor and
his>her s.ills, .no,ledge and attit"des that &o" ma& .no, a-o"t from prior
conference postings, and time of the posting in relation to the conference
thread.
0on1t ,*pect Too uch. :nline instr"ctors need to -e content if t,o or three
,ell artic"lated, ma4or points are comm"nicated in a partic"lar thread of
disc"ssion.
0on1t Rely on Offline aterials. 7"mmari3e the assigned readings online so
that the disc"ssion in the !! remains mostl& self)contained.
Promote Pri+ate !on+ersations as ,ell as %hose in the !!. Design
opport"nities for pri+ate con+ersations among t,o or more people ,ho &o"
s"spect ha+e similar interests in the content.
Find 2nifying Threads. 2nstr"ctors can ,ea+e se+eral strands of
con+ersation into a s"mmari3ation that ma& prompt people to p"rs"e the topic
f"rther.
'
2se Si"ple 3ssign"ents. Dro"p assignments are appropriate to this media,
-"t an o+er)complicated design in them is not.
ake The aterial Rele#ant. De+elop 0"estions and acti+ities for learners
that relate to the st"dents< e6periences.
Re4uired %ontri&utions. 2n credit co"rses especiall&, st"dents can -e
re0"ired to sign on and contri-"te s"-stanti+el& a certain n"m-er of times.
5ith some comp"ter conferencing s&stems, it is possi-le and ma& -e
appropriate to re0"ire a participant to respond to the topic or 0"estion "nder
disc"ssion -efore he>she can access the ans,ers posted -& other
participants.
Present !onflicting :pinions. 2nstr"ctors can dra, attention to opposing
perspecti+es, different directions, or conflicting opinions that co"ld lead to
de-ates and peer criti0"es.
In#ite 5isiting ,*perts. D"est e6perts ma& 4oin the conference ,ith st"dents
to respond to posted contri-"tions, or so st"dents can as. 0"estions of the
+isitor.
0on1t Lecture. $6perience strongl& s"ggests that a long, ela-orate, logicall&
coherent se0"ence of comments &ields silence. 2nstead, "se open)ended
remar.s, e6amples, and ,ea+ing to elicit comment and other +ie,s.
Re4uest Responses. %he instr"ctor ma& as. partic"lar learners for
comments on a topic or 0"estion, then gi+e them time to respond, for instance
8-& tomorro,.8
7ocial #ecommendations
/e 3ccepting of Lurkers. #ecogni3e that there ,ill -e 8l"r.ers8 in the
conference and the& ma& ne+er participate ,ith comments. 7ome people
learn -& listening to others so do no ass"me learning is not ta.ing place. Both
l"r.ers (or an& latecomers to the class) m"st -e ac.no,ledged and
,elcomed.
6uard 3gainst Fear in +our %onference. ear of p"-lic ridic"le often stifles
participation in !!. Be gentl& accepting of st"dents< comments and deal ,ith
e6ceptions off the list.
7atch the 2se of $u"or or Sarcas". 2t ma& -e ,ise not to "se h"mor or
sarcasm d"e to different c"lt"ral and ethnic -ac.gro"nds that ma& -e
represented on the !!. ;sing te6t)-ased comm"nications, it is especiall&
diffic"lt to constr"e intent and tone from on)screen te6t, "nless &o" .no, the
st"dent<s +er& ,ell.
2se Introductions. %he facilitator sho"ld enco"rage the participants to
introd"ce themsel+es, to help -"ild the sense of comm"nit&.
9
Facilitate Interacti#ity. A sense of interacti+e participation is often promoted
-& "sing special introd"ctor& techni0"es, d&adic partnering, and some
assignments that facilitated informal disc"ssion among learners.
Praise and odel the 0iscussant /eha#ior +ou Seek. #einforcing and
modeling good disc"ssant -eha+iors, s"ch as -& sa&ing, 8%han. Ho"8 to
st"dents ,ho respond effecti+el& online, can -e helpf"l to enco"rage co"rtes&
and interaction..
Do @ot 2gnore Bad Disc"ssant Beha+ior. #e0"est change (pri+atel&) in poor
disc"ssant -eha+iors and ha+e a ,ritten 8neti0"ette8 statement to refer to..
,*pect That Fla"es ay Occur. Participants ma& -reach eti0"ette and
respond ,ith harsh or +"lgar lang"age. 2f this pro-lem sho"ld occ"r, the t"tor
needs to react and remind people (pri+atel&) a-o"t comp"ter eti0"ette.
1anagerial #ecommendations
Infor"ality( Depending "pon the instr"ctional o-4ecti+es of the co"rse, the
instr"ctor ma& decide that informalit& sho"ld -e enco"raged. :ne ,a& to
stress the informalit& of this comm"nications medi"m is to let people .no,
that perfect grammar and t&ping are m"ch less important than ma.ing their
meaning clear. 2t<s simple to edit items that ,ill -ecome part of the gro"p<s
report later.
0istri&ute a List of Participants. Distri-"te, or ma.e a+aila-le to all
s"-scri-ers to the conference, a list of participants so that pri+ate messages
can -e addressed to indi+id"als and not to the list.
/e Responsi#e. #espond 0"ic.l& to each contri-"tion. :ne ,a& of doing this
is -& posting a personal message to the contri-"tor or -& referring to the
a"thor<s comments in a post to the conference. 2n some conferences, it is not
ad+isa-le to respond to each indi+id"al contri-"tion, -"t -etter to respond to
se+eral at once -& ,ea+ing them together. $6perience ,ith &o"r content and
st"dents ,ill need to g"ide the instr"ctor))test different ,a&s to see ,hat
,or.s most effecti+el&.
Pro#iding for 3d"inistrati#e Responsi&ilities. !oordinating and pro+iding
information a-o"t acti+ities for s"ch things as registration, admissions, st"dent
co"nseling, normal -oo.store acti+ities and man& other administrati+e
f"nctions often are 0"estions ,hich are "nanticipated -& the no+ice online
instr"ctor.
/e Patient. 1essages sometimes are not ac.no,ledged or responded to for
da&s or ,ee.s -& conference participants. !ontrast the last recommendation
concerning responsi+eness ,ith this one: Be prepared to ,ait se+eral da&s for
comments and responses, and don<t r"sh in to fill e+er& silence ,ith
moderator contri-"tions.
5
#e0"est !omments on 1etacomm"nications. #e0"est
metacomm"nications)-& in+iting participants to tell ho, the& feel a-o"t the
co"rse ,ithin the conference.
Synchroni!e and Resynchroni!e. As m"ch as possi-le, ens"re that all
st"dents -egin in "nison and in an organi3ed fashion. Also, periodicall& design
,a&s so that st"dents can 8restart8 together.
/e indful of the Proportion of Instructor %ontri&ution to the
%onference. As a r"le, instr"ctors or moderators sho"ld generall& contri-"te
-et,een one)0"arter to one)half of the online material.
Procedural Leadership. %he online t"tor sho"ld initiate proced"res and stifle
fr"strating proced"ral disc"ssions. !hange ,hat isn<t ,or.ing, -"t don<t allo,
the conference to -e ta.en o+er -& disc"ssion of failed proced"re rather than
content or more "sef"l disc"ssion.
2se Pri#ate ,"ail for Pro"pting as is 3ppropriate for 0iscussion . ;sing
pri+ate messages the facilitator can "rge participants to 4oin in the disc"ssion,
to initiate de-ates, and to solicit s"ggestions.
/e %lear. 7"ccinctl& and clearl& state the conference topic and the
e6pectations for st"dents ,ithin the conference. !larif& the topic and
e6pectations thro"gho"t the conference proceedings.
0on1t O#erload. %he instr"ctor sho"ld pace the conference so that the
e0"i+alent of a-o"t one long post per da& is made. 2f the participants ha+e a
lot to contri-"te, the moderator sho"ld contri-"te less so that the slo,er
st"dents can .eep "p.
%hange isplaced Su&'ect $eadings. 2mmediatel& change the s"-4ect line
on a contri-"tion posted "nder a ,rong disc"ssion heading to the more
appropriate one.
=andle %angents Appropriatel&. #et"rn inappropriate digressions to the a"thor
or g"ide the participates -ac. to the original topic.
5ary Participants1 3"ount of %ontri&ution. 2f there is a participant ,ho
appears o+erl& o"tspo.en, as. that person (pri+atel&) to ,ait a fe, responses
-efore contri-"ting. 7imilarl&, as. less o"tspo.en indi+id"als to participate
more acti+el&.
Student Leaders. 2t is perfectl& reasona-le to design elements of most online
instr"ction so that st"dents co"ld ta.e t"rns as assistant moderators and lead
the disc"ssion. %his needs to -e determined -& the content of the class, and
the s.ill, .no,ledge and attit"de of the st"dents. B"t again, one instr"ctor
does not necessaril& need to solel& e6ec"te all these roles and tas.s.
B
Preparation Ti"e. 2nstr"ctors find that planning, de+eloping and distri-"ting
co"rse materials needs a s"-stantiall& greater lead)time for preparation than
ma& -e anticipated at first.
,nd the Sessions. Decisi+el& end to each disc"ssion thread and the
conference. !oncl"de disc"ssions so that the& don<t drag on after the& ha+e
ser+ed their p"rpose.
$a#e e*perienced instructors. A+oid ha+ing a first)time instr"ctor also teach
online the first time.
%echnical #ecommendations
2se Technical Support. ;sing face)to)face t"torials sessions for no+ice
comp"ter conference participants is recommended, -"t not al,a&s possi-le. 2f
it is possi-le, it ma& -e "sef"l to ha+e technical s"pport people a+aila-le at
these sessions, and a+aila-le to ans,er emailed or telephoned in0"iries.
Before the conference -egins, the instr"ctor sho"ld .no, ,ho is a+aila-le for
technical s"pport that is needed -e&ond his>her s.ills le+el.
Pro#ide Feed&ack. Pro+ide s,ift feed-ac., especiall& to technical pro-lems.
0e#elop a Study 6uide. A common reader, st"d& g"ide or ,or.-oo. that
addresses -oth the content and an& common technical concerns is important.
%hese co"ld ser+e as the -asis for disc"ssion, pro+ide introd"ctor&
information, description of co"rse acti+ities, reso"rces materials, and other
information a-o"t the co"rse components or proced"res.
Pro#ide Ti"e to Learn. Learners need s"pport as the& learn and "se ne,
soft,are feat"res. Pro+ide ade0"ate time for no+ice "sers to -e comforta-le
,ith the technolog& -efore the& m"st participate.
-e) ethods of Indicating Feed&ack. :ne needs to de+elop standards for
online feed-ac. to st"dents< ,or., s"ch as ho, corrections or notes to the
a"thor can -e accomplished ,or.ing online +ers"s hardcop&.
Pro"ote Peer learning. $nco"rage no+ice email or e)conference "sers to
,or. ,ith more e6perienced peers.
3#oid Lecturing. 7ingle contri-"tions sho"ld -e limited to no more than t,o
screens. Longer postings are hard to read on screen, -ecome tedio"s, and
impede disc"ssion. 2f lect"re is in order, it is -etter to send the lect"re
separatel& as a reading, either electronicall& to -e do,nloaded, or -& mail.
6i#ing 0irection. 2t is important to not gi+e too m"ch direction. Learners ,ill
often re-el if the str"ct"ral design of the conference is e6cessi+e.
Su""ary
$ach comp"ter conference, regardless of the technolog& that carries it, has a
different 8feel8 a-o"t it and ,hat ma& ,or. in one setting ,ith one gro"p of
people ma& not in another. Both the teacher and each st"dent are challenged
I
-& ne, roles, f"nctions, and tas.s the& need to perform. 5hile instr"ctors are
as.ed to artic"late more clearl& their goals and methods to others in the
de+elopment team, st"dents are also as.ed to ta.e more responsi-ilit& for
their learning. 2t ta.es time for st"dent and instr"ctor to de+elop effecti+e "se
of technologicall& mediated instr"ction, and it ta.es time for st"dents to learn
in this en+ironment.
2n man& instr"ctional sit"ations, to -e s"ccessf"l there often needs to -e more
disc"ssion occ"rring among the st"dents than the one ,a& transmission of
facts and information from teacher to st"dent generall& allo,s. :nline
instr"ctors need to -e a,are that this can ma.e some st"dents and fac"lt&
profo"ndl& "ncomforta-le and ta.e positi+e steps to -"ild -oth confidence and
comm"nicati+e competence in online instr"ction.
!omp"ter conferencing "s"all& sho"ld not -e the onl& medi"m one "ses to
create the elements in a learning en+ironment. 2f &o"r instr"ctional goals and
o-4ecti+es lend themsel+es to the instr"ctor foc"sing on the right 0"estions to
as., rather than the right ans,er to gi+e, then comp"ter conferencing sho"ld
-e gi+en serio"s consideration as an effecti+e medi"m for comm"nication
,ithin the instr"ctional s&stem -eing designed.
#eferences
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rom the ield. $d"cational %echnolog&. 15(1) pp: (()'*.
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conferencing. 2$$$ %ransactions on Professional !omm"nications, P!(9(1)
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D"lle&, =. $. (19BA). Disc"ssion, !onference, and Dro"p Process ((nd). @e,
Hor.: =olt, #inehart and 5inston, 2nc.
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A
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or "rther #eading
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