Facilitating Online Learning

Summer 2010

Course Title: Facilitating Online Learning

Dates: July 12, 2010 (Face to Face)
July 13-August 9 (online)
August 9, 2010 (Face to Face)

Instructor: Jen Hegna, jen.hegna@byron.k12.mn.us, 507-775-2301

Skype ID - jenhegna
Location: Byron High School

Grad Credit. Participants that would like to receive grad credits for this course must develop a
lesson plan that they would like to incorporate online with their students. They must also write a
3- 5 page paper about how they can transition from a brick and mortar teacher to a successful
online facilitator using resources and findings from this course.

A. Course Description
During this inquiry-based, hands-on course, participants will review and reflect upon examples of
“best practice” in online learning. This process will take place in both face-to-face and online learning
environments using Moodle course management tools. Participants will have one day of face-to-face
training, followed by four weeks of online training where they will participate in and facilitate threaded
discussions, online chats and other activities. The course will conclude with a final face-to-face
session. Participants will also have access to prepared online courseware throughout the course for
review and to practice customization of courses.

B. Statement of Purpose
Over the last 10 years, learning opportunities for students and teachers have expanded from the local
classroom to a broader online classroom with anytime, anywhere access. The role of the teacher is
moving from one of delivering instructional content toward one that emphasizes the facilitation of
student learning. This course will encourage participants to take risks and make changes in the way
they teach. The course will provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on these changes as well
as to become more effective online content providers and facilitators through face-to-face and online
interaction.

D. Discussion Board Best Practice

It is best to check log into Moodle daily to keep up with discussions and continue to feel connected to
the course. However, because you are not on a fixed schedule it is up to you to develop the discipline
and schedule the time to be an active learner and teacher in this environment.

C. Course Outline
Class time will consist of approximately 36 hours of face-to-face and online training.

Session 1 FACE-TO-FACE (f2f)

Date: See dates listed above Face-to-Face Training 6 hours
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Participants will review best practice strategies for online courses using asynchronous and synchronous
learning, as well as discuss time commitment for the learner, instructional designer, and facilitator.
Participants will be introduced to an Online toolbox that includes Web2.0 tools that will be utilized for
collaboration and communication throughout the course. Participants will also be introduced to the
course management system (CMS) tools and will practice logging in, taking a course tour, sending
messages, exploring assessment and grading features and participating in discussion boards and chat
rooms using the virtual classroom. Finally, participants will have an opportunity to preview developed
online courses that operate within the CMS environment.

Week 1 ONLINE 4-6 hours

Topic: Best practice strategies for participating in an online course
This week’s objectives:
 By participating Web2.0 activities, participants will explore new collaborative tools to help build and
support online communities.
 Students will review and reflect strategies for online time management by participating in the forum
according to the discussion rubric.
 Students will review and evaluate strategies to engage learners in the online environment by
participating in the forum according to the discussion rubric.
 By submitting a reflection, students will begin to analyze their own learning strengths and needs to be
online facilitators.

Reading assignment (to be completed before the required activities listed below):
 Online Tools and Concepts Introduction (link in the course)
 Review of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning, as documented by the Illinois
Online Learning Network. This web resource presents a balanced view of online course
characteristics so take time to read both the “strengths” and “weaknesses” lists, 2007
 Lessons Learned Teaching Online, by George Siemens at elearnspace - everything elearning
www.elearnspace.org, 2002
 Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part I, Mark Prensky
 Lessons Learned –(Page 16-22) Online Course Development, Florida Institute, 2000

Required Week 1 Activities:

Pre-course Survey Make sure you complete your pre-course survey

Online Discussion Respond to discussion questions in the Week 1

Discussion forum and then reply to at least 2
participants’ discussion postings. (see discussion rubric)

SandBox Activities Set up a Calendar Event in the FOL SandBox course.

Make sure you login to the FOL SandBox course Set up an Announcement in the FOL SandBox course.
to complete these activities.
Make sure you add your name to your activities.

Selecting a Lesson Plan You will be required to develop a lesson plan for this
course.

Journal – reflection Please submit your reflection of the week.

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 Web2.0 Activity Join the Diigo Classroom Site

Week 2 ONLINE 4-6 hours

Topic: Best practice strategies for facilitating an online course
Participants will:
 Explore strategies for building online communities
 Reflect on the importance of interaction to engage and motivate students in an online
environment
 Explore learning style in an online environment

Reading assignment (to be completed before the required activities listed below):
 Online Teaching - Facilitation Introduction (link in the course)
 What Makes a Successful Online Facilitator? Illinois Online Network,
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/instructorProfile.asp
 Collaboration Generation: Teaching and Learning for a New Age, by Grace Rubenstein,
Edutopia, 2009.
 Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants- Part II, Mark Prensky (Optional Reading)

Required Week 2 Activities:

Online Discussion Respond to discussion questions in the Week 2

Discussion forum and then reply to other participants’
discussion postings.

SandBox Activities Post a Resource in the FOL SandBox course.

Make sure you login to the FOL SandBox course to Set up a Discussion Forum in the FOL SandBox
complete these activities. course.
Make sure you add your name to your activities.

Online Chat Participate in the weekly chat.

Journal – reflection Please submit your reflection of the week.

Web2.0 Activity Extending Diigo

Week 3 ONLINE 4-6 hours

Topic: Best practice strategies for evaluating student work in an online course
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Participants will:
 Explore strategies for evaluating online student participation
 Practice using online quizzes and the gradebook feature
 Develop methods for recognizing student work and providing constructive feedback
 Explore concepts for online course management

Reading Assignment:
 Online Teaching – Student Assessment Introduction (link in the course)
 Olt, M. (1998). Ethics and Distance Education: Strategies for Minimizing Academic
Dishonesty in Online Assessment, available at
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall53/olt53.html
 Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally, http://techlearning.com/article/article.aspx?Id=8670,
Andrew Churches, Technology and Learning, 2001
 If You Build It, They Will Come: Building Learning Communities Through Threaded
Discussions, http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring51/edelstein51.html, Edelstein &
Edwards, Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 2002
 Assessment, Feedback, and e-Moderation, Chapter 3 of the Elearning Guidebook for
Principles, Procedures, and Practice, by Som Naidu, Commonweath Educational Media Centre
for Asia http://www.cemca.org, 2006

Required Week 3 Activities:

Online Discussion Respond to discussion questions in the Week 3

Discussion forum and then reply to other participants’
discussion postings.

SandBox Activities Set up a Graded Assignment in the FOL SandBox

Make sure you login to the FOL SandBox course to course.
complete these activities. Set up a Shared Activity in the FOL SandBox course.
Make sure you add your name to your activities.

DIM DIM discussion This is web based software that will provide a
synchronous meeting space! I highly encourage you
to attend. It is free for up to 20 participants!

Journal – reflection Please submit your reflection of the week.

Web2.0 Activity Wiki assignment

Week 4 ONLINE 4-6 hours

Topic: Best practice strategies for designing an online course
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Participants will:
 Explore strategies for evaluating online student participation
 Develop methods for recognizing student work and providing constructive feedback
 Explore concepts for online course management

Reading Assignment:

 7 Tips for Better E-Learning Scenarios, Tom Kuhlmann, http://www.articulate.com/rapid-

elearning/7-tips-for-better-e-learning-scenarios/, Rapid E-Learning Blog, 2009
 Instructional Strategies for Online Courses,
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/instructionalstrategies.asp, Illinois
Online Network, 2007
 What does a high quality online course look like?, http://www.csuchico.edu/celt/roi/ ,
California State University, 2009
 Backward design process, http://digitalliteracy.mwg.org/curriculum/process.html,
DigitalLiteracy, Adapted/formatted from Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay
McTighe

Required Week 4 Activities:

Online Discussion Respond to discussion questions in the Week 4

Discussion forum and then reply to other participants’
discussion postings.

SandBox Activities No required sandbox activity this week!

Lesson plan assignment Submit your lesson plan.

Grad Students Submit your paper by August 16

Journal – reflection Please submit your reflection of the week.

Web2.0 Activity Voicethread

Post Course Survey Please finish the Post Course Survey

Session FACE-TO-FACE
Date: See dates listed above Face-to-Face Training: 6 hours
Participants will review their online experience and revisit course features and tools used over the past
three weeks. We will look at writing directions for the online audience, time management tips,
copyright and fair use, course management and grading, as well as discuss problems and solutions for
specific curriculum areas and the implementation of an online course.

D. Scoring Rubric for Participant Performance:

Activities and assignments in this course will be scored on the following scale:

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 Online Discussions
Discussion Board Rubric
By checking the discussion area often, you will become more engaged in the conversation –
have time to ask and answer questions of your classmates.
Discussion prompts should be no more than 2-3 paragraphs.

  Exemplary (5) Proficient (4) Adequate (3) Substandard (0-2)

Addresses all elements Addresses all Misses one element Misses 2 or more
of the prompt elements of the of the prompt elements of the prompt
prompt
Primary Post
Uses short reading Uses short reading Quotes excessively No quotations - does
Quality
quotations and quotations to long passages from not demonstrate
provides new hyper- support main point reading materials to understanding of the
linked resources to support main point reading.
support main points
Provides title, author,  Provides title,  Citation has missing  No citation information
Citations should and url citation for author, and url elements
help readers quotations and  new citation for direct
find the resources quotations
resource

Replies to 3 or more Replies to 2 primary Replies to 1 primary Does not reply to

primary posts posts posts primary post
 Uses 3 or more  Uses 2 response  Uses 1 response  Does not use response
*Response
response techniques techniques technique techniques
Quality
 Your Primary Post: Your Primary Post: Your Primary Post: Your Primary Post:
Responds to all first Misses one response Misses two responses Misses all responses to
comments to a first comment to a first comment a first comment
Posts/responds more Posts/responds 3 Posts/responds 2 Posts/responds less
Visibility / than 3 days during the days during the days during the week than 2 days during the
Participation week: beginning week, including week Posts/responds at
Timing middle and end middle and end end of the module
(Weekends)

*Response Techniques:
1. Expand on the topic.
2. Offer a different perspective
3. Provide an online resource relevant to the topic (include a hyperlink)
4. Provide a summary of the ideas posted so far (good when you come late to the conversation).
5. Ask a specific question (but avoid prompting yes or no answers). Thought-provoking questions or
additional insights help elicit responses from other participants.
6. Ask an open ended (on topic) question.

Discussion Board Rubric developed by Dennis O'Connor

Permission granted to Jen Hegna May 2009

SandBox Activities
Set up the required learning activities each week in the FOL SandBox course:
0-2 points / week
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 Module 1 – Calendar Announcement
Module 2 – Web Resource
Module 3 – Graded Assessment, Quiz

Weekly Web2.0 Assignment

Each week we will investigate new tools for: 0-2 points / week
Module 1 - Diigo
Module 2 - Diigo
Module 3 - Wiki
Module 4 - Voicethread

Online Chats
Participate in an online chat: 0-2 points / person

Reflection - Weekly Journaling

Be sure to reflect on your learning for the week! This will be helpful for you to review what
you have learned and help me, build a better course: 0-3 points / week

Weekly reflections are required throughout the course. At the end of each module you are to
submit your reflections. Weekly reflections will focus on the concepts and themes discussed
during the module. Your reflections should answer at least three of the following bulleted
questions and will be submitted each week in the appropriate classroom drop box.

 What was most useful to me in my learning process? What was least useful?
 Did I achieve my learning objectives in this week? If yes, what did I achieve?
 If no, what got in the way of achieving those objectives?
 What did I learn about my own learning process during this module?
 How did my thinking about teaching change this week?
 Do I feel that what I learned in and through this course will have applications in other areas
of my life? If so where will I apply this knowledge?
 How well did I participate in this week's discussion? Am I satisfied with my level and
quality of participation?
 How would I evaluate my performance in class this week overall?

Lesson Plan Assignment

Develop a lesson plan that you will be able to utilize in the online environment: 0-10 points

Grad Students Only

Write a 3- 5 page paper (APA – double spaced) about how you will transition from a brick and
mortar teacher to a successful online facilitator. Be sure to cite sources. This paper is required
to receive grad credit for participating in this course. 0-10 points

E. Bibliography and Resources: (complete list is located in the Resources sections of the course)

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