Introduction

Welcome to this online facilitation training module.

Effective management of learning interactions - conversation and collaborative work - is important for the success of online learning. Some people would even argue that how this is done can make or break the online learning experience for students.  What do you think?

The purpose of this training module is to assist you to identify the role of an online facilitator and to recognise and manage the ebbs and flows of online facilitation.  You’ll develop practical and effective online facilitation skills, including the ability to evaluate your effectiveness as an online facilitator.

By the time you finish working through the module you should have learned how to do the following:

  1. Recognise and understand the kinds of online interactions which help students to learn, and understand the role of a facilitator in making these interactions happen. Develop knowledge and skills for facilitating online discourse.
  2. Apply principles of effective online communication, as participant and/or as facilitator. Make informed and swift decisions about discursive and facilitation strategies and tactics. Analyse and interpret an online discussion.
  3. Evaluate your own effectiveness as an online facilitator, and prepare advice for a colleague about online facilitation issues.

These are the intended learning outcomes for the module.

The module is self-paced and includes tasks and activities of variable duration, depending on how you decide to carry them out. For most people it will take around three hours. We recommend you set aside two or three blocks of time over a few days. The module can be done independently, but works best when you and a study partner do it at the same time – so consider asking a colleague to take the module along with you.

The module is organised around the three intended learning outcomes. You will reach these through a mix of background reading, active participation in online forums, strategy development, self-testing, and self-evaluation. If you’re working with a partner, you’ll also review each other’s work and provide each other with feedback.

Because this training module is designed to be worked through individually or in pairs, you will need to participate in a community discussion forum while you do the training. This will give you some hands-on experience with which to explore and test the tactics and strategies you are learning. 

Begin this activity before you proceed further in the module. Visit one of the following fora and join in some of the active discussions. You might need to register in order to post comments, and you may be able to subscribe to receive notification of further comments by email.

ILO 1: Understanding online facilitation


The role of a facilitator.

Skills and habits of a good facilitator.

The facilitator sets the rules for positive interactions.

Dealing with challenging situations.

Special interest topics: holding e-tutorials and facilitating peer teaching online.

ILO 2: Applying and analysing principles of online facilitation


Activity: Participate in online discussion.

Activity: Work through a practice scenario.

Case studies: How teachers facilitate online interaction for learning at La Trobe.

ILO 3: Evaluate yourself and prepare advice for a colleague on online facilitation issues

Activity: Reflective self-evaluation.

Activity: Quiz.

Activity: Prepare advice for a colleague.