Running head: FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Facilitator Training Program: Distance Learning

Lupe Dalluge
CUR/532
December 15, 2014
Phyllis Carbonaro

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Facilitator Training Program

Part I: Vital Information in the Facilitator Training
Training Program Audience
This training program includes key elements to train a mixed group of 20 adult education
facilitators and corporate trainers with little to zero distance learning training knowledge or
experience. The training courses will be facilitated over a period of a three days in a synchronous
environment. All trainees currently have bachelors degrees or higher in areas such as English,
teaching (higher education), business, and technology fields and are considered experts in their
fields based on their industry experience. The group ranges from 25 to 65 years of age and the
assumed current skills include very little knowledge about e-learning and teaching. None of the
trainees have ever taken online courses; however they all have some knowledge of computers
and one or two online learning tools. The majority of the trainees are currently looking to expand
their knowledge, are seeking a promotion within their current employer or a different
corporation, and some are currently retired looking to come back into the workforce as part-time
online educators.
Training Program Goals
Key Skills Needed To Be Successful In Distance Learning
o Day one training goals:
1) Learners will learn the course policies and procedures and have the
opportunity to create a questionnaire that will be answered throughout the
three day training program.
2) Learners will become familiar with each other with an ice-breaker game and
will have the opportunity to discover their true motivation for taking this

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

course. In addition, learners will be introduced to e-learning and distance

learning concepts.
o Day two training goals:
1) Learners will have an understanding of the concept of e-learning and other
methods of distance learning methods.
2) Learners will discover what strengths and weaknesses they may face as an elearning instructor.
o Day three training goals:
1) Learners will know what it takes to be successful as an e-trainer.
2) Learners will have some knowledge of distance learning tools and ways to
assess e-learners.
Key Training Objectives
See the chart following summative assessments for a breakdown of objectives by hour for
all three days of training. The chart includes, three objectives per day, as well as, other agenda
activities, breaks, assessments, and surveys.
Summative Assessment of Trainee Learning
Assessments will take place as follows; training day one will consist of a five minute
online self-assessment that relates to ones self-awareness of current knowledge, prejudices, and
biases toward online learning. Day two will conclude with a simple five question assessment
survey that will provide with feedback on how to improve the following days instruction. The
end of course survey will be implemented at the end of day three and it will consist of 10
questions, five that will survey the learners course satisfaction as well as the effectiveness and

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

outcome of training. The final five questions will determine whether the learning objectives were
achieved.
Time

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Hours 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

PBO 1: Learners will watch

a 15 minute video and be
able to recognized and
acknowledge at least 80% of
the requirements, policies,
and procedures for the
current course by the end of
training hour one.
Break
PBO 2: Learners will have
30 minutes to complete a get
to know you icebreaker
game while sitting in groups
of 5 learners per table and
will be acquainted to each of
the five learners
backgrounds by the end of
this hour.
PBO 3: Learners will watch
a 15 minute video Why is
e-learning so important for
todays educational
strategies?

PBO 1: The learners will be

able to recite the definition
of e-learning and list at least
3 other distance learning
methods by the end of hour
one of training.

PBO 1: Learners will learn at

least 3 different strategies of
a successful e-trainer and
will be able to give an
example for each by the end
of this hour.

Break
PBO 2: Learners will write a
list of at least 20 different
skills and traits necessary for
distance learning instructors
to be successful and be able
to remember at least 10 of
those skills at the end of this
hour.

Break
PBO 2: Learners, after a 10
minute Distance Tools
PowerPoint presentation,
will know and will explain
how to implement at least 2
different tools of distance
learning by the end of this
hour of training.

PBO 3: Learners will watch

a 5 minute podcast of an
example of a successful
online training session,
including feedback from
students. In addition,
learners will learn and recite
at least 3 weaknesses of
teaching online.
Questions & Answers
session

PBO 3: At the end of the

course training, learners will
take a 20 minute assessment
questionnaire that they must
pass with at least 80%
accuracy, confirming their
knowledge of the subject.

End of day survey for

instruction improvement.

End of course satisfaction

and final outcome survey.
Was program successful?
Networking

Hours 10:00 AM to 10:30

Hours 10:30 AM-11:30 PM

Hours 11:30 PM- 12:30 PM

Hours 12:30 PM-1:00

Questions & Answers

session

Hours 1:15-1:30

End of day self-assessment

online 5 minute
questionnaire.
Networking

Hours 1:30-2:00

Networking

End of course, questions &

answers session, and final
comments.

Part II: Facilitator Skills and Instructional Materials

Training (Instruction) Materials
Instructors of distance learning have the ability to teach almost anything; they do not
necessarily need to be experts in the area they are teaching. This leaves a wide-range of
possibilities for e-teaching in areas like, higher educations, corporate training, and employee
development. The materials will vary depending on the institution where they are facilitating

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

instruction. For the sake of this training manual; the target points we will discuss include
learning about e-teaching and distance learning methods, skills for effective teaching, strengths
and weaknesses of e-learning, becoming an effective instructor, developing teaching tools, and
assessing the material.
o Skills needed for effective learning facilitators:
Distance learning facilitators must have good written communication, great
organizational skills, time management, and some technology skills such
knowledge of internet & private computers. In addition, distance learning
instructors must always be prepared, not only to teach their programs, but also, to
effectively facilitate others instruction. It takes a great amount of discipline to
become an expert in e-learning; instructors should self-assess before they become
online instructors (Palloff & Pratt, 2011). Lastly, instructors must show and model
the passion for learning and teaching; specifically instructing online.
o Skills needed to create effective distance learning:
Distance learning trainers must be able to maintain a presence online, facilitate
instruction, and encourage participation within the group. By encouraging
participation the instructor will create a sense of belonging for each individual;
therefore, establishing a good online community environment for the group.
o Strategies one might you use to present these skills to facilitators:
Effective distance learning facilitators will model and foster ethical behavior in
the classroom. Moreover, using a variety of presentation tools will create a more
exciting environment for learning. Instructors may choose to facilitate group
presentations, create scenarios, and invite students to provide their favorite

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

learning methods. Students may also be encouraged to choose their own research
and presentation tools when creating their online projects.
Phases of Development for Distance Learning Facilitators
o Phases of development:
Visitor
These instructors who have occasionally used some online tools such as
email to communicate with students, posted or received assignments,
posted a syllabus, and performed other similar simple tasks online.
Novice
Instructors who have regularly posted syllabi online or used online
communication with their face-to-face students. They may or may not
have taken an online class.
Apprentice
Instructors who have taught online one or two terms and have a little more
experience with the online classroom as an instructor or student.
Insider
Instructors who feel more comfortable teaching online because they have
taught more than two semesters and more than one course. They also have
more knowledge and experience with online programs and the technology,
and may have developed instruction (designed courses) themselves.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Master
Instructors that have taught regularly for years and have mastered the
technology for online teaching. These instructors may have developed
some of the courses and can serve as mentors for other novice instructors.
(Phases of instructor development retrieved from: Palloff & Pratt, 2014).
o Transitions between stages:
Transition from visitor to novice may occur when the instructor decides to take an
online class themselves and becomes more involved in using online teaching
tools. The novice to apprentice transition will occur as the novice is mentored and
implements online tasks regularly to their original face-to-face teaching including
regular use of online technology tools. Apprentice to insider transitions as the
apprentice becomes the mentor and develops their skills even further by teaching
regularly and getting involved in developing online material. The transition from
insider to master will take some time as the insider develops effective mentoring
skills, as well as, assists with online tool implementations and course design. The
master instructor could serve as a mentor to all the prior instructors in any phase
of development.
o Other phases or strategies for online faculty development:
Stage 1. Teacher as learner as they gather information and learn to develop the
knowledge of online tool use; instructors are developing their skills.
Stage 2. Teacher as adopter as they learn to implement what they have learned and
become mentees. This is the phase for experimentation.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Stage 3. Teacher as co-learner as they become more involved in curriculum design

and delivery. They will also co-teach the lessons and share ideas for assessing the
material.
Stage 4. Teacher as re-affirmer or rejector as they develop an awareness for
outcomes of objectives and learn about the impact of the results. In this phase, the
learner is also able to make decisions that will affect future learner outcomes.
Stage 5. Teacher as leader as they take a leadership position and become mentors
themselves. In this phase instructors become researchers and are considered
experts in e-learning technology and curriculum implementation.
(Phases of instructor development retrieved from: Palloff & Pratt, 2014).
Theories of Distance Learning (E-learning)
o Three e-learning theories:
Intrinsic Motivation Theory considers what motivates the individual to
learn based on internal motivation.
Social Informatics Theory refers the interaction between individuals as
information is exchanged and changes patterns.
Digital Media Theory concentrates on still and moving images that are
viewed by a multitude of devices like laptops, desktops, and other smart
multi-media devices.
(Theories retrieved from: E-Learning Theory and Practice by Haythornthwaite & Andrews,
2014).

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

o Examples of how these theories apply to different scenarios:

An individual might be intrinsically motivated to learn if they have decided to
take courses based on a deep personal desire to obtain a college degree as a way better
themselves or to set a good example for their children. Additionally, the learner may have
been told that they would never achieve this goal and has set it as a personal challenge for
him or herself. A social informatics theory of learning could be based on individuals
sharing information on social sites such as Facebook or Twitter. The knowledge share
could include anything from personal travel experiences to solving math problems on the
web. The third and final example is for the digital media theory; you tube has become a
large network of sharing videos in which people can post lessons. Learners can watch and
receive instruction on any subject from singing to dancing to learning how to create your
own bow tie.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

10

Theories for Engaging Distance Learners Model (*Image retrieved from Google images)

The distance learning model above depicts how the future of distance learning is no
longer applied to just higher education and professional development; in the near future, this type
of teaching will become essential for K-12 organizations, as well as, to other formal traditional
educational institutions.
Part III: Management and Technology Tools
Mentoring Program for Faculty
o Goals and objectives of the mentoring program:
Through mentoring programs e-learning faculty will learn policies and procedures
directly related to online teaching. The main objective of mentoring programs is
to help develop an understanding and to acquire the right skills to become an

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

11

effective e-learning facilitator, and to assist in applying technology in a classroom

environment. An experienced instructor will most likely become a mentor to a
novice mentee seeking to gain the experience of e-learning themselves.
o Identification Criteria:
The mentor must be an expert in their field and be a master in the skills of
e-learning.
The mentor must have a masters degree or equivalent in experience in
the area of instruction.
The mentor must have been teaching or facilitating instruction for a
minimum of five years.
The instructors have had a minimum of 10 years of experienced combined
in both traditional and online facilitating experience.
The mentor is a life-long learner and instills this type of willingness to
learn to their faculty students.
The mentor is opened to learning new trends of technology related to elearning.
The mentor has taken online courses themselves regularly, giving them
personal experience with both the technology and online learning forum.
The mentor therefore has hands on experience and has developed a
perspective from both sides of e-learning, as a teacher and student.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

12

Management and Evaluation Programs for Facilitators

o How the faculty learning community approach affects management:
The possibility of poor participation in the programs exists due to lack of
confidence view towards online learning. In this case; faculty could
become an advocate themselves as they become familiar with the quality
of distance learning and they share it with other potential learners.
Lack of programs available to train instructors could be resolved by
sharing current information as each gains more experience.
Lack of knowledge of technology, could be overcome with simple videos
or online tutorials.
o Specific challenges and strategies used to manage adjunct from a distance:
The lack of prompt communication could be solved by providing fast
feedback and fast outcome results.
Instructors with poor online presence could be encouraged to become
active participants in discussion forums.
Providing an end of course survey will ensure that faculty understands
their strength and weaknesses; this presents a good source of selfawareness and opportunities for improvement.
o Evaluation strategies used:
Self-assessments (informal), given once at the beginning of the course.
Knowledge based assessments as applied theories to a series of scenarios
(authentic assessment/informal), given twice or more often throughout the
course.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

13

End of course survey (formal), given once at the end of the course.
o How the evaluation and management strategies align to the identification of
effective faculty skills and behaviors in Part I:
The evaluation and management strategies should reflect and align with the skills
in part one.
Learning Platform (LMS/CMS) for Distance Learning Faculty for Facilitators
o System used description:
The system use for this type of training is the new classroom (OLS).
Present information such as lectures or videos will be presented in main
forum.
Class discussions will be conducted in the class activity discussion forum.
Private discussions will be take place in the private forum.
Assignments will be received by clicking on the assignments link and
then uploaded through the assignments tab.
Assignment feedback and grades will be provided in the grading tab
accessed by clicking on the assignments link.
Technology or media tools that engage and enhance student learning
o Audio: Books can be provided in the form of audio books.
o Video: Instructional videos can serve as an added tool for learning material in
addition to traditional books.
o Visuals and infographics: Students can have access to information in the form of
visual presentations such as PowerPoint, piktocharts, and other similar
presentation tools.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

14

How Each Technology or Media Tool will Engage and Enhance Student Learning
o Audio: Students that may have vision issues can benefit from audio books.
o Video: Students that are stronger with visual would benefit from watching videos.
o Visuals and infographics: Students that perhaps have hearing impaired issues
would greatly benefit from information in a written and graphic form.
Part IV: Issues and Classroom Management
Three Different Technology Tools for Student Collaboration
o Blogs: Students can share real-time information and this can become a different
way to collaborate and share information.
o Skype, Apple FaceTime , or other teleconferencing tools: Through this
medium instructor and students can have face-to-face time at least once a week.
o Mobile computing: Mobile devices and laptops are a great source to stay in
communication while traveling.
Three Different Distance Learners
o Cultural: Learners that tend to receive and pass on their knowledge to others
within their same culture or community.
o Experiential: Learners that gain experience by performing the actual tasks or
watching others doing it.
o Prior Learning experiences: Learners that have acquired certain knowledge from
work, prior courses, and other formal training or professional development.
Differences between Synchronous and Asynchronous Facilitation Skills
Synchronous lessons take place when all students can be a part of class at the same time;
this type of learning can take place in a classroom or online. However online requires a little

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

15

more planning and skill. The main skills needed include to be disciplined in task completion and
participation, excellent written and oral communication skills, and time planning skills.
Asynchronous participation allows for more flexible hours for class attendance. This type of
learning typically takes place online. Students have the ability to choose when and how long they
want to go to class. Asynchronous participation requires great time management skills, selfdrive, and constant motivation.
Technology Management Issues and Resolutions
Some of the main issues that students face in e-learning is finding materials and opening
books and online resources. In this case students can call technical support to get the problems
solved. In addition, students run into issues that involve their devices breaking down or getting
infected with malware. Students then are required to take their computers to a vendor or may
choose to purchase a new one. Often times, students are offered discounted rates for these
products. The third example is unfamiliarity with the technology; students may want to contact
their school advisors to get assistance with signing up for a quick workshop to tour their ecampus
or the advisor may take it upon themselves to do a pre-walk to class with the student.
Classroom Management Issues and Resolutions
o Learner feedback:
Messages must be clear and promptly returned.
Comments must be honest feedback balanced with some positive
information.
Audio can be used as an added tool to give feedback to students. This may
be helpful in saving time for faculty that may be teaching more than one
course at a time and have many papers to grade.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

16

o Challenging behaviors
Cyber-bullying could happen in e-learning classrooms; instructors must be
prepared to teach proper online etiquette behavior and also model this type
of behavior.
Inappropriate posts will require prompt communication with students via
private forum. Students must be warned this type of behavior is not
tolerated and accepted. A general message can also be posted in the class
forum but making sure no names are mentioned.
Lack of participation or engagement will require instructors to model the
behavior required. In other words, the instructor should maintain constant
contact with students in the class forum. Moreover, instructors could
become a great positive instigator for conversation by asking questions.
ADA Learners and Associated Strategies
Instructors must always follow ADA guidelines set by the federal government and their
institution. Students with special needs must fill out the proper paperwork to be allowed any
exclusions, like more time to compete assignments, to obtain special learning tools, and for other
unique accommodations they may require for learning. Instructors must make students aware
that accommodations will not be made unless the need has been documented and it exists on file.
Instructors must also remember that to make special arrangements for one student (when making
exceptions without proper documentation), the same courtesy should be offered to the rest of the
students to make it fair to the class.

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

17
References

Caroline, H., & Richard, A. (2011). E-Learning Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications LTD.
Distance Learning Model picture retrieved from: https://images.google.com/
Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2011). The Excellent Online Instructor, Strategies for Professional
Development. San Francisco, CA: Josey- Bass.