Larry Murphy, Jr., EDUC 764 p.

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Relationship and Trust Building in Online Learning
Instructional Strategies and Assessment Methods (Dr. Susan Manning)
Larry Murphy, Jr.
July 20, 2014












Larry Murphy, Jr., EDUC 764 p. 2

Activating and Engaging
The first thing that comes to my mind is the importance of establishing a relationship in a
learning environment. For that relationship to grow, there has to be a trust between teacher and
student and student to student. This event occurred as a result of individuals wanting to gain a
deeper knowledge about assessment methods. This particular learning environment was chosen
for many different reasons. I think the main reason is the opportunity to balance work, family,
and educational dynamics while still allowing the individual to increase their knowledge. The
class is comprised of busy professionals from around the world and from different specialties.
There are several things that capture my attention:
Class Size
Demographics (both people and employment)
Varying experience levels related to the topic
I have anxiety because my actions and input will impact and influence another students
learning. My input could determine the course of my students future careers. Several questions
that are weighing heavy on my mind: Do I have the skillset to positively impact the students
understanding and retention of the material? Being an intern, will they trust my input and
guidance? Would they actually want to build a relationship with me?
Exploring and Discovering
My biggest focus will be observing my mentor and my students reactions to interaction
during the discussion groups. I will be closely observing questions that my mentor asks the
groups. I want to look at her style and responses to not only the simple questions but also the
more thought provoking and reflective questions. I will combine that with my face-to-face
experiences to improve my effectiveness and reduce my anxiety. I will also focus on her methods
of establishing her credibility and how she effectively builds relationships.
Based on this being just the second week, its hard to see an established pattern. At first
glance, from the first week, I would have to mention the importance of the icebreaker in
establishing trust and building relationships. Its hard to compare my experiences in a face-to-
face classroom with online facilitation. I dont have a point of reference. Are their similarities?
"Absolutely! "People have to engage and participate in both situations. Trust applies equally in
both situations. You have to establish your credibility in both situations to gain that trust. I would
like to say that I expected the online version to be easier, but I would be wrong. Its harder to
establish relationships with people you cant see or touch.
As I stated earlier, the attendees are seeking to increase their knowledge in regards to
assessment methods. For personal reasons, the individuals chose to address that utilizing the
online format. At some level they have taken an online course and it proved valuable based on
Larry Murphy, Jr., EDUC 764 p. 3

the institution and the quality of the instruction. So naturally I think the cause and effect stems
from their degree of trust in the organization and the faculty to provide them with quality
facilitation and a lasting relationship. What I mean by that is that individual may continue his or
her online career path or refer someone else to that institution/faculty based his or her individual
experience.
Organizing and Integrating
The exposure and hands on to the LMS, group facilitation, and feedback from the faculty
and the students will motivate me to improve my experiences in order to be a more effective and
trusted online facilitator. As it relates to my online experience in general, this is the most
effective and time saving way for me to balance work, family life, and my future educational
goals. This provides an awesome relationship building/networking opportunity as well.
Anyone who is attempting an online course should have a very good working knowledge
of technology, operating systems, and word processing software. Effective listening and
communication skills are critical tools to bring to the online environment. You dont necessarily
have to be an extrovert, but you have to have the ability to engage people. They should also have
some mastery of internet research. The importance of being able to write well would also benefit
the first time online student. And most importantly take the time to learn how to type!! I think
the proper term these days is being a very effective keyboarder.
Of all things, gaining confidence to be effective at online delivery to include the time
tedious aspect of course design. I am a one-stop shop in my f2f job. I imagine it would be the
same way if my organization took on the online facilitation aspect of the courses that we deliver.
Im the only person up to this point who has at the very least got my socks wet in regards to
online delivery.
This is just adding to what I first learned from my first f2f facilitation. You have to build
a relationship in order to establish trust. That trust between teacher and student will have a
positive impact on learning transfer and retention. I also realize that I cant allow the size of a
class to intimidate me. The anxiety and intimidation is felt on the student side as well. With that
being said, I would have to be that leader teacher for my future online students. Its not easy
and its very time consuming. Its very important to have strong organizational skills and a lot of
initiative.