Day 2: Facilitator Skills &

Instructional Materials

Skills for Distance Learning

Teaching online courses requires more time, patience and

understanding than teaching a traditional course (Smith, N.,
2003). Some key skills needed to for effective distance learning
are:
Preparedness unlike with traditional courses, online instructors do
not have the option of changing up course content on a last minute
basis, so its important to have all materials loaded and available to
students in advance.
Consistency with no face-to-face interaction, its vital that online
facilitators check in with their learners it not on a daily basis, establish a
schedule of when they will check into the learning environment.
Courtesy when replying to students, responses should be within 24
hours, and as all communication is in written form, be mindful of your
writing tone, in both general responses or critiquing assignments.

Strategies for New Facilitators

Within the confines of the three day training, participants
will be subjected to some of the same experiences as their
online students might encounter.
All training materials will be available through an
established collaborative site for the trainees, and all
participants will be charged with making general posts in
the learning environment, as well as submitting direct
messages to the training instructor.

Phases of Distance Facilitator

Development
Visitor faculty that has general
technology knowledge, and has considered
online learning.

Visitor

Novice

Apprentice

Insider

Novice faculty who have not taught

online, but have used some form of
supplemental technology tool within their
traditional instruction.
Apprentice fully committed to
implementing online learning, but have only
facilitated 1-2 courses.
Insider faculty that has conducted more
than 2 online courses, and has a solid
understanding of online course creation and
tools.
Master faculty has taught multiple
courses, multiple times, and has created
then from scratch.

Master

Distance Learning Theories &

Examples
Transformation
The students understanding of
the subject matter changes
and transforms the learners
initial cognitive thinking to a
state where the learner is able
to not only identify behaviors
in their real world
environment, but also express
it in written and verbal forms.
Example: These include twoway exchanges be they peer-topeer, or learner-to-facilitator.

Distance Learning Theories & Examples (cont.)

Framing
As students move into this
phase of learning, they are
able to not only speak/write
from a point of knowledge
about the content, but are now
also able to make comparisons
within their own experiences
as well as others.
Example: One might utilize this
concept in group situations,
where they might be charged
with explaining their
professional position, by making
a comparison with a common
frame of reference.

Emergence
Within this notion, students are
continuously, and effortlessly
able to reference concepts and
intertwine all their levels of
learning.
Example: A learner that has
reached this level of
understanding will be more
prone to hypothesize theories of
their own.

Engaging Distance Learners

When preparing a distance learning course, facilitators should be
mindful of incorporating some of the following theories into their
online course engagement:
Learner autonomy
The facilitator should be mindful of providing a choice of ways that the learner can
access and absorb the course content.

Openness
The facilitator should make sure that their online format allows the learner the ability to
access all course materials at any given time.

Diversity
Facilitator should incorporate a variety of tools to account for the different learning
styles of their students.

Interactivity
It is important for the facilitator to incorporate in their online course opportunities for
their student to interact with each other on some level to promote co-operative
learning, and increase emergent knowledge.
Bates, T. (2014). Learning theories and online learning. Retrieved from http://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/