The Roles of E-Learning Facilitators

The emergence of e-learning comes at a time when education and training are undergoing important transformations. Zane Berge a leader in distance learning broke down e-learning facilitation into four separate parts.

1. Instructor
2. Social director
3. Program Manager
4. Technical assistant

Instructor
The instructor self directs the learning. They offer assistance, provide alternative ideas, allow the learner to explore, acquire knowledge and develop new skills. As Berge suggests, e-learning facilitators’ primary instructional tasks are to:

· Provide information to help learners complete assignments
· Suggest ideas or strategies for learning
· Help learners to connect content with prior knowledge

Social Director
The aim of the social director is to foster collaborative learning. As facilitators we need to promote interpersonal relationships and help learners work together. Encouraging interactivity and participation is very important skills for facilitation.

Methods of fostering collaborative e-learning:

· BLOGS
· WIKI’S
· Collaborative projects
· Case studies
· One-on-one exchanges
· Discussions/Forums
· Emails
· Newsgroups
· Conferencing – use ADOBE CONNECT

Program Manager
Program manager is the third role of an e-learning facilitator. You are responsible for organisational, procedural and administrative duties. For example, developing study guides, uploading content, assessments, technical concerns, resource materials, describing learning activities, protocols and netiquette.

Technical Assistant
Facilitators as technical assistants help learners become comfortable with systems and software and prepare learners to resolve technical difficulties that may occur. The ultimate technical goal for facilitators, according to Berge, is to “make the technology transparent”. The more familiar facilitators are with the technology, the more they can focus on learners rather than technology.

Effective facilitators must feel comfortable using media and communication tools.

Questions:
What are some of the challenges you have faced as an e-learning facilitator?
What strategies did you implement to overcome the challenges?