1. Facilitator Training Program Roosevelt Cooper III Cur/532 H.Garth Beerman

2. Welcome  Today you begin your journey as an online facilitator in the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command.  You will embark on a 3-day module Training hosted by various Air Force Senior Enlisted and Commissioned Leaders  Please enjoy your training and be sure to leave us feedback on how we can make your training experience better in the future.

3. Overview of Training  Part I (Day 1)– Vital Information  Part II (Day 2)– Facilitator Skills and Instructional Material  Part III (Day 2)– Management and Technology Tools  Part IV (Day 3)– Issues and Classroom Management

4. Part I  Training Program Audience Our audience for this training is geared for those E-6 and above. This is because we feel that those in these positions have the right amount of experience in training, mentorship and leadership. These skills coupled with the ever growing use of online learning the Air Force is seeking those individuals who can meet the needs of those new Airmen.  Training Program Goals The training goals of this program are to instill the basic and necessary skills to be successful in an online teaching environment. Some of the key elements we will be looking at in this training will be the technology used in the online learning environment, facilitating online learners and

5.  Training Program Objectives Day 1: Trainees will show basic competency in computer and software use. This is to show that the facilitators won’t have any issues when working on the computer. Trainees will share basic facilitator understanding and knowledge. Being a facilitator there must be understanding of the basics and how to use those in an online learning environment. Day 2: Trainees will be able to identify new technologies used in online learning. New technologies are introduced everyday it is important to stay abreast on which ones can be used in online learning. Trainees will also discuss how to establish and build learning communities online. Building an online community is important with online learning as it helps to build rapport among the learners and the facilitator as well. Day 3: Trainees will choose one new technologies to use in the learning environment and explain why. When choosing the technology your going to use it is important to have good reason why and to ensure your learners understand its use. Trainees will display knowledge of classroom management skills. Controversy is abound in online learning and knowing how to manage it is important.

6. Summative Assessment of Trainee Learning  How well did the trainees use the technology provided?  Were trainees able to provide appropriate information about facilitation of online environment?  Did trainees show competency combining technologies and online facilitation knowledge?  These are just some of the questions we ask at the end of our course to gauge the success of the trainees that complete this 3-day training module. To gauge the success of our training modules we ask for feedback from our trainees (you) about how well you received the information. Feedback can be done in one of many ways, a formal questionnaire will be handed out at the end, however if you wish to share your thoughts or ideas they are more than welcome either through comment cards or one on one discussion.

7. Part II Skills needed for effective distance learning facilitators. Phases of development for distance learning facilitators. Theories of distance learning. Theories for engaging distance learners.

8. Skills needed for Effective Distance Learning Facilitators:  Every facilitator will bring his or her own special skill set to the learning environment, however there are basic skills that all facilitators must have to be successful in the online learning environment.  Effective Communication Skills: this is necessary any where we go in life. In online learning this is extremely important as what we type will may be the only form of communicating our expectations and instructions  Ability to Create a Learning Community Online: Creating a learning community is important because this helps to make our learning environment self sufficient. Facilitator/learner, learner/learner interaction is one of the key steps to establishing community  Effective use of Technology: The previous 2 skills are important but one of the larger components to online learning is the use of technology. Any technology used in the online environment it is important to know how to use as you will be looked at as the subject matter expert on the tech. don’t prescribe to use something you have not used yourself.

9. Phases of Development for Distance Learning Facilitators:  To be an effective online facilitator there are phases of development that most of us go through when we are becoming facilitators. These phases illustrate what we should be learning or should know when being a facilitator for an online environment  Learner: At this phase your simply gathering information, developing skills to perform instruction based tasks with technology.  Adopter: This is an experimental stage, here you try various technologies and share your experiences with other others  Co-learner: Here we have something forming, that “something” is the combination of technology and the delivery of the curriculum. Here seeking students technical assistance is common.  Reaffirmer/Rejector: Becoming aware of learning outcomes is apparent here, along with identifying how technology impacts student learning.  Leader: The final phase, here you are the “master of your domain” with your experience now you should share it with new learners

10.  Theories of distance learning:  Transactional: space between instructors and learners in an educational setting  Multimodality: communication via multimedia outlets  Communal Constructivism: Individual contribution with benefits from a community  Theories for engaging distance learners:  Set Clear Goals and Objectives: Again communication is key to the success of your learners, however it is important to note that effective communication begins with you and how clear your set your goals and objectives.  Have an Online Presence: While it would be nice for our courses to teach themselves we do not have that luxury. As a facilitator establishing your online presence is important because it lets your learners know who you are, what you expect and what role you will be playing their online course  Establish a Community: Establishing a community is the main goal of many online courses. When we establish a learning community, rapport between facilitator and learner, learner and learner is made. Another benefit is social learning now takes place and your course essentially runs itself

11. Part III

12.  Mentoring Program for Faculty: Some common elements in mentoring programs are providing views on technology use, individualizing tech support, and emphasizing the creation of a learning community. While there are other common elements we focus on these three because they are what we feel are the more important aspects to our mentoring program.  Management and Evaluation Programs for Facilitators:  Communication and Community: being a facilitator for online learning can get lonely. Frequent and clear communication is very critical to facilitators effectiveness and management  Training and Mentoring: Mentoring is an integral component of the training and faculty development process. One element however, is also important that is the need to incorporate and train facilitators on the policies and expectations of online teaching  Faculty Support: Include the need of administrators to participate in online facilitators training being offered. Administrators should also stay current with the literature of online teaching and learning to be knowledgeable about issues such as appropriate course enrollment, development, and facilitator evaluations.

13.  Learning platform used by the distance learning faculty for facilitating their classes: LMS or the learning management system is what we use to facilitate our online courses. LMS software makes facilitating online learning very easy. It also provides us ways to keep track and progress our learners. Much like TBA, Training Business Area, everyone should have access to it.

14. Different Technology or Media tools that engage and enhance Student Learning: The different technologies we use to engage and enhance our learners range from a variety multimedia outlets such as: Audio/Visual (Youtube, Podcasts, audiobooks) Infographics (Piktochart, Prezi) and Games/simulations (created in house for our learners to practice real world situations in an online environment)

15. Part IV

16.  Different technology tools for student collaboration:  1. FotoBabble: Allows for groups to compile information, interact with one another and share via Facebook  2. Trello: a card-based system for keeping your project overview as simple as possible. You can create custom columns like “To-Do” or “In Progress” which you will use to organize individual tasks.  3. Slack: A communications tool you can get all your different conversations sorted into different channels, you can integrate tons of services

17. A Description of the Different Distance Learners  There are dozens of different learners out there, both in class and even more in the online learning environment. Some of the important things to be mindful of are age, academic background, and proficiency with technology. Age is always important as we must always be mindful of those we address. Academic background is another big thing, though some may have completed high school, school is not everyone's strong suit and as facilitators we must learn to work with our learners on all levels. Lastly just because someone is young does not mean he or she is proficient with technology. We must measure our learners skill with technology and gain a feeling for where they are

18. The Differences between Synchronous and Asynchronous facilitation skills  Synchronous, which is what we are currently in, focuses facilitators on learners in their current “line of sight” sort of speak. This form of learning is where all the learners learn at the same time and facilitators assist those learners almost immediately  Asynchronous, where learners learn at different times is what distance learning is mostly comprised of. Facilitators still interact with their learners though not as immediate as those in a synchronous learning environment

19. Technology Management Issues and Resolutions Some issues we face along the way as online facilitators are as follows: Virus/Security Breaches: Though everyday our comm personnel work hard to ensure we are not breached or attacked by malicious viruses they are only human. A resolution to this issue is ensuring your computer has up to date anti-virus software, your not opening any suspicious looking emails or links Inoperable Links: Sometimes links we want our learners to use are out of date or the link is “broken”. A resolution to this is checking that what you copy and pasted, make sure the link is still connected and the website is not downed Difficulty using an Operating System: We’re not computer experts so occasionally we have issues with our operating systems. Resolutions to these come from simply reading your owners manual or going to youtube and learning as much as you can about what your using.

20. Classroom Management Issues and Resolutions  Learner Feedback: Feedback is necessary for growth and development of any online learning environment and its facilitator. When learners don’t share feedback it tell the facilitator that everything is “ok” and no issues are resolved. A resolution to this is different forms of assessments for learners to use to provide feedback.  Cyber Bullying: With cyber bullying on the rise, knowing how to spot and identify it is important. Cyber bullying is defined as harassing behavior transmitted electronically. A way to curb cyber bullying is setting clear expectations and rules.  Lack of Participation/Engagement: Participation is a huge part of establishing a learning community. If learners are failing to participate or be engaging then this could halt or even eliminate the learning environment. Resolution to this issue is simply making it clear that participation/engagement is part of the course. Failing to do so will only result in those learners failing to excel to the next level.

21. Conclusion  Congratulations, you’ve completed all the modules! We hope that this training has served you well and that you will use what you have learned here in your future Online Courses.  Please take time out now to fill out our simple questionnaire about the training and leave us a comment on what you think we can do to make this training better for the future. “Aim High, Fly, Fight …Win!”