{"id":1231,"date":"2022-10-25T17:53:16","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T21:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0205\/?p=1231"},"modified":"2022-10-25T18:12:57","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T22:12:57","slug":"1231-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0205\/1231-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting 3-2-1 Digital Facilitation"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]\n

\u00a0\"past<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by Frank Grie\u00dfhammer<\/span><\/span>, <\/a>Flickr, used under CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote a post nine weeks ago about my perceptions of facilitation in digital environments using the 3-2-1 format. To wrap up LRNT 528, I have revisited those thoughts to reflect on my learnings and to add new insights I have gathered along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Past and present thoughts about facilitation in digital environments:<\/b><\/p>\n

Past<\/b>: Great face-to-face facilitators are not always great digital facilitators. Facilitating in digital environments requires a different set of skills.\u00a0<\/span>
Present: <\/b>Digital facilitation is challenging.<\/span> It requires a specific set of skills and involves receiving<\/span> regular feedback from learners (Garrison et al., <\/span>n.d.<\/span><\/a><\/span>).<\/span> Regularly soliciting feedback to see how a course is going is an excellent way to identify those struggling, not just concerning facilitation but with course content and technology as well. <\/span>Thus, being a great digital facilitator involves listening, learning, and growing to effectively guide learners toward realizing their goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Past<\/b>: <\/span>We all have a lot to learn. <\/span>Digital up-skilling should be continuous for anyone working online.\u00a0<\/span>
Present: <\/b>Technology is ever-changing, so anyone teaching online has to be willing and able to change with the times and needs of their learners<\/span>. <\/b>Students need teachers who can stimulate or at least maintain their interest in the online course when using technology (Moore, <\/span>1989<\/span><\/a><\/span>). But, choosing the right educational apps or tools can be a real challenge. Some challenges include <\/span>technological issues, lack of familiarity, and less than enthusiastic adoption, which can decrease student participation in the course and the efficacy of the learning (Anderson, <\/span>2018<\/span><\/a><\/span>). Bates\u2019 (<\/span>2015<\/span><\/a><\/span>) SECTION model can provide digital facilitators with a simple framework for making effective decisions about the choice and use of technology for teaching and learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Past<\/b>: The virtual spaces where digital facilitation takes place are not all created equal. We need to be humble while we strive to overcome any limitations.<\/span>
Present:<\/b> Digital learning environments vary considerably concerning participant profiles, means of inter-communication, goals for teaching and learning, activities, resources, digital tools, support, assessment strategies, and culture (Bates, <\/span>2015<\/span><\/a><\/span>). As online educators, we must adopt a responsive facilitation approach in these environments by continuously gauging how we are showing up for our learners. One way to do this might be to send out a mid-course survey to gather student feedback on the curriculum, technology, and facilitation approach to make quick improvements while the course is in progress (Garrison et al., <\/span>n.d.<\/span><\/a><\/span>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My responses to the two questions I had about digital facilitation:<\/b><\/p>\n

1) How can facilitators humanize the online experience? In particular, how can they create natural dialogue in these spaces?<\/span><\/p>\n

Courses designed using the CoI framework, where collaboration is emphasized, can humanize the online experience for participants by creating a safe space for learners to develop meaningful relationships and offering them opportunities to express themselves authentically as they engage in dialogue with others (Garrison et al., <\/span>2000<\/span><\/a><\/span>). According to Lopez (<\/span>n.d.<\/span><\/a><\/span>), the following facilitation design strategies can be employed:<\/span><\/p>\n