In reviewing the readings for week 1 of LRNT 528 – Facilitating in Digital Learning Environments, I found myself nodding in agreement with many of the assertions. I reflected on previous learning experiences where these principles were implemented well or poorly and how that affected my perception of the learning environment and my engagement with the material. Using the 3-2-1 structure, here are my initial thoughts about digital facilitation:
3 initial thoughts, ideas or feelings I have about facilitation in digital environments
- Understanding your digital literacies as a facilitator, as well as the spectrum of digital literacies of your learners, is a critical success factor in a digital learning environment
- Facilitation is a dynamic activity between, and even within cohorts, and flexibility and adaptability are key to assisting students in achieving success
- Clarity of expectations and reflection on motivations are important in fostering engagement with learners as well as encouraging their engagement with the learning content
2 questions I have about digital facilitation
- How can facilitators in digital learning environments implement broader human-centric paradigms in practice, such as trauma-informed approaches, anti-racist perspectives, indigenous ways of knowing, and compassionate pedagogy?
- Will AI-mediated facilitation improve learning or dehumanize it?
1 metaphor or simile about digital facilitation
Me during icebreakers in digital learning sessions:
Chris, I love that meme. So good.
Great questions I am also asking myself these days.
Hi Chris,
I really liked revisiting your first post after everything we’ve done in the course. You talked about flexibility and adaptability as key traits for facilitators. Now that you’ve actually been in that role, do you still see those as the most important qualities, or did something else stand out once you were managing the discussions in real time?
You also mentioned the importance of clarity and motivation. Has your experience changed how you think about setting expectations or keeping learners engaged? I’m wondering if clarity looked different once you were juggling both design and facilitation at the same time.
And about your earlier question on AI-mediated facilitation, what do you think now that you’ve seen how much human presence affects tone and connection in online learning?
Thanks for returning to this post and for the questions Marion!
Regarding flexibility and adaptability, I think these are key elements, especially in a group facilitation model. However, like almost everything we’ve discussed in the MALAT program, context matters. I can see learning contexts where consistency in facilitation would be more important than flexibility, such as the military. training.
Clarity is crucial in education as it helps to establish expectations for both the learner and the educator. It also helps to implement flexible and adaptive approaches with less ambiguity. Coincidentally, our group received positive feedback on our facilitation week for exactly these types of details, which were intentionally included to ensure our learners were aware of expectations and alternative options. Regarding reflections on motivations, it’s an important exercise that is not always successful. However, as we planned our facilitation week, we intentionally chose resources and activities that we thought would appeal to our learners that could be adapted to their context, hopefully resulting in intrinsic motivation to engage with the content. Our feedback seemed to indicate this was the case, and there are some opportunities to improve.
Regarding AI, I tend to lean toward the critical side of the opinion spectrum. I believe it could be used to lighten the administrative burden of facilitation work, but I’m not convinced that AI facilitation bots are anywhere near viable as of this writing. My biggest concern is that the underlying motivations for the development of AI are profit and market domination, not humane and ethical use of technology.
Thanks again for asking these questions and for participating in our facilitation week!