Advanced Facilitation Skills for Virtual Instructors

• Create a positive learning environment for all your learning initiatives.

• Gain the respect of your learners by establishing and maintaining your credibility.

• Add new facilitation techniques to your repertoire that will keep your learners engaged.

• Adapt your facilitation style to improve learning outcomes.

• Use your knowledge of group dynamics and group development to manage learner participation and prevent problem situations.

• Maximize transfer of learning back to the job

Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to:

• Characterize instructional strategy choices.

• Apply Adult Learning Principles in the virtual classroom.

• Establish and maintain instructor credibility.

• Use learner-centered lesson objectives.

• Describe and apply the Systematic Learning Process.

• Identify choices in implementing the Systematic Learning Process.

• Use voice effectively.

• Establish and maintain a positive learning environment for the virtual classroom.

• Capture and maintain learner interest in a live session.

• Encourage participation.

• Determine your preferred instructional style.

• Facilitate activities effectively.

• Use an inclusive communication style.

• Apply listening skills.

• Test for understanding during presentation.

• Apply questioning skills to promote interaction and learning.

• Determine how to adapt questioning techniques to affect group dynamics.

• Plan how to make effective use of instructor notes for virtual classes.

• Describe how to support asynchronous activities.

• Provide constructive feedback orally and in writing to the remote learner.

• Identify types of verbal behavior.

• Respond appropriately to participant verbal behaviors.

• Handle a variety of difficult situations.

• Recognize and resolve behavior problems with remote learners.

• Practice a recorded lesson with feedback, using appropriate virtual platform capabilities.

• Getting Started

  • Welcome and Introductions

  • e-Learning Environment

  • Focus on the Learners

  • Instructional Strategies

  • Instructor Credibility

  • The Human Element – Connecting by Voice

• Adapting VIVE to the Virtual Classroom

  • Keeping Learners Engaged

  • VIVE

  • Variety of Presentation Methods

  • Interactivity

  • Visuals

  • Examples

• First Individual Practice Lessons (15-20 minutes each)

• Nurturing the Learning Environment

  • Barriers to e-Learning

  • Virtual Classroom Facilitator Responsibilities and Skills

  • Establishing the Learning Environment

  • Group Process/Group Dynamics

  • Managing the Task Component

  • Monitoring Tools

  • Communication Style (Language and Transitions)

  • Listening Skills

• Second Individual Practice Lessons (15-20 minutes each)

• Using Effective Questioning Techniques

  • Why ask Questions?

  • Asking Questions

  • Testing for Understanding (TFU)

  • Question Levels

  • Aligning Objectives and TFUs

  • The Questioning Process

• Final Individual Practice Lessons (15-20 minutes each)

  • Best Practices

  • Debrief Assignments:

    • Facilitation Application and Feedback

    • Communicating in Writing

  • Managing Group Dynamics:

  • Instructor Verbal and Non-Verbal Behaviours

  • Recognizing Types of Verbal Behavior

  • Resolving Difficult Situations

  • What’s next?