On I T 7130: Facilitation of Online and Face-to-face Learning

It is self-evident that the one of the main objectives of this course would be learning about facilitation issues of online learning as well as in face to face learning…in process which would help develop instructional technology researchers as well as practitioners a deeper meaning of facilitation. The criterions of online learning are well emphasized in this course. Threaded blogs were required for the course. We extensively exchanged excellent ideas on facilitation. As a graduate course there were much flexibility and liberty to express any other supportive ideas students can prove beneficial.

For me, the most important thing I learned from this course is the theoretical base for facilitation issues. My understanding is that in a graduate course students should seek deeper thoughts and ideas to explore their intellectual capabilities. We often design instructional materials and, especially, distance learning activities without much thought given to the theory and research available. A great amount of research articles on facilitation has been provided in this course. Also, we were introduced to one of the prominent researches on online learning – Dr. John Keller. Introduction to these researches helped me in developing groundwork for facilitation in online and face-to-face learning we practiced throughout the semester. Now, I can find the rationale behind a good instructional design involving sound facilitation methods and techniques. On the other hand, I believe I am developing a sense of reasoning which will help me develop better learning materials.

I started the course with a much lesser background of employing facilitation techniques in instructional technology. This course showed me the ways to achieve that expertise. I learned the crucial differences between providing information and ensuring interaction in a learning environment. The course brought up many ideas which looked at facilitation in learning from different points of view. With the help of the textbooks which are one of the most authoritative resources in the field we came across the standard tools and practices in the facilitation in online and face-to-face learning.

The structure of the course with its “blended” approach was a firsthand experience for me to learn about online learning. We discovered many of the fundamentals of online learning while practicing it through the online facilitation. I felt more confident about the theories taught when I found ideas presented in those theories reflected in the practice.

In conclusion, I can rightly say this course was an excellent learning experience for me. Many courses give emphasis on either the theory or the application. This course was a unique blend of both of them. We learned both the theory and the process of its application in depth. In short, it was a “complete course”.