Facilitation in CMDL

1
Facilitation in CMDL

• Wlodzimierz Sobkowiak
• School of English, AMU

Leonardo da Vinci Project Final Meeting, 28 June
2001
2
Is it an issue?

• Internet search for facilitation teaching
  language yields 24,900 hits
• Different senses business meeting, speech
  therapy, formal instruction facilitating natural
  acquisition
• The bent of technology based language learning
  puts the teacher in a new role that of a
  facilitator (Neufeld Ravindran 1995)
• The online model consists of three key
  elements ... the facilitator, the curriculum,
  and the technology (Bedore3 2000)
• The students and facilitator can be scattered
  around the globe (Bedore3 2000)

3
No definition in

• Anderson,L.W. 1995. International encyclopedia of
  teaching and teacher education. Oxford Pergamon
  Press.
• Brown,D. 1994. Principles of language learning
  and teaching 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs,N.J.
  Prentice-Hall, Inc.
• Ellis,R. 1994. The study of second language
  acquisition. Oxford OUP.
• Richards,J., J.Platt H.Weber. 1985. Longman
  dictionary of applied linguistics. London
  Longman.

4
Definition

• Facilitation of learning is about (Winberg 1997)
• focusing on what learners want to learn
• going beyond the conventional teaching roles
• raising learners critical awareness
• being flexible
• Facilitators... (Brookefield 1986 123 - 4)

...assist learners to attain a state of
self-actualisation or to become fully functioning
persons...suggest alternatives, point up
contradictions, draw attention to relationships
of dependence, or prompt painful critical
scrutinies of assumptions, value frameworks, or
behaviours. to tutor-related facilitation to
memento
5
Facilitation in CMDL
Computer-Mediated Distance Learning

• Context-related
• Tutor-related
• Course-related
• (Peer-related)

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Facilitation context-related

• conduct needs analysis
• create demand/need/motivation/trust
• ensure flexibility of access (time- and
  place-wise)
• ensure affordability of access (money-wise)
• set up entry requirements and exit objectives
• ensure technical support
• (based on Harasim et al. 1995 ADEC 1999)

7
Facilitation tutor-related

• stimulate learner activity and cooperation
• offer attentive tutor feedback (small group size)
• establish norms of participation (e.g. netiquette
  standards)
• act as facilitator back to definition
• (based on Harasim et al. 1995 ADEC 1999)

8
Facilitation course-related

• provide a variety of methods, techniques, media
  and resources
• provide structure (of course and interaction)
• enhance openness to areas beyond the course
• allow flexibility of use and learner
  customisation
• build in artificial intelligence (e.g. in error
  feedback)
• make navigation easy (guide, menu, search)
• polish the technology (both hard and soft)
• proof-read, proof-read, proof-read
• (based on Harasim et al. 1995 ADEC 1999)

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Course-related facilitationin LdV MDEC

• strengths
• weaknesses

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Course-related facilitationin LdV MDEC strengths

• variety of resources, tasks, delivery methods,
  testing techniques, modes of interaction
• both knowledge-based and problem-based learning
• coherent and well-organised structure (lecture,
  BB, chat, calendar, etc.)
• intuitive navigation (menus, icons, logical flow)
• good audio recordings

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Course-related facilitationin LdV MDEC
weaknesses

• primum non nocere orthographic, grammatical and
  factual errors (sloppy proof-reading)
• some courses completely encapsulated
• missing elements of structure entry and exit
  material (e.g. info, diagnosis, certificate)
• little flexibility or customisation (e.g. no
  search facilities, strict linearity)
• rudimentary input check and error feedback
• software glitches to conclusion

____________________________________ The
trouble with most of us is that we would rather
be ruined by praise than saved by criticism
(Norman V. Peale. 1996)
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Software glitches

• gtgtNie ma softwareu bez bledow, trzeba jednak
  miec wyczucie kiedy mozna go puscic do
  klientaltlt (ltandrewgt in on-line LdV discussion on
  May 25th 2001)
• Theres no software without bugs, but one must
  feel when its fit to be released to the client

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Conclusion

• Facilitation ? (over)simplification

because facilitation is ... back to definition
14
Memento

• We've got three offices next to one another, and
  our main means of communication is e-mail and
  Instant Messages even though we could just speak
  to each other or bellow to each other in adjacent
  rooms. We prefer text as our main means of
  communication because.... well, not sure, really.
  I guess it allows us to multi-task, so to say,
  and we can deal with messages when we feel like
  it, rather than being interrupted in whatever
  we're doing at the time.
• Eric Baber, Eric_at_NLL.CO.UK
• (on a discussion list)

15
Questions? Comments?

• Thank you

sobkow_at_amu.edu.pl http//elex.amu.edu.pl/sobkow
16
Bibliography

• ADEC. 1999. American Distance Education
  Consortium Guiding Principles for Distance
  Learning and Teaching. http//www.adec.edu/
  admin/papers/distanceteaching_principles.html.
• Bedore,G., M. G. Jr. 1998. Online education
  the future is now. Phoenix,AZ Socrates Distance
  Learning Technologies Group.
• Brookefield,S.D. 1986 . Understanding and
  Facilitating Adult Learning. Milton Keynes Open
  University Press.
• Clarke,A. 2001. Assessing the quality of open and
  distance learning. NIACE.
• Harasim,L. et al. 1995. Learning networks a
  field guide to teaching and learning online.
  Cambridge,MA MIT Press.
• Neufeld,J. R.Ravindran. 1995. "Implications of
  education technology for individualised language
  learning". http//www.tp.ac. sg/content/lcd/lcdstu
  ff/ papers/rjstets.htm
• Peale,N.V. 1996. The power of positive thinking.
  Ballantine Books.
• Seneca College. Determining the suitability of
  distance learning courses. http//cnt.senecac.on.c
  a/article4.html
• Willis,B. 1993. Distance education a practical
  guide. Englewood Cliffs,NJ Educational
  Technology Publications.
• Winberg,Ch. 1997. How to Teach Adults. Cape Town,
  South Africa Juta Company Ltd.
• back