2.1 Understanding the skills required of a facilitator
The roles and responsibilities of a facilitator will vary from relatively simple tasks, such as encouraging participation in the online conversation, right through to supporting learners’ reflection on their learning. The nature of these roles will also vary as the course develops or as new people join. They can be summarised as involving six key stages, drawn from research into e-moderating (Salmon, 2000).
| Skills | Facilitator role |
|---|---|
| Motivating | Welcoming learners |
| Socialising | Helping learners get to know each other, develop mutual respect and establish a community |
| Exchanging information | Helping learners to focus on the task, summarise discussion and bring in relevant information |
| Constructing knowledge | Facilitating learners’ exploration and discussion of issues |
| Developing learning | Encouraging learners’ critical thinking and reflection about their learning |
| Encouraging further study | Suggesting additional study available to learners |
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2 Preparing to be a facilitator