Training delivery support – getting the measure right
The community engagement project is about to embark on their third and last online facilitation course for 2007. The final group of 20 teachers across the 6 projects in Queensland, NSW, Tasmania and Victoria, are getting ready!
The project has partnered with Gippstafe in Victoria to deliver their very popular three week intensive online facilitation skills course. This course is delivered by Frankie Forsyth – an internationally recognised expert on online facilitation - and supported by Josie Rose, member of the national project team.
Although a very intensive three weeks, previous participants from all 6 projects have found it very worthwhile, as they are presented with a highly structured yet immensely workable model of online facilitation. The knowledge and skills they gain form the course is immediately transferable to their own e-learning projects.
Participants gain skills in how to facilitate synchronous ( text and voice chat as well as Elluminate) and asynchronous (discussion topics) events.
Previous participants have commented that they found the discussion topics, which make up the majority of the work tasks, the most useful aspect of the course. They commented that they enjoyed the discussion topics because of the range of ideas and the different perspectives that others expressed as well as appreciating the support from the facilitators.
Some comments from individual participants were:
- I think the debates around topics such as “assess or not assess” - “private or public” were great. They were informative and gave lots of different views.
- Being new to e-learning I found it very user friendly and engaging.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the course.
- Thank you! I have really enjoyed being part of this course. I wish all of my trainers could have done it.
- I personally have enjoyed the interaction I am now looking more closely at toolboxes and am glad that I am able to continue to learn even with the course finished.
It is often difficult to know as a project team how we can best support our projects, and to what measure. This online course enables us to help practitioners discuss and debate issues that they are likely to face online and work together as a group to come up with strategies. It has provided them with models, skills and tools that will be of direct benefit to them in delivering their project outcomes.
We look forward to welcoming the final group starting on the 24th September!
