Being a virtual classroom facilitator is not the same as being an instructor in the traditional classroom. Apart from being a good teacher, you also have to be tech savvy. After all, your classroom happens online. But beyond that, you need to understand that studying online gives your students a lot of distractions. You should also be aware that whatever you are teaching them – may already be available in another website.
The truth is, you want to sell not just the lesson but the learning experience too. To do that, you need to become a great facilitator. That is how you can make your learners appreciate the course that you are providing them. While it is true that there are other factors that will make your elearning course exceptional, the way you deliver the lesson has a high effect on the success of the course. Ultimately, it is the facilitator who will leave a lasting impression in the learning process.
To become the best facilitator that you can be, here are 7 tips that we would like to share with you.
- Set clear goals and expectations. At the beginning of the lesson, you are encouraged to set the goals and expectations that you have in class. Make sure you give clear and concise expectations because it removes any false assumptions that your learners may have. That way, they can determine early on if they are in the right virtual classroom or not.
- Encourage active participation. Engagement is one of the best ways to make any lesson in your virtual classroom successful. You want to encourage your learners to actively participate in every discussion or activity that you will present to them. Now there are various ways that you can do this. You can start off your lesson with a question instead of just giving a straight lecture. By starting with a question, you can encourage the learners to think for themselves. By talking less and listening more, you can instill a sense of self-learning within your online classroom. Of course, you need to set up an environment that is relaxing yet engaging. That way, learners will be bold enough to air out their opinions without feeling like they will be judged by what they will say.
- Give learners the opportunity to collaborate. Another tip that will make you a great facilitator is by allowing them to collaborate in groups. This will allow learners to take charge of their learning process by helping each other in the group. Social learning is one of the effective ways of learning. By dividing the class into groups, you are also increasing the chances that each learner’s voice be heard.
- Be a guide. While learners are there to get information from you, it is better if you do not spoonfeed them the lesson. You want to teach them how to explore answers on their own and not to just wait around for their questions to be answered. In your virtual classroom, simply guide them towards new ideas and concepts. Give them the links and resources that will strengthen the lesson and try not to make everything available without further research.
- Offer bite-sized lessons. Information overload can be a real problem for online learners. It is one way to make your learners bored. When they start getting bored or overwhelmed by all the information that you are giving them, they might stop paying attention to you. Cut your lessons into bite-sized data so you can keep the lessons short yet meaningful.
- Use real life scenarios that learners can relate to. Using relatable materials in your lesson increases the retention rate in your class. This is also a great way to help students recognize the value of the lesson in their daily activities and transactions. Once they know the value of the course, they are motivated to engage and participate in the lesson.
- Get feedback and be open to suggestions. Finally, you need to get feedback and suggestions so you can improve the virtual classroom. Do not be afraid to get feedback because that is what you will use to take your future lessons to the next level. Retain the strengths and get rid or improve the weaknesses in your elearning course.
Use these tips to help yourself become the best facilitator for your online course.
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