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Facilitator Training Program

Brittany Blalock

CUR/532

June 26, 2017

Danene Mims
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Facilitator Training Program

Skill Sets and Experience

The audience that will be participating in this training program are Human Resources and employee development

professionals. The HR department plans to incorporate a distance learning sales training at a corporate credit union.

Trusted Notes Credit Union has multiple branches across the United States and a diverse group of tellers who will

be trained on the sales curriculum. The facilitator trainees each hold a minimum of a Bachelors degree in a variety

of subjects. As a requirement of moving into a Human Resources Position, each hold over five years of tenure at

Trusted Notes Credit Union. They have a throughout knowledge of sales and all spent two years in the teller position

that they will be training. Their technical skills range from moderate to above average as the facilitator trainees

spend the majority of their work days using computers and doing research. All of the trainees have previously taken

professional development trainings through webinars with the credit union and utilize an online knowledgebase

system. Seventy-five percent have little to no experience with structured online courses in a higher education

environment.

Current Knowledge

Training employees via an online environment has been a theme that the Human Resources

department has been preparing for prior to the implementation of this program. Our development

team has delivered brochures to each of the facilitators that explains a brief overview of topics

we will be focusing on in this training.

Training Program Goals

1. Demonstrate and emphasize the importance of active participation in the online learning

environment.

2. Encourage and teach the effective way to communicate vulnerability and honesty through

online discussion.

3. Promote the proper ways to develop trainee-to-trainee teaching and teamwork in the

classroom.
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4. Train on proper usage of the technology and how to address technical issues.

5. Explain the ability to communicate compassion and understanding through written

words.

Objectives

Upon completion of this program, trainees will be able to grasp the following:

1.1 Identify the proper ways to establish presence in the classroom

1.2 Outline and explain the different types of learners and theories of distance learning.

1.3 Explain the importance of engaging students in the classroom.

1.4 Navigate the online environment and recognize technological tools that will enhance

learning.

1.5 Explain barriers and issues that may arise in the online classroom.

Summative Assessment

The trainees will be measured in a summative assignment that will include a video and visual. It

is important that the potential trainers who are taking this course can verbalize the material they

have learned and utilize the tools discussed in the training. They will be asked to create a video

presentation where they will share what they have learned. They will need to make sure to cover

and meet all five objectives in the video. They will provide examples about how they will

incorporate these ideas into their trainings. They will supplement this video with another graphic

that will cover the same topics. We will measure their understanding through the content that

they present and share in the video and visual.

The trainees will also be given an end of training review that will ask for feedback about the

learning program. They can share how they believe we can improve and what areas were
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challenging for them. They can also provide any additional or anonymous feedback to their

managers who will host a small discussion meeting about the overall experience.

Part II Facilitator Skills and Instruction Materials

Skills for Effective Online Teaching

There are a variety of skills that a facilitator will need to create an effective distance learning

environment. Once the trainees understand the following skills, they can begin to implement

them into their classroom and develop them over time. According to The Excellent Online

Instructor, the following skills will be the most beneficial in the online environment:

1. Commitment and Attitude The facilitator must be committed to building a thriving

online learning environment and persevere through challenges (p. 13).

2. High Motivation The facilitator must maintain a high level of motivation and strive to

motivate their trainees while remaining respectful (p. 13).

3. Establishing Collaboration The facilitator must be able to design effective collaborative

activities and promote teamwork within the online learning environment (p. 13).

4. Active Participation and Presence The facilitator must establish presence in the

classroom and be active in the participation (p.13).

To present these skills to facilitators, we will create videos that demonstrate each skill. Each

video will give an example of a facilitator who does not possess this skill and another

example of a facilitator who does demonstrate the skill. The trainees will be given the

opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences through a discussion board. They will

also make a plan to how they will change something in their work environment to better

apply their skills. This will give them the opportunity to learn first-hand about the concept of
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personal learning and how their own learning can be shared with those around them

(Palloff, R., & Pratt, K., 2011).

Phases of Development

Please view the following video by your training director, Brittany Blalock, for a summary on

the Five Stages of Development listed in The Excellent Online Instructor by Rena Pollof and

Keith Pratt:

https://youtu.be/tol5Ukipz6M

Theories of Distance Learning

There are multiple theories of distance learning that can help trainers to grasp a deeper

understanding of the complexities of distance education. Schlosser and Simonson (2006)

describe the following learning theories:

1. Theory of Independence

a. Adults in a distance learning environment can take control of their learning and

how they process the information (p. 19). In a corporate environment they will

have the resources available to them at all times so they can learn the information

progressively.

b. Distance learners have the freedom to learn at any place or any time (p. 20). In the

corporate environment, we will maintain this opportunity in the time frame of

business hours.

c. Trainees will have the opportunity to learn at their own pace (p. 20) while keeping

in step with the training goal deadlines.

d. The trainees can utilize the technologies and methods that will best align with

their learning style.

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2. Theory of Industrialization of Teaching

a. This theory describes how distance learning has been rationalized to reduce the

required amount of input of power, time and money (p. 22).

b. Tasks are divided for different individuals to manage and assess (p. 22). This is

especially true in the corporate environment.

c. There is a preparatory phase that includes subject matter experts who will

improve the curriculum (p. 22).

3. Theories of Communication

a. The core of teaching is interaction between the teaching and learning parties (p

27).

b. Trainees can explain and identify what is being taught through their online

communication and discussion boards (p. 27).

c. The trainees need to be highly motivated by the instructor through positive and

supportive communication (p. 27).

Engaging Learners

Engaging learners is one of the most important aspects of facilitating on online classroom.

Randall and Marandos (2012) share multiple theories that are discussed below:

1. Task Choice and Goal Setting Theory

a. This theory has at its premise the creation of a learning community in each

classroom based on individual and collaborative learning goals (p. 540).

b. This theory can be facilitated through being active in announcements and

focusing on the communication that you as a facilitator are receiving from the

classroom as a whole.
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c. Encouraging trainees to set their own goals and motivate their colleagues to

excellence.

2. Productive and Inclusive Climate Theory

a. This theory deals with creating a classroom environment which is all inclusive

providing all students with the opportunity to be recognized, prized, respected and

valued (p. 542).

b. This can be applied by personally reaching out to the trainees and highlighting

their individual skills.

c. In a separate article, Jones (2013) mentions that when providing criticism, always

make sure to balance it with positive critiques.

3. Attribution Theory

a. According to Randall and Marandos (2012), this theory depends on understanding

the following factor that can affect online learning:

i. Task difficulty

ii. Ability

iii. Effort

iv. Luck

b. With these factors in mind, the trainee can adjust their delivery and critiques of

their trainees. They can reach out to the employees manager to understand more

about each individual learner. They can also make sure to train the learners

correctly so that they do not give up on themselves (p 543).

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Part III Technology Tools

Learning Platform

The learning platform that will be used will be the Docebo 7.0 LMS. The user interface and

experience allow for an optimal social learning environment. The trainer will be able to create

learning plans and assign them to the trainees. Each assigned course will transfer to the

employees calendar and can be viewed by their manager. As the trainee completes their

webinars, videos, and questions, they can discuss them with their classmates and other trainees

through the forums created by the facilitator. The facilitator can discuss the training privately

with the trainees through their email and LMS dashboard. The trainees can upload their

documents and assignments through the documents upload section. The facilitator will receive

that and be able to grade it and provide feedback and their grades in the Comments section. The

Docebo partners focus on ease of use and speed of the learning management system (Docebo,

2016).

Docebo Instructor View:

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Document Upload Section:

Technological tools

Please review this link for an infographic created by Brittany Blalock about technological tools.

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/23214327-enhancing-learning

Part IV Issues and Classroom Management

Types of Learners

As a trainer, it is important to understand the different types of learners that you may work with

in distance learning environments:

1. Experiential learners are given opportunities to learn through interviews and fieldwork.

They learn through real life experiences and by doing the things that they are learning

about. They can learn through internships, service learning, cooperative education,
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practicums, and more (Experiential Learning Defined, 2017). It involves reflection and

collaboration with others. These type of learners can be common in a corporate

environment as they apply the information they learn to their positions.

2. It is important that the trainers know which students are cultural learners. Every culture

has different standards and ways of communicating. Facilitators will need to maintain

sensitivity for the cultural learners in their classroom (Haythornthwaite, C., & Andrews,

R., 2011). It can also be helpful for the facilitators to ask questions in a respectful manner

if they are unsure about a certain behavior. This may happen often in corporate trainings

that are spread across multiple locations.

3. Non-traditional learners are learners who did not go the traditional college route

immediately following high school. In the corporate environment, this can be the

individuals who started in the field directly out of high school without earning a degree.

These types of students will also relate to individuals who have challenges with online

modalities.

Synchronous and Asynchronous

Please review this link for an infographic on the differences between synchronous and a

synchronous learning provided by Mindflash:

https://www.mindflash.com/elearning/asynchronous-synchronous/

Technology Issues

Digital Divide and Non-Users It is possible that some trainees have not had the same access to

the online classroom as other students. This can arise when trainees do not own smart phones, a

laptop, and/or do not enjoy spending time using the internet. It is important to pay extra attention

to these students. It can be helpful for them to talk out their questions over the phone with the
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facilitators. There is a program called GoToAssist that we recommend incorporating into your

trainings to demonstrate to the users how to use the learning system.

Classroom Management

As is evident on social media, people can become extremely different once they are behind a

keyboard and interacting with others. It is very important to enforce the Human Resource

departments established rules of respect and appropriate communication through the online

training. We want to encourage the trainees to give their feedback and reach out to a facilitator or

manager when there is an issue or concern. Comments must be appropriate and respectful

towards the poster and vulgar language will not be tolerated. If there is cyber-bullying, the

facilitator will reach out to the student immediately by telephone and personal email. They will

be warned that if the bullying continues then the additional responsibilities that are being offered

through the training will revoked. If there is any inappropriate communication, it can lead to

discipline by HR up to and including termination of employment.

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References

Davis, M. (2017). Teaching of infographics is essential for visual literacy. Retrieved from

https://piktochart.com/blog/infographics-essential-visual-literacy/

Docebo. (2016). Learning Management System. Retrieved from https://www.docebo.com/

Experiential learning defined. (2017). Retrieved from

https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/teaching/strategies/overview/experiential-learning

Five benefits of using video for learning and training. (2017). Retrieved from

https://www.mediaplatform.com/2015/01/benefits-video-learning-training/

Haythornthwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-Learning theory & practice. London: Sage

Publications

Jones, R. C. (2013, September). Keeping students engaged in the online classroom. Faculty

Focus. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/keeping-

students-engaged-in-the-online-classroom/

Long, J. (2013, November). Why your business should be using infographics. Huffpost.

Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-long/why-your-business-

should-_b_4192309.html

Marandos, S., & Randall, Ida. (2012, February). Engaging and motivating students: Five

research based models/approaches for engaging students to be productive!. ASBBS, 19(1).

Retrieved from http://asbbs.org/files/ASBBS2012V1/PDF/M/MarandosS2.pdf

Mindflash. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.mindflash.com/elearning/asynchronous-

synchronous/
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Pappas, C. (2015, June). Ten creative online presentation ideas for eLearning professionals.

eLearning Industry. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/10-creative-online-

presentation-ideas-elearning-professionals

Schlosser, L., & Simonson, M. (2006). Distance Learning (3rd ed.).: Information Age

Publishing, Inc.