Embracing The Roles For An Optimized Learning Experience
The Learning and Development industry has improved since the re-emergence of eLearning platforms with the aid of Zoom, MS Teams, and other media. Alongside the wave of online course offerings, which can be handy, modern versions of pedagogy immediately came into play. While teaching may be, by perspective, different from being a trainer or facilitator, the roles imbibed by these disciplines can meet at both ends.
When we talk of efficiency in eLearning, it is when one can do what is executable. To consistently do what is required, you need dedication, and that is why there is a roster of roles necessary to keep on a bucket list.
In the eLearning industry, the nature of the business is program delivery, which is better characterized by the effectiveness of the program. Simply put, the facilitator is efficient when the learner's feedback is positive and favorable. Nevertheless, the change in perspective of the learners themselves must be evident through their future courses of action and thought flows. In the case of eLearning facilitators, being efficient denotes that they perform at the optimal level in their most important roles. But what really are the basic roles of an efficient eLearning facilitator? Let's count them in.
The 7 Roles Of An eLearning Facilitator
1. Course Designer
First, an eLearning facilitator must know what they are trying to impart to the learning community. The course design is the primary component of an efficient learning tool. The facilitator shall always consider the demographic details of the target recipients of the training.
2. Organizer
The eLearning facilitator must be able to manage logistics, including the purchase of material, if necessary, computers or laptops, platform availability, timekeeping, and contact with stakeholders. The whole eLearning program must be viewed as a birth-to-death process. This means that, as an organizer, the eLearning facilitator must be a well-rounded kick-starter of the program. They must, at all times, ensure that the learners' convenience is in place.
3. Moderator
The facilitator must ensure smooth and balanced communication within the teams so that each participant enjoys learning. An efficient program must not only provide a productive learning environment but also serve as a healthy instrument for the discussants.
4. Subject Matter Expert
In this case, the facilitator and the trainer can be different people. The eLearning facilitator may or may not be considered an omega-level expert, but if there are questions that cannot be answered at hand, they must be addressed accordingly once the verified information is available. Being a subject-matter expert does not always mean being a know-it-all type of guru. There must be a balance of information coming from other experts as well. Perhaps, prior to the conduct of the program, it must be disclaimed that further research can be done by the participants to widen their awareness and so to share it with their co-learners.
Aside from those abovementioned, there may be other essential roles that can be introduced in the long run. As long as the eLearning facilitator adapts to the changes in the learning environment, they can thrive and be the best at all levels, whatever role they have in any given circumstance.
5. Consultant
Learning does not stop right after the conduct of the program. There may be some topics that require further clarification, and it is the responsibility of the facilitator to respond to their learners and ensure that no hanging inquiries are left unaddressed.
6. Fact-Checker
There comes a moment in learning when the shared information may not be sufficient, especially if a learner shares something that they learned from social media. In internet terminology, this trend is called the Brandolini Effect, wherein the effort to debunk misinformation is of less magnitude than the effort to create it. The eLearning facilitator must always keep in mind that reliable resources and references are included in the course design. Moreover, all the facts must be updated and relevant.
7. Group Dynamics Specialist
The learning community will always come in groups. And it is obviously integrated into our psyche that being blended into groups has an effect on the learning outcome. The eLearning facilitator's duty is to make everyone in the room feel comfortable expressing their insights and opinions about the program or course in order to avoid groupthink. Groupthink is a deficit in the decision-making process owing to an imbalance in the group's collective agreement on an idea, leading to inevitable rabbit holes in the cognition process.
Conclusion
While there's a variety of roles inherent to an eLearning facilitator, all of these aren't on the same level. Throughout the program delivery, there is the development of a two-way learning process where the learners can also dispense directions. These may be new to the topic, and the facilitator will be able to digest them and convert them into more sophisticated gems of thought. As a result, diversified roles will come into play.
