Professional Training Course

DTP Online: Facilitation

Earn professional credentials as a badge or certificate
DTP Online: Facilitation

The course covers fundamental concepts and immerses participants in the practical application of a variety of toolsets, digital resources and strategies for course planning, design as well as creative facilitation and innovative assessment. It espouses the values of gender-awareness, inclusion and participatory engagement: peer to peer, peer to tools, peer to print and digital resources, and peer to resource persons. It uses a range of teaching tools such as case studies, simulations, concept maps, and authentic tasks to lead participants to uncover opportunities for experience sharing, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and reflection in a flexible manner.  The course is interactive, responsive, and gender sensitive and inclusive. It is responsive to the contexts and circumstances of the target audience and can be accessed on various equipment including computers, laptops, ipads and smart phones.

 Approach and Duration

 This online course is delivered over a period of two weeks encompassing a series of self-paced activities organised in asynchronous and synchronous sessions (three short live sessions). The training is preceded by a two-day preparatory engagement and an open ended post-training period.

 Who can participate?

 Academics who are interested in drawing on technology and pedagogy to broaden the learning space and to create and deliver exceptional learning moments for their students online. Those interested in pursuing a journey - from simple to complex, reinforcing what they know and exploring new tools, strategies and multimedia resources to create meaningful learning experiences that are immediately transferable to their courses to impact student learning outcomes positively.

 

Expected Outcomes

 

The course is expected to enhance the capacity, confidence, values and attitudes of academics to adapt innovative pedagogy online and in blended mode. It will motivate and sustain active and inclusive online communities of academics that promote continuous learning in and outside classroom walls. An enriched and stable teaching and learning experience is indispensable for accelerating the attainment of 21st-century skills, maximising learning outcomes among students and producing quality graduates.

 

Show more
Enter course
First published: 11/04/20Updated: 21/09/26

Section outline

  • Introduction to Online Facilitation

    Collapse all Expand all

    This course prepares you to facilitate online courses both asynchronously and synchronously. If it is your first time, you will discover that it is a challenging yet exciting and rewarding experience. Your pedagogical practices will never be the same again; the new knowledge and skills you develop will influence how you teach not only online but also face-to-face. You will explore and practice facilitating with a range of tools and strategies that enable you to ground students holistically in the 21st Century skills. Besides, your students will internalise positive attitudes and values to thrive in a dynamic knowledge economy. You shall be challenged to prepare and model best practice by delivering exceptional learning moments in your classes. This will involve organising activities that bring participants at the centre of learning to co-construct knowledge and to drive creativity and innovation.

  • Online Facilitation

    • Learning Outcomes


      By the end of the session, participants should be able to: 

      1. Plan and deliver an asynchronous as well as a synchronous session using innovative pedagogical strategies. 
      2. Apply synchronous and asynchronous tools and technologies to facilitate an online course. 
      3. Develop mechanisms for creating and sustaining positive attitudes towards synchronous and asynchronous online learning.

    • Online Facilitation

    • Online facilitation, also called e-facilitation, is the technique of enabling and promoting learning in an online environment by means of encouraging interaction with; and between students and supporting interactive online learning activities. Online facilitation can be done synchronously or asynchronously. Synchronous facilitation means that the teaching and learning are occurring at the same time, while asynchronous facilitation means that teaching and learning are not occurring at the same time (i.e "not live").

    • __________________________________

      share3

      Task 1: Share


      Have you ever facilitated a course online? Please share your experience. What was the most exceptional learning moment ("aha moment"), if any, and why?
      Click here to share your experience

      clock Time required: 10 minutes

    • Share your Experience on Online Facilitation Forum
      Students must
      Make forum posts: 1
    • Students must
      Mark as done

      Planning for Online Delivery

      What are the components of a session plan?
      Watch the video below which details the various components of a session plan. It will be useful to you in the completing the task that follows.

       

       


    • Task 2: Upload your Session Plan Template


      Congratulations on designing (or redesigning) a course in the previous module (Design)! You are now required to look at that course outline and select a topic/area that you will plan for in detail in what is known as a session plan. Use the Session Plan Template for Facilitation of Online and Blended Courses provided to add in detail what you plan to do in the topic. The Session Plan Template and the short video above provide detailed guidance in terms of what is expected from you. 

      Delete the instructions/guidance notes on the template once you have added your relevant information. While you do this indicate the appropriate supporting technologies; teaching and learning methods; and the expected student learning outcomes. Remember to consider this also in the online environment and not just from a physical class perspective. Save the document as an MS Word file. 

      Upload the completed session plan by the indicated deadline in order to receive feedback that will help you enhance your session plan in preparation for sharing with other participants during the live session. Please take note that each of you will be allocated 5 minutes for presenting your session plans during Live Session 1. 

      The feedback from the facilitation team is therefore important for your preparations for the presentation. You will then use the feedback from the facilitation team and Live Session 1 peer breakout groups to revise and update, and to select a particular element in your Session Plan that you will then focus on to prepare for your Microteaching during Live Session 2 You will be allocated 5 minutes for microteaching.


      1. Click on Session Plan Template for Facilitation of Online and Blended Courses below to download
      2. Populate it with content
      3. Click here to upload it for feedback from instructors. 
      You can also download and upload from the deadlines page

    • Session Plan Template for Facilitation of Online and Blended Courses File

  • Asynchronous Online Facilitation

    • The power of asynchronous facilitation waits to be uncovered by many. Its dynamism and flexibility allows participants to engage in learning activities anytime, anywhere. A facilitator will always be involved in real time or remotely but for most of the time, the learning is not heavily reliant on scheduled meetings/sessions with participants. Learning is accessed at anytime that is convenient for participants and anywhere they can get online access. As the facilitator, your role may include recording valuable information, organising collaborative activities or directing participants to access online resources  (datasets, assignments, case studies), and, to complete specified tasks within a given period of time. It is also your responsibility to guide learning by contributing to discussions, providing detailed instructions for exercises and projects, as well as assessing and monitoring emerging student learning outcomes. Asynchronous facilitation occurs mostly on a Learning Management System, where participants participate in self-paced learning activities such as discussion forums, blogs, wikis, polls, journal entries and feedback surveys.

    • __________________________________

      thinkTask 3: Critique

      Please read the microcase on Prof Mirhe's class below. Contribute to the discussion on the Forum below on what you think went wrong during the asynchronous facilitation.

      cloTime required: 20 minutes

    • Microcase- Prof Mirhe's Faculty Collegiality Online Class Page
      Students must
      View
    • What do you think went wrong in Prof. Mirhe's class? Forum
      Students must
      Make forum posts: 1

    • Preparation for Online Facilitation
      What are the different approaches to online learning and how can they be used to maximise expected student learning outcomes? This section directs your attention to these issues, weighing advantages, disadvantages and challenges of online learning as well as possible mechanisms of overcoming inherent challenges to make learning worthwhile for your students. 
      To make the best of your online teaching experience, you will need to weave optimum facilitation strategies in your learning plan. Preparation is critical; click on Preparation for Online Facilitation below.


      clTime required: 20 minutes

    • Preparation for Online Facilitation SCORM package

    • Strategies for Successful Online Course Facilitation
      How do you boost online participation? How do you prepare for your online class? How can you ensure an online presence in your physical absence in class? These are some of the questions answered in this section. As you continue to complete your Learning Design for Online Session Template please begin to reflect on the Supporting Communication and Delivery Technologies that will be most ideal for your course. This will be determined by a number of factors, key among them are: one, whether you will be using synchronous or asynchronous delivery methods; and, two, the pedagogical strategy you will adopt. Click Strategies for Successful Online Course Facilitation below for this content.


      clTime required: 20 minutes

    • Strategies for Successful Online Course Facilitation SCORM package

    • __________________________________

      expTask 4: Experience

      The link below has some tools that you can use when facilitating a course asynchronously. Please click on the link and select the tools you are familiar with.

      clTime required: 2 minutes

    • __________________________________

      learnTask 5: Learn

      This section presents in-depth information on strategies and Tools for Asynchronous Facilitation. Click on each of these strategies to access tutorials. This will enable you to learn, reinforce learning and apply the tools of your choice asynchronously.

      clTime required: 1 hour

    • Asynchronous Online Course Facilitation SCORM package
    • Tools for Asynchronous Facilitation SCORM package

    • __________________________________

      reflectTask 6: Reflect

      Reread the microcase case above and share your reflections in the forum below. If you were Prof. Mirhe, briefly describe how you would have used two of the tools you have learnt in these section to facilitate the course and achieve better outcomes.


      clll

      Time required: 15 minutes

    • Reflection on the Microcase Forum
      Students must
      Make forum posts: 1

    • Innovative Pedagogical Strategies for Asynchronous Online Learning

    • __________________________________

      learnTask 7: Learn

      Did you know that you can combine asynchronous tools with various teaching and learning resources to design and deliver courses using innovative pedagogical strategies such as case studies, debates, role-plays, and simulations?
      The following activity presents several innovative pedagogical strategies you would like to use to deliver your course asynchronously. These are role-playing, case studies (eCases), simulations, and debates. Please click on the activity to choose the pedagogical strategy you would like to learn more about and apply in your class.

      cloooTime required: 20 minutes

    • Innovative Pedagogical Strategies for asynchronous online Learning SCORM package
    • Students must
      Mark as done

      Please watch this video on Innovative Pedagogy for Graduate Training

        
       

    • __________________________________

      think1Task 8: Critique

      Watch the video clip below on using case studies to engage adult learners; then, reflect on the questions below in your journal. 
      Please review the content you authored under course design and include at least one multimedia resource (if you had not done so already).

        

    • Reflections on learning experiences Journal
      Students must
      Mark as done

  • Synchronous Online Facilitation

    • When facilitation is done synchronously, the facilitator and participants are online at the same time, but in different geographical locations. The facilitator guides the learning process and feedback is often immediate. Synchronous facilitation can be done on the Learning Management System, or on stand-alone tools that are independent of the LMS. Tools that may be inbuilt (most often through a plugin) on the LMS include Big Blue Button, Zoom, Adobe Connect, Blackboard Collaborate other tools are often independent of the LMS, and can be installed on your computer. These include:
      • Zoom
      • Google Meet
      • Teams
      • Bluejeans
      • Go-To-Meeting
      • Cisco Webex
      • Skype
      • Face Book Live
      The section below provides opportunity for a deeper engagement with a range of tools and strategies for online facilitation. Please select the tool you would like to learn more about and apply. You may also engage other tools at your own pace if they are integral to your learning map.

    • Synchronous Online Course Facilitation SCORM package
    • Tools for Synchronous Facilitation SCORM package

    • __________________________________

      doTask 9: Do

      Micro-teaching involves teaching a small group of peers on a single topic focusing on one skill.  Micro-teaching sessions are really about self-directed learning and the process starts with planning, teaching, observing, reflecting, re-planning, re-teaching, and re-observing.
      Prepare an actual micro-teaching session for a 7-minute class that you will teach synchronously using innovative pedagogy in smaller breakout groups during the second synchronous session. 
      Please prepare the micro-teaching session that highlights any of the following pedagogical strategies:
      • Case method
      • Flipped classroom
      • Roleplays
      • Games
      • Simulations
      • Threshold concepts tools e.g. concept maps 

      Note: The Session Plan Template for Facilitation of Online and Blended Courses must be used as a basis for preparing for your micro-teaching session. The innovative strategy chosen will be illustrated practically during the synchronous session.

      c;kfldkTime required: 1 hour

  • Attitudes and Values for Sustaining Online Learning

    • __________________________________

      reflectTask 10: Reflect

      Below is a scenario on Dr Chimwo’s Online Teaching Experience. Please read it, reflect on it and respond to the questions in the collaborative Wiki below.

      ;dfkjTime required: 1 hour

    • Collaborative Wiki on the Scenario
      Students must
      View
    • Scenario: Dr. Chimwo’s Online Teaching Experience SCORM package
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • Please watch the video clip below and reflect on how you would inculcate a sense of responsibility among your students to enhance learning outcomes among your female and male students.


    • Gender Equality in Education URL
    • Teaching and Learning Activities Interactive Content
      Students must
      Mark as done

      It is the learning activities in a unit that are used to teach the students the things that we want them to know, understand and be able to do. It is useful to keep in mind that if you want your students to be able to do something, you must make sure that you teach them how, especially when it is an element of an assessment task.

      For example, if you have an assessment task that requires students to write an essay, then it will be important for the learning activities in your unit to include elements and aspects of essay writing skills, including critical analysis, presenting arguments, supporting ideas with evidence etc.


    • __________________________________

      Reflection 

      We welcome you to share your reflections on this session: Facilitation. Please let us know what worked well, what was most challenging and what you would like us to do differently. Click here to journal your reflections.

    • Your reflections on this session: Facilitation Journal
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • Session Summary


       Teaching in the online environment is significantly different from teaching in a face-to-face classroom, and there are multiple ways for an instructor to facilitate learning among their learners online. Successful online course facilitation requires a combination of course delivery tools for both synchronous and asynchronous delivery, as well as pedagogical strategies to enhance the learning experience and learning outcomes. Facilitated learning is not just a set of tools and strategies. It is also a way through which the instructor encourages learners to assimilate information and make sense of it. It is a means to generate powerful critical thinking skills in learners.


    • You have reached the end of this course. The next course in this training series is Innovative Assessment. It will appear on your Dashboard (My Courses) at the scheduled time.

  • Sample Micro Teaching (Video Recording)

Rate this course

Rate 1 out of 5 starsRate 2 out of 5 starsRate 3 out of 5 starsRate 4 out of 5 starsRate 5 out of 5 stars

Review this course

Course reviews

There are no reviews currently.

Advance Your Future at the University of Nairobi

Built on a legacy of world-class research and academic excellence, the University of Nairobi delivers world-tier education wherever you are. Whether advancing your career, mastering a specialisation, or pursuing frontier research, your next chapter begins here. Join Africa’s premier community of leaders and innovators.

Apply now: application.uonbi.ac.ke.