ELF e-learning facilitator:

analyses of their different

roles within different

e-learning methodologies and

approaches

n. I/05/B/F/PP-154178

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

guidelines

for e-tutors

2007

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Authors:

Anita Pincas - University of London, United Kingdom Carmen Holotescu Timsoft, Romania Elisa Manzi - Universit di Napoli Federico II Dipartimento di Filosofia A. Aliotta, Italy

Scientific Coordinator of the project:

Giuseppe Tortora - Universit di Napoli Federico II Dipartimento di Filosofia A. Aliotta, Italy

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Partners of the project:

Dipartimento di Filosofia "A. Aliotta" Universita Federico II di Napoli

Italy: (coordinator) - www.filosofia.unina.it Provincia di Napoli

Italy: (partner) - www.provincia.napoli.it Institute of Education, University of London

United Kingdom: (partner) - www.ioe.ac.uk CRI - GRETA du Velay

France: (partner) - cri.velay.greta.fr EVREMATHIA A.E.

Greece: (partner) - www.evremathia.gr Timsoft Ltd

Romania: (partner) - www.timsoft.ro Integra Association

Bulgaria: (partner) - www.integra.bg Academy of Humanities and Economics in Lodz

Poland: (partner) - www.wshe.lodz.pl KA e-Learning Partner

Denmark: (partner) - www.kaelearning.dk National Organisation Women in Higher Technical Education and Positions

Netherland: (partner) - www.vhto.nl

More information on a web site: http://www.elfproject.net/

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table of content

introduction what is e-learning? how is e-learning defined? what needs to be taught by the e-tutors?

pedagogy generally elements of adult education learning styles interactions in an online course 3 key elements of courses

understanding the possible roles of an e-tutor within an online course implementing the e-tutor role in training practice: blended vs. fully online distance skills for e-tutoring

further notes on moderating understanding what learning online is like technical skills writing skills people skills organisation skills time management skills avoiding problems how to improve your skills

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useful resources

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introduction

what is e-learning?

e-learning, eLearning, e-Learning or E-Learning?

A search performed with Google in April 2007 resulted in 174.000.000 references for e-learning and 14.000.000 for eLearning, which represent the double values of last year. For both searches, the first reference on the list is the central European site for eLearning - elearningeuropa.info. This position is due to the number of visits and references to this site, to the utility and relevance of the information displayed.

Bibliography ( webliography ) shows that in 1998 the only term in use was e-learning, which had been introduced by one of the most acknowledged expert in the field, Jay Cross, founder of Internet Time Group.

The company SmartForce defined itself as an "e-Learning Company" in the article Learn fast, go fast published in 1999, deemed as one of the fundamental articles in the field.

In 2002, SkillSoft merged with SmartForce, SkillSoft being at the moment one of the strongest suppliers of eLearning solutions for businesses and universities.

At Cisco, a company known as well for its academies in schools and universities, we can read about E-Learning.

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The European Community favours the spelling eLearning - see the "eLearning - Designing Tomorrow's Education" program, adopted on May 24th 2000, a key program for building eEurope.

how is e-learning defined?

The meaning of this concept is not unitary either. Usually e-learning is a synonym of Online Learning, Web Based Learning - WBT, Internet Based Learning, Technology Based Learning, Open Distance Learning, Distributed Learning.

In the definition offered by the European Community program, e-learning means the use of new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration.

A comparison can be made, an analysis of the most common definitons, with Google search: define: e-learning

The meaning that we favour for e-learning is a synonym of online learning and online courses, Web-Based Learning; we should distinguish it from Computer Based Learning ( which can be considered as a component of eLearning ), which does not imply any interaction, or continuous communication with an instructor and other students during the learning process.

E-learning, as a convergence between learning and Internet, could be defined as follows:

1. the learning process takes place in a virtual classroom;

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2. the educational material can be accessed on the Internet; it includes text, images, links to other online resourses, audio and video presentations;

3. the virtual class benefits from the guidance of an e-tutor ( instructor, facilitator, moderator ) who plans the activity of the participants group, suggests certain aspects of the course for debate within asynchronous conferences ( discussion forums ) or synchronous conferences ( Chat ), offers auxiliary resources, makes comments related to the course themes, indicating to each person the topics on which he/she should insist;

4. learning becomes a social process; through interaction and collaboration, the participants group and the instructor make up, during the course and often after it is over, a virtual community;

5. the course material has a static component created by the e-tutor in collaboration with a team specialised in instructional design and a dynamic one, resulting from the participants interaction, from their suggestions, clarifications, comments and resourses;

6. most e-learning environments allow for monitoring the activity of the participants, while some of them also permit simulations, work in smaller groups, audio and video interaction.

Here is a condensed and suggestive definition, formulated by Elliott Masie, The Masie Center: "eLearning is the use of network technology to design, deliver, select, administer, and extend LEARNING; We need to bring learning to people instead of bringing people to learning".

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e-learning is a form of distance learning, since the participants and the instructor may have different locations, and their interaction is most of the times asynchronous. Unlike distance learning, eLearning is highly interactive, the interaction occurring at the following levels:

participant participant participant material participant instructor.

e-learning means having access to the latest information, acquiring new skills, continuous knowledge, new and efficient learning and collaboration methods.

Online courses are meant to teach you how to learn, to prepare you for learning during your further life, to acquire knowledge management skills, such as research, selection and synthesis of information and solutions.

Taking part in an online course represents a genuine life experience; the extraordinary interaction between the participants and the e-tutor, a community created with the help of each and every participant, makes you want to repeat this experience, once you have known it.

The prediction made in 1966 by Patrick Suppes, from the University of Stanford, an innovator in computer based learning, in The Uses of Computers in Education, Scientific American, becomes true in the case of online learning: each pupil or student will benefit eventually from a tutor as informed and responsible as Aristotle. This used to be the privilege of lucky kings: the possibility of choosing the teacher with whom to learn, as Philip had chosen Aristotle as a teacher for his son, who was to become later Alexander the Great.

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what needs to be taught by the e-tutors?

how to teach online theory and implementation

It is important to remember that direct, practical experience of e-learning is essential for anyone wishing to work as an e-tutor. Theory is not sufficient. Nevertheless, a basic understanding theoretical aspects of such work is necessary. This section will briefly outline what is required theoretically and how practical experience should be arranged.

the two aspects of theory

These are: Pedagogy generall; this refers to an understanding of

adult education principles, learning styles, interactions in an online course

what a course is and the principles of how courses can be designed

what teachers do what learners do

Understanding the possible roles of an e-tutor within an online course; this refers to an understanding of

the type of course that is to be given how the role of the e-tutor should be interpreted

within that course. For instance, a scientific course whose goal is to impart factual knowledge will need rather different e-tutoring from what would be required in a more philosophical course whose goal is to develop independent critical attitudes to, for example, literature or political issues.

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pedagogy generally

The simplest definition of a course is: A series of teaching / learning events that has a clear start and end.

All courses consist of teaching / learning events, which may nowadays occur online as well as in a classroom, or in a mixture of both - called blended or hybrid courses. The expression teaching/learning events signals that learners are learning with the guidance of a teacher who may be actually present - e.g. in a classroom or during a video-conference - or may exist behind the scenes, e.g. the author of written teaching materials or the designer of practical activities or the person who marks assignments.

There are many situations in which people learn without a teacher, such as when looking up a book for information, reading instructions with a new machine, trying to play a sport, and so on. But these guidelines deal with structured learning contexts where there is a role for a teacher. In the e-learning field, one can conceive of many different kinds of teacher roles, such as e-tutor, e-facilitator, e-moderator, e-mentor, and so on.

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elements of adult education

Most of the participants in online courses are adults. Therefore it is important for us to understand how adults approach learning; this is why we shall try to examine, in what follows, several characteristics of Adult Education.

When approaching the learning process, some of the adults features are:

autonomy they have a clear image of how they will use the new

information and to what degree it is useful for them they assume an active role they are oriented towards solving practical problems,

and achieving a well-defined purpose they have professional and life experience.

All these motivate the adult into participating in a course which offers useful elements for his/her professional life and career. The e-tutor must contribute to maintaining their motivation, by everything that helps building the learning process.

An adult gets involved in the collaboration with the others, communicates and interacts with maturity and equilibrium with the other participants. The degree of involvement is however influenced by the way in which his/her expectations are met.

Each participants previous experience leads to an exchange of know-how, to the revelation of tacit knowledge. The e-tutor must pay a maximum of attention to the monitorisation, the animation of discussion spaces, which should facilitate their exchange of experiences. Learning is a social act, which is often performed by informal exchange of opinions.

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Courses take place in a constructive, student-centred manner. The teacher shifts from the traditional manner, where he/she simply conveys the information, to that of an e-tutor who enters the students team and helps them build their knowledge, as a manager of the learning process process seen as a guided interaction - Malcolm Knowles, Informal Adult Education, Self-Direction and Andragogy.

The entire learning process is realised by case study, problem based learning, group work. Participants not only acquire knowledge, but these are also used in solving practical problems.

There are learning theories stating that study, memorization and success of learning depend mainly on the relationship between the student and the teacher/e-tutor. Therefore, the attitude adopted should be very open and encouraging; the informal conferences within the course may contribute to this: Let us know each other and Virtual caf are such examples.

An online course develops in parallel with other events in every participants life; everyone will thus feel more attached to the group if he/she will have the opportunity to share fragments of these to the others.

learning styles

In order to engage the students in the learning process, to reduce the learning time and increase retention and motivation, it is important for the e-tutor to understand their learning style and to adapt the teaching strategies accordingly.

The learning style is a combination of affective,

cognitive and psychological answers characteristic to each student.

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Knowing ones own learning style, as well as that

of the other members in the working group,

contributes to the achievement of better results during the learning process.

If studies on learning styles have been knocking on the doors of universities, and company training, for the last 30 years, it is high time that eLearning, centered on the participant, opened the door for them.

You will find below a summative table of the learning theories which have influenced online education and their means of application. Further information is available at Explorations in Learning & Instruction - tip.psychology.org:

Theoretician

Theory How it can be applied

Mager Protocol for establishing the objectives

Clear definition of the objectives Evaluation of knowledge previous to the course

Bloom Taxonomy of the educational objectives

Multiple instructional strategies, adapted to the learning styles

Gagne Taxonomy of learning results Evaluation dependent on the objectives

The course structure incorporates different types of knowledge and complexity levels

Gardner The Multiple Intelligence Theory

Various activity and testing methodologies; Interactivity

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Knowles Andragogy/ The Theory of Teaching Adults

Orientation on the participant , autonomy, interactivity, examples

Rodgers

Self-directed learning

Autonomy, feedback, mentoring

Kolb Experience learning Learning styles

Integrated methods offering concrete experience, reflections

David A. Kolb defined the four learning styles: diverging: combines preferences for experiment and

reflection assimilating: combines preferences for reflection and

analysis converging: combines preferences for analysis and

testing accommodating: combines preferences for testing and

experiment.

Kolb conceived a learning model which implies assuming both roles, which he named learning by experience:

Visual (text and images), auditory (listening and communication), kinetic (experiment) are learning modalities.

Concrete experience

Deduction learning Induction learning

Testing of the concepts in new situations Observation and reflection

Elaborating concepts and generalisations

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Reading, listening and images are passive learning types, while communication, debate and experiment are active. Usually, everyone learns by resorting to a combination of such modalities. Online environments offer a wide range of information introduction modalities: Web pages with online resources, tables, images, graphics, simulations, audio and video files numerous elements helping those who prefer passive types of learning.

Engaging everyone in elaborating and commenting on reports, discussions, debates during asynchronous or real-time conferences (text and/or video) will lead to the increase in quality and retention within the learning process. The online learning environment includes all four processes present in Kolbs taxonomy: doing, experiencing, reflecting, thinking. Adapting to the different learning styles is rendered possible as well by the flexibility provided by the online environment. For example, the learning cycle may start by engaging the student in real experiences; reflection on the experience; then follows the explanation, the logical conclusion; finally, the experiment of similar problems.

Flexibility means also that any student may allot most of his/her time to the favourite learning style, as well as the fact that the latter may enter the learning cycle at any of the four processes.

An engaging learning process, with activities that include reading, simulation, research, synthesis, interaction, collaboration, renders an online course, most of the times, superior to a traditional one.

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interactions in an online course

The interaction has an important educational role, being the central element of an online course. In the USA, the fundamental article which reveals this aspect is considered to be the editorial "Three Types Of Interaction" in the American Journal of Distance Education, no.2 1989, by Michael G. Moore. This classifies the interactions in a virtual learning environment in:

participant - material participant - e-tutor participant - participant.

The importance, interdependence of the three types of interactions is revealed, by underlining the fact that education should become Learner-centered.

Interactions occur both in traditional and online education. The most important interaction is the one between the participant and the course material - Learner-Content Interaction. This requires a maximum concentration from the participant and the highest percentage of time in comparison with others.

Generally, in traditional education, which still means sometimes a mere transmission of knowledge, and not the students involvement in building them, Learner-Instructor Interaction is more a Group of Learners-Instructor interaction; in online education, the interaction between the e-tutor and each participant becomes personalised, the e-tutor communicating directly with everyone, during the entire course, in order to provide clarifications, analogies, additional resources.

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By means of conferences and group projects, the interaction between participants - Learner-Learner Interaction, besides that with the e-tutor, helps building a learning community. In traditional education, this type of interaction, except for group projects, rather takes a spontaneous form.

The article "Computer Mediated Interaction in a Distance Education Course" defines another two interactions: Teacher-Technology Interaction and Student-Technology Interaction - http://kon.org/archives/forum/11-1/wilken.html.

The article "Getting the Mix Right Again: An Updated and Theoretical Rationale for Interaction" makes a classification of interactions in an online course - http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/149/230.

The interactions take place between students and e-tutor, as well as their interaction with the material.

The material may have different formats, adapted to the students learning style. The students interaction with the material is mediated by the e-tutor and it is realised in a learning community made up by the students and the e-tutor.

The interactions help developing the interpersonal relations between the students, collaborative learning, communicating skills.

It often happens that the student may benefit from the support given by the colleagues at work, and even from the family members, in order to apply and validate the knowledge gained during the course.

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The collaboration between teachers for elaborating the materials is also important, by the interactions within the practice communities. The facilitations of a course can often be done by a group of teachers; moreover, a teacher who has just begun his/her online facilitation activity, is assisted by an experienced colleague - peer-mentoring.

3 key elements of courses

A content

Somehow, the learners have to be given access to what they are expected to learn. This may be factual knowledge [e.g. history], practical skills [e.g. doing laboratory experiments], or personal attitudes that are considered important in many fields [e.g. sympathy for patients in a hospital; critical approaches to economic forecasts]. Access may be in a classroom with a combination of teacher-talk and written or audio-visual materials, or else it may be online with filmed lectures plus materials, or in numerous other forms.

The role of the e-tutor will depend on the selections made for the course in question.

B activities

For some kinds of knowledge, memorisation is the key activity [e.g. multiplication tables, chemistry formulae, anatomy]. For other kinds, discussion is a key ingredient in developing a good understanding of the subject [e.g. literature].

For the learning of skills, actual practice is essential [e.g. spreadsheets, computer software, riding a horse].

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For the development of attitudes, it may be sufficient to have activities that raise awareness [e.g. watching a film; discussions] or it may be necessary for learners to be given some direct experiences [e.g. doctors or nurses becoming patients for a while].

All of such activities can be done either in a classroom or online with the use of modern technology.

The role of the e-tutor will depend on the selections made for the course in question.

C assessment

Depending on the content, and on the requirements of the course, a method has to be developed in order to

give the learners some feedback on how well they have learned [i.e. formative feedback telling them how they are getting on and offering further advice]

give the learners a grade to place them on an established scale for that subject and that course [i.e. summative feedback at the end of a block of learning ( perhaps the middle or the end of the course ) telling them how well they have performed].

There are many guiding principles to be considered for all the 3 key elements of courses, and many different solutions to how the principles can be applied. All can be done online with the use of modern technology.

The role of the e-tutor will depend on the selections made for the course in question.

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understanding the possible roles of an e-tutor within an online course

Tough ( The Adult's Learning Projects: A Fresh Approach to Theory and Practice in Adult Learning. Toronto ) identified four characteristics of an ideal e-tutor:

He/she is an open person, close to the participants, whom he/she tries to know better, to encourage, motivate and challenge;

He/she takes into consideration and gives credit to the participants' abilities when planning and organising their activities and participation in the course;

Thinks of himself/herself as a participant in the learning process, in the newly-formed community;

He/she is open to new experiences and to the learning process.

The role of the e-tutor is that of providing a constructive learning process for all participants, of helping to build a learning community, by eliminating barriers related to technology, time, distance.

Facilitating online courses requires a lot of enthusiasm, tact, good professional training and experience in the field of eLearning. The amount of time needed for preparing and facilitating an online course is much larger than it is for a traditional course. This is however a useful experience not only for the students, but also for the e-tutor, who keeps improving his/her skills continuously.

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e-tutors of online courses are also called pyjama teachers - the latter should access the course space as often as possible, in order to intervene on time; you have to be very organised when planning the timing, the information; Internet connection at home is recommended (if not mandatory). Many participants are adults, and enter the course space when returning from work, expecting prompt answers, even in the middle of the night; let's not forget also that participants may be located in different geographical areas, and consequently have different time zones.

The e-tutor is the person who models the students participation, who offers an example of online study. He/she should be firm, but realistic in what he demands.

If the e-tutor is working in a company, s/he might be the person who goes to meet the client for whom a course is to be prepared. In this case, the e-tutors work may include:

making a needs analysis of the clients requirements designing the appropriate course writing the necessary materials devising the activities preparing the assessment running the course as e-tutor

All of these jobs could be done by one person, or by a team. For thorough e-tutor training, it would be necessary to train a person for all of the above roles. However, these guidelines will deal with the situation purely of e-tutoring online, and will assume that all course elements have been prepared by somebody [who may or may not have been the e-tutor].

Within any course, there are various roles that the e-tutor has in relation to the content [e.g. as the subject specialist], to the activities [e.g. supervising the learners, helping and

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encouraging them], and to assessment [e.g. preparing the learners for it, advising them, and marking their work]. In addition, the e-tutor is expected to interact with the learners individually and probably also in groups, with other tutors, with managers, and with technical support staff. All of these roles, require somewhat different skills.

implementing the e-tutor role

The remainder of these guidelines will deal with the key things that an e-tutor may need to do in a course that is partly or fully online. It will deal with how the e-tutor can reinforce the understanding of the content, assist learners to engage in different types of activities, and help to prepare them to perform well in their assessment.

in training practice: blended vs. fully online distance

Finally, these guidelines will offer advice on how practical online experience can be organised for e-tutors, either in

a simulated environment [where they practise e-tutoring each other] or

a real environment where they take a short online course themselves as students, or

off-line exercises where they look at some online materials and then write their own.

E-tutor training can be achieved in different ways, for example by simulating a learning environment, making the tutors students of an online course or simply giving them some materials they can build their training on.

Nevertheless, among these different training styles it is probably better to adopt a blended learning way, which could

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combine all the advantages offered by a face to face didactic with the more positive aspects of online didactic.

We cannot forget that the expression blended learning includes different communicative ways (face to face and computer mediated); the integration of different learning ways (individual and collaborative); the stimulation of many different cognitive processes (acquisition of given concepts and the active construction of new knowledge); the flexibility of learning times (synchronous and asynchronous).

We can say that a blended solution is an educational path which foresees the integrated use of different didactic formats and typologies, in order to increase the quality of education; in fact, the use of different communication channels (i.e. classroom and web) cannot be automatic but has to be motivated every time according to a precise strategy of integration of didactic formats in order to increase the quality of the educational process.

Moreover, in the particular case of e-tutor training, one of greatest advantages of this kind of training is the construction of a learning community, where the collaborative dimension of knowledge promotes an active construction of knowledge, which benefits from mutual confrontation; the horizontal dimension which characterizes the virtual classroom, in fact, makes all the community components part of educational action and no more passive receptors of a simple knowledge transmission. Collaborative learning is characterized by interdependence among the members of the group, by sharing of tasks and managing of group process ( unlike the cooperative collaboration in which the members of the group work together but in order to accomplish tasks assigned by superiors), and by the added value represented by the aim of

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creating together something new, which makes collaboration more stimulating and productive. The individual learns practically due to the group process, learning with others and from others and interacting with himself, the external environment and the social context; the advantages of these ways are evident in the increasing of intellectual potentialities, in the development of social and relational abilities and in an increased accessibility to the learning process as a whole. The online dimension of the blended path amplifies all these aspects, configuring itself as something very different from simple distance teaching; it is a new way of teaching-learning meant to develop competences. Moreover, online didactic paths offer the opportunity to create repositories of materials which encourage the constructive dimension of learning, becoming an opportunity for updating and participating for all the members of community; online materials, in fact, which are at everybodys disposal, represent an important resource for community enrichment.

Anyway, even if we choose blended learning for e-tutors training we need to distinguish between training of abilities and training of competences.

In the first case, we could prefer online dimension because online teaching offers all the tools to build the specific abilities. Instead, in order to create competences, the complexity of teaching-learning process makes us choose the blended way, which allows the realization of a better training process, in particular according to training for carrying out specific tasks, in that moment and in perspective.

We have also to identify educational paths according to the characteristics of single courses the tutors will work in; univocal training could be inadequate because of different

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and various typologies of courses which need the presence of tutors.

For this reason we could try to identify the basic characteristics of the tutors, adding then to these the specific peculiarities according to different needs of different courses.

An e-tutor could always be instructor, having the ability to manage the whole training process, promoting educational action according to the needs of the moment; facilitator, having the right tools for managing relational dynamics, motivating students, making a scaffolding from a didactic and emotional point of view; moderator, capable of keeping the balance of learning community by opportune and aimed interventions, in order to guarantee the real and active participation of all the members, reducing possible conflicts which can develop inside the group. After the identification of these basic characteristics, potentially useful for everybody who wants to carry out this kind of profession, we could identify the specific competences, always in relation with the object of specific courses; so the e-tutor competences will be built according to the different spheres of action, increasing the aspects of training which mostly appear connected to the specific objects of the courses. On this aspect it could be useful to realize a grid in which to identify all the possible courses and all the possible competences an e-tutor is required to have; by this kind of tool, in fact, it could be easier to create courses aimed at e-tutor training, avoiding the creation of inadequate paths, or, on the contrary, too complex, optimizing available resources.

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skills for e-tutoring

An e-tutor will have to do some or all of these things

plan a course select appropriate course materials (articles, books) decide how to handle the presentation materials prepare presentation materials (lectures on audio/video

and / or in text format) design tasks for students ensure that there is a range of tasks for practice /

production or closed / more open purposes

run a course give instructions as to how course works in general give instructions re specific tasks check that tasks are working as planned organise synchronous sessions online organise face-to-face sessions

monitor individuals communicate with students individually support students who are having difficulties encourage learner independence deal with technical problems

organise groups create a community feeling monitor group as a whole intervene when there are problems between members of

the group communicate with students as a group correct individual misunderstandings

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initiate discussions re-direct discussions summarise discussions give feedback elicit feedback teach synchronously online using CHAT and / or video-

conferencing liaise with other tutors

keep records of individuals keep records of course as a whole

assess students work

evaluate the course

Many of the skills required to do these things are those that any teacher will have developed through their face-to-face teaching. However, when working online the teacher is likely to find that these skills require a slightly different focus than in a face-to-face situation and some of them also assume a significantly greater degree of importance in the online classroom.

Some of the key differences between working with students face-to-face and working with them online are summarised in the table below.

Face-2-face class Online class Feature YES NO

1 Can T see Ss? Know if students are interested / understand

Cannot be sure if students are interested / understand

2 Can T and Ss Tutor can build Are not influenced by

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see and hear each other?

up rapport with class

how people look and speak

3 Are the tasks set up face-to-face?

F2f organising, demonstrating and clarifying is quick and easy

If asks set up online, organising and clarifying takes time

4 Is most communication done orally?

Speaking skills important for tasks and for building up relationships

Writing skills important for tasks and for building up relationships

5 Can use be made of body language?

Body language can soften criticism or make it clear when a joke is intended

Writing skills required to avoid causing offence and to make it clear when joke is intended

6 Is communication done face-to-face?

Misunderstandings can be dealt with quickly

Problems can become magnified in writing

7 Is communication done in real-time?

Contributions are spontaneous

Asynchronous communication allows time to think before making a contribution

8 Is communication done in real-time?

Connections between contributions are apparent

Asynchronous communication means appropriate patterns of communication have to be set.

9 Is communication done in real-time?

Feedback is instant

Giving feedback may be more of a dilemma in asynchronous communication

10 Is the F2f interaction is Volume of unread written

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interaction unrecorded?

familiar and fulfils basic human need

messages can be daunting if dont log on for a while

11 Is the interaction unrecorded?

Tutor is mainly aware of louder students

Tutor can focus on each students contribution since it is recorded

12 Do classes happen in a specified time slot?

At specified time so restricted access to tutor

If work can be done at any time there is apparently unlimited access to tutor

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further notes on moderating

The notes that follow deal with the key moderating parts of the e-tutors role. We do not at this point go into the course design, course administration or evaluation skills that might also be required.

We focus on the following issues: A understanding what learning online is like B technical skills C writing skills D people skills E organisation skills F time management skills G avoiding problems H how to improve your skills I useful resources

There is inevitably a certain amount of overlap between sections as, for example, motivating people requires both technical, writing and people skills as well as organisational skills. It is, however, focused on under Organisation skills below although reference is made to other relevant motivating skills too.

A understanding what learning online is like

As this is something that inevitably many teachers have not experienced themselves, it is very strongly recommended that anyone embarking on e-tutoring should themselves undergo a

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course as a learner to give a sense of what it is like. This will make it much easier for the e-tutor to prevent problems and to support learners in a sympathetic and effective way. Doing a course themselves should help to provide the e-tutor with many of the appropriate skills in all the specific areas listed below.

B technical skills

While the e-tutor is likely to have at least some technical support, they do need to have a degree of confidence in working with computers. They need to know how the system works so that they can support students who are having difficulties. They need to be aware of common problems and be able to suggest how to solve or preferably avoid them.

Much of this confidence will be gained from the experience of doing a course, ideally one using the same VLE. The e-tutor is unlikely to be able to deal with all the technical problems that arise, though, and should know who to turn to with any difficulties they cant solve. Building up a good relationship with technical support staff is invaluable and it is also useful for e-tutors to familiarise themselves with any documentation that is available. It is not just a matter of dealing with problems. E-tutors need to be able to pass on any shortcuts or other tips for using the system that will help their students.

Technical skills may not just be restricted to the VLE; e-tutors may be required to video-conference or use other technology and they should have a positive attitude towards doing this. They should feel confident about trying new things out but should prepare for them as thoroughly as they can so that as many of the potential problems as possible can be avoided.

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Here are some specific technical tips for e-tutors regarding the way of dealing with possible technical problems that students may have.

Make sure to know whom to contact in your technical support centre and how you or your students should do that.

If possible set up an agreement to have a help line of some kind.

If you are not on a campus, get to know a local IT professional familiar with your virtual learning environment and / or find an email.

Ask your technical support to provide you with an emergency help card on common problems for example:

o Firewall challenges o Range of modem / broadband speeds o Students cant access the course

When students are having difficulties navigating the VLE, know how to explain (click by click) where students

o must post tasks; o look for assignments from tutors; o can interact socially with other class participants.

Know how to explain o the accessible vs. inaccessible folders (read only for tutors / post only for students); o the importance of subject headers in organizing discussion threads; o how to summarize a discussion thread.

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C writing skills

Although technical issues often assume an enormous importance for the new e-tutor, there are many other skills which ultimately may well prove more important in running a successful course. Many of these are concerned with writing as so much more of an e-course is likely to be done in written as opposed to spoken words.

Writing for an online course is different from writing a textbook or presenting material in a lecture or other face-to-face context. Online writing is a kind of blend between the written and the spoken discourse. It must be simple, clear and friendly without being patronising. E-tutors must get into the habit of checking their messages before posting them to ensure that they are totally unambiguous. They should also be able to make use of colour and other formatting tools as these can help them to present their contributions in the most effective way possible.

Tasks need to be presented in a totally clear and unambiguous way so as not to waste time for clarifying things that should have been clear from the beginning.

Feedback

Giving feedback in writing is one of the most important writing skills required by the e-tutor. The e-tutor has to be able to encourage as well as correct in writing and has to be sensitive to the fact that feedback is being read by the whole group rather than just any individual. The e-tutor has to be able to decide when it would be more appropriate that individual

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feedback is done privately. Part of giving feedback will consist of the tutor establishing from the beginning when and how they will give feedback and communicating this to the group. Students may start by expecting some kind of response to any message they post and may feel disappointed if they do not receive this. Yet, unless the group is very small, doing this is unlikely to be a practical option. It may well also be inappropriate in that it encourages less productive or collaborative relationships between the students themselves. The e-tutor needs to decide what method of working is appropriate for their course and to ensure that learners know what to expect and why a specific approach has been chosen.

Here are some further suggestions relating to this feedback. importance of online feedback.

Giving feedback online is one of the main ways that online teachers can feel present for their students. You may not be able to communicate via voice or gesture, but through online feedback you can reassure students that you are guiding them and enabling them to learn more effectively. Your online feedback may also act as a model for students in terms of creating a friendly inclusive community, so that all members of the online group feel valued and respected.

tools for delivering feedback You may have a range of tools for giving feedback. These could include: - asynchronous conference postings sent to the group as a whole at the 'end' of a discussion - individual emails sent to individual students - synchronous group conferencing, using facilities such as Breeze, etc - individual phone facilities (using free facilities, e.g. such as Skype)

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You may decide to give most of your feedback by posting a message to the whole group, perhaps at the end of the week. On the other hand, there may be times when a quick phone call or text message to a particularly anxious student may be a better way of providing feedback. Similarly, in a very long and intensive on-line course, feedback could be usefully given in a one-to-one email or as a phone 'tutorial'.

aims of feedback a) To promote a friendly, positive atmosphere in the group so that students can maintain interest in the course. This can be done by providing praise and encouragement for the contributions that have been made. If it is possible to acknowledge all members of the group individually then do so. If not, try to spread the encouragement around the group by mentioning different students each time.

b) To comment on the content of the online discussion or other tasks, reassuring the students that they are going along the right lines. An important aspect of commentary may include summarising the weekly discussion, or drawing out the most relevant strands of discussion to make a weekly 'digest'. You should also point out areas that have not been sufficiently discussed (or where there appear to be misconceptions), or draw attention to further areas for debate or discussion.

c) To respond to particular queries or comments from students. If students have a particular question or concern, your feedback is a way of showing that you are present for the student.

d) To pre-empt any future problems. If you are picking up that students are running into problems,

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e.g. by misunderstanding course content or by having technical problems, then feedback can be important in getting everybody back on track.

e) To comment on coursework submitted for assessment to individuals or groups as appropriate. Feeback for assessed work is an essential part of the learning process for students. Your feedback should relate clearly to the coursework guidelines given to students, and should be both fair and clear.

frequency of feedback You should probably respond to particular queries from students as soon as possible (so that they feel you are present.) Otherwise, the frequency of feedback can depend on:

a) the type of learners in the group and how independent they are b) the type of tasks that you have assigned them to do c) the stage of the course, e.g. just before handing in course deadlines may be a time when learners require more feedback

It is important to be explicit about when you will be giving feedback (e.g. at the end of a week when a discussion 'closes'). That way, students will feel properly supported, and will also be able to have more realistic expectations of how quickly you can respond to them.

style of feedback Your feedback projects your personality as a teacher to the group and is important for establishing rapport with the group. It will obviously have your very personal stamp on it. However, it is worth remembering that reading online is different to listening to a teacher in the classroom. When

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writing feedback, pay attention to:

a) Length of sentences, as very long-winded sentences can be offputting. b) Clear paragraphing. c) Possibly breaking up long stretches of text with bullet points, italics, indentations, etc. d) Grading your language when addressing non-native speaker students. e) Keeping the tone friendly and positive. f) Avoiding a very didactic authoritarian tone. Instead of lecturing, ask relevant questions.

finding a balance It's good to find a balance between: - being present for your students and being over-intrusive - providing leadership and guidance, and enabling students to find their own way

'feed-forward' If you are running the same course a second time, you may feel that some of the questions (e.g. about technical matters) or issues that you responded to in feedback in the first course may very well come up in the next course. You could write some advice for students responding to these, e.g. in the form of short Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that students can refer to during the course. This can be a time-saver for you and reassuring to students!

D people Skills

Online courses are most likely to succeed if there is a friendly and collaborative class atmosphere and learners have a sense of being in a group even though they may be geographically very

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dispersed. The e-tutor needs to have a range of ways in which s/he can encourage this e.g. requiring students to write and read each others resumes, setting tasks which involve a personal response, encouraging students to interact, presenting him or herself as a person rather than just the tutor, making links between participants and so on.

The e-tutor needs to be aware of each person in the group, checking if possible to see whether anyone who has not posted is reading others contributions and encouraging a more active participation where appropriate. They should notice when any individual may be having problems and should send supportive messages as and when it seems appropriate.

The online tutor should regularly monitor what is happening in the VLE and should know when and how to intervene if there has been a major misunderstanding or if some kind of destructive conflict is occurring or seems likely to occur. Again, deciding when to respond privately rather than publicly is an important skill that the e-tutor needs. Similarly, students should know how to communicate privately with each other and should be encouraged to do so in appropriate circumstances.

creating a sense of community

Participants in online courses may experiment feelings of loneliness. They may find difficulties in establishing human relationships, interacting socially and finding a virtual self. These factors may affect participants and their learning performance and may also increase drop out. E-tutors should contribute to the development of the appropriate social environment to promote learning. This means motivating relationships between participants, developing the sense of

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community, helping participants to work together. It has been suggested that three points are of particular significance for creating a sense of community. These are (1) the greater use of synchronous communication facilities (in addition to, rather than instead of, asynchronous ones), (2) the deliberate design and inclusion of a warm-up period, incorporated as an essential component into the course structure, and (3) a much greater emphasis on the provision of guidelines for successful online communications.

Here are some specific recommendations with regard to creating a feeling of community within a course group.

Fix clear communication protocols and guidelines to motivate social interaction and promote adherence to it.

Be helpful concerning technical problems that learners may face and sensitive to computer illiteracy.

Try to exploit both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools, these tools are complementary, the immediacy of synchronous communication enables the creation of closeness, and the sense of social presence needed for creating a community. Synchronous communications enable students to socialize, to assist each other with tasks and organization, etc. It can also be more effective and quicker in achieving communication and group coherence goals. The feeling of belonging as well as establishing an identity in the group can thus be faster created. This sense of belonging will greatly contribute to the success of the learning community and also motivate individuals, and the group as a whole, to take it a little bit further and construct knowledge in a very meaningful way as the result of a joint enterprise.

Be sensitive to cultural and gender issues, and do not forget that learners' social contexts influence how they

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learn. Create a safe environment and promote learners well-

being and sense of comfort. Be sensitive to group size and diversity when

organizing groups. Group size should be fixed on the basis of the objectives of the course, the objectives of specific tasks. Grouping people of different backgrounds may be very important in terms of exchange of information. Should you have to cope with groups with large numbers of learners, whether you like it or not, design the tasks in a way that will help people to feel supported and to have a reference.

Introduce a familiarization period in the course where participants will become familiar with each other's communication style, virtual personalities, level of commitment, with the new learning environment. During this period, learners will find common areas of interest. Assist learners during this period to gain the necessary skills and confidence required before learning begins.

Be clear in your communications, avoid ambiguity and restrict any use of jargon.

Keep the subject of discussions relevant to the course content and in line with course objectives.

Make a point of ensuring that everyone should respect the others ideas.

Encourage self-help among participants as this helps to promote more autonomous learning skills which will generally stand modern learners in good stead.

Be aware and guide the discussions in order to avoid flaming or students feeling unnecessarily upset.

Respect and make learners respect the Netiquette you have clearly posted in the learning environment.

Be careful of time zone problems when creating

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working groups.

cross-cultural issues

E-courses may frequently include students from a range of cultures and first languages, which means that cross-cultural issues are likely to occur much more than they do in the face-to-face classroom. For many on-line or blended courses participants will come from several different cultures and first-language communities. Here are some simple tips which should help to avoid some of the potential problems.

Propose at the beginning of the course your preference for Terms of address (Titles or not? First name or not?)

Ensure a limited use of jargon and complexity in instructions.

Do not digress from the objectives set in the course outlines.

Realize that students are not experts in the area being taught.

Realize that students may be struggling with new ideas, concepts and technology.

Be self-confident but not arrogant when communicating with students.

Adhere to the K.I.S.S. principle _ Keep It Short and Simple _ where possible.

Provide your students with a few basic guidelines for communicating successfully in this environment too, reminding them that without body language and expressive voice, it is easy to misinterpret or be misinterpreted.

Offer something like the mnemonic: W.R.I.T.E. (W)arm, (R)esponsive and respectful, (I)nquisitive, (T)entative, and (E)mpathetic as an approach to exchanging ideas in written communication on-line.

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Explain how you will use key terms such as collaboration / cooperation

Explain what you mean by Teacher / Tutor / Moderator / Facilitator

Accept that some people's style of learning is to 'lurk'', and that lurkers still engage with the content of the course. However, if you feel that somebody is not making any contributions to discussions, perhaps try to find out why by speaking to them on the phone, or sending them a private email. Are they shy? Do they feel intimidated by some of the other members of the group? Are they worried that their English is not 'good enough'? Are they having technical problems? Reassure them that their contributions to the discussion are valuable and encourage them to participate.

If somebody is being dominant to the point of inhibiting contributions from other group members, send an email to their private mailbox or phone them. Explain that their contributions are very valuable, but that they do not need to respond to every single contribution that everybody else makes. Ask them to wait a day or two before adding their contribution.

Have a back-up plan for late arrivals such as access to a web-based form of the course

Through personal communication, point late-comer to key discussion threads

Introduce late-comer to a group and invite help from other participants

E organisation Skills

An online course will run most successfully if it follows certain rules. These will partly consist of practical things like using correct subject headers or putting messages in the appropriate

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folder by an appropriate date and it will partly be matters of online courtesy (often referred to as netiquette). The e-tutor needs to work out the rules of engagement for any specific course and communicate these effectively to all course participants.

The e-tutor needs pedagogic organisational skills too no less than he or she does in the classroom. They need to be able to ask appropriate questions, to redirect discussions when necessary, to be able to draw things together and to summarise when this is appropriate. They may need to be able to group students in ways that are most likely to work and to assign responsibilities to students who will be able to take these on effectively. They may need to be able to liaise with other tutors, possibly having to make sure that all tutors consistently follow the courses rules of engagement.

motivating students

Organisation skills are of particular importance in that the e-tutor has to be able to motivate learners who are at a distance both from the tutor and from their peers. This obviously requires slightly differing skills from those used to motivate students in a classroom. Being able to do this successfully also, of course, requires people skills as well as organisational ones.

It must be remembered that motivation is a two-way road. If the e-tutor is not motivated and doesn't convey that enthusiasm, then the students will never be either. It is up to the tutor to set the example.

The following section provides some practical guidelines which help encourage motivation.

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Start-up phase: when participants have to face technical problems or anxiety - welcome participants individually with a friendly email - offer support and reassurance to individuals by email if necessary - ensure the course platform (conference layout) is user-friendly and intuitive - give clear step by step instructions about how to use the conference (offer visual screenshots as well as textual tutorials on how to use) - Reassure newbies that they are not alone (nearly everyone is in the same boat) - Explain netiquette conventions for online communication

Social bonding To build a sense of community - Allow students to develop an online identity by creating resumes with photos and voice messages - Provide an alternative platform (Private Chat / Lounge) to get to know each other before they begin their discussions - Begin with smaller groups whose members have common areas of interest but different backgrounds

Remain present online - Introduce yourself to everyone + explain your own motivation for online learning - Be friendly and supportive :-) - Encourage students to log on regularly (little and often) - and do the same yourself. - Summarise messages in a digest regularly, so participants don't have to face huge numbers of unread messages. - Value every participant's contribution even if you can't comment on all

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- Always respond to students' requests for information - Ensure the environment is non-threatening and inclusive - encourage participants not to be afraid of making mistakes.

Tasks Provide rewarding/challenging tasks - use the participants' own ideas as a springboard for discussion - design stimulating questions to inspire debate - If possible, allocate tasks by matching with individuals' area of interest/expertise - allow participants to select their own area of contribution (but accept all topics may not be covered) - make sure conference topics are meaningful and relevant - design tasks to include a meaningful final task outcome Offer variety - a range of different task/question types over the duration of the course to suit different learning styles

Incentives Offer an incentive to contribute: - A grade (if appropriate) - A final certificate - A formal, assessed learning outcome such as a final essay

F time management skills As well as the obvious location dimension, the key distinction between online and face-to-face teaching relates to time.

Firstly, teaching online offers greater time and as such opportunity for reflection and reflective response. Online teaching facilitates a more reflective approach to teaching especially because of the (usually) asynchronous nature of the communication. This allows a wait-time which grounds learning and allows the implications of issues raised to be fully

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explored - a process which is not always possible in f2f teaching environments. Online teaching also offers the opportunity of revisiting what was said at any time. It could be said that it gives you the unusual opportunity to go back in time! This also facilitates reflective teaching.

On the other hand, in online teaching the tutor spends a lot more time doing everything. A simple 30 minute task like coordinating a getting to know you session among students may take days online. Much more time is spent in achieving set goals. Everything takes a longer time to prepare, and much more planning needs to be done. Much time is also spent in creating the learning environment and learning the skills necessary to maintain the environment effectively. What may be saved in money teaching online, is likely to be spent in terms of time!

An e-tutor may sometimes feel that they are on call 24 hours a day. While one of the major advantages of e-learning is its flexibility with regard to time, it is still important for the e-tutor to consider when and how they are going to do their work on the course and may sometimes have to make the effort to keep this within reasonable limits. If, for example, a tutor decides that s/he will only respond to emails on certain days, then the students should be informed of this as it may help them also in organising their own work. In general, many e-tutors find it is more straightforward to do a little work on most days rather than a lot of work on one day a week.

Students need to be helped with their time management skills too. Here are some extra tips concerning the management of time. Define the agenda and duration of the event. If you think of an online event as being like an offline event,

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generally one week online has been said to compare with one full day offline. This rests on a few assumptions: a) people will log on 1-3 times per day, every day, b) there are about 3-4 main discussions or areas of focus, c) the space is facilitated and d) email alerts are used to "pull" people back to the web space. From this you can think what activities will occur during the event. Provide Preparation Time. Instructors find that planning, developing and distributing course materials needs a substantially greater lead-time for preparation than may be anticipated at first. This permissible time-lag in computer conferencing is particularly well suited to shy, thoughtful or hesitant conversationalists and to members of those cultures, where answers and responses are to be considered and carefully framed before presentation. Pace the conversation. Getting a sense of the rhythm and pacing of a conversation is a facilitation art that improves with time. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is step back and let the action happen. Other times you need to light a fire, or cool a fire. Most experienced hosts say that doing less is often more. Sometimes you just need to step back and let the members drive. This dynamic varies with purpose. Keeping people on topic or focus is a much larger job for a facilitator in an online workspace. End the Sessions. It is often appropriate to bring each discussion thread and the conference to a decisive end. Conclude discussions so that they don't drag on after they have served their purpose. Provide Time to Learn. Learners need support as they learn and use new software features. Provide adequate time for novice users to be comfortable with the technology before they are obliged to participate.

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Re-energize during periods of inactivity. It is normal for conferences to go through periods of relative inactivity or low energy. There will be times when students are finishing up their learning activities or are less likely to participate in discussion because of a holiday or some personal situation.

Here are a couple of time management tips relating specifically to chat sessions. Pre-empt log-in problems. Get everyone to practice logging in days before at the same machine they will use in the real chat session. This will ensure that students machines, browsers, plug-ins, Internet connection, etc. are all working properly. Note that most students will likely wait until the day before the session before they attempt to login and then will need help immediately. Its wise to have someone on hand with technology savvy who has seen most of the problems before. You want to be able to respond, not waste time diagnosing. Allow a little first-time time waste. Chat is a lot of fun when people first try it. That means that they will want to experiment and fool around. Don't expect them to settle into it the first few seconds it could take up to 10 minutes before you settle the group. Let them have a bit of fun and get it out of their systems.

G avoiding problems

E-tutoring is a new type of activity and experience is gradually being built up as to how to do it more successfully. Here are some guidelines which may help to avoid some common pitfalls.

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Avoid "fitting this task in" - plan to check your cohorts regularly and make a time in your diary either every day or two or three times a week to read comments.

Avoid silence - make your presence known by regular feedback.

Avoid negativity - keep correspondence positive and encouraging.

Avoid overload if you can't be "present" then tell people of your absence and invite someone else to take over the role for a time period.

Avoid long replies - KISS-keep it short and sweet. Avoid favouritism - make sure you respond to everyone

at some point in the course. Avoid being "the expert" - ask questions and

acknowledge that you are learning from your students. Avoid assuming anything - be explicit, and clear with

instructions. Share knowledge on the basis that if one person benefits then it was worth sharing.

Avoid isolation - be in contact with other people who are tutors and support each other.

It may happen at any time that something new may come up, one course is not identical to another! Be flexible!

H how to improve your skills

Taking part in an online course in order to get familiar with e-learning is mandatory.

Improve your professional knowledge, in order to be able to offer best quality materials.

Visit other e-tutors' online courses in order to acquire the best skills.

Become a member of communities of practice, share your experience and learn from the others.

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Take part in trainings / online workshops for e-tutors. Subscribing to discussion lists / newsletters / blogs. Identify portals / blogs / wikis in the field and subscribe

to their RSS feeds.

I useful resources

overview of e-tutoring [ http://otis.scotcit.ac.uk/onlinebook/ ] http://otis.scotcit.ac.uk/onlinebook/ [ http://ltt.dit.ie/html/resources/emoderating.htm ] http://ltt.dit.ie/html/resources/emoderating.htm

netiquette [ http://www.albion.com/netiquette/ ] http://www.albion.com/netiquette/

educational technologies/ICT [ http://www.btinternet.com/~iberry/html/et.htm ] http://www.btinternet.com/~iberry/html/et.htm [ http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/ ] http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/ [ http://www.shambles.net/pages/school/ITclass/ ] http://www.shambles.net/pages/school/ITclass/

eTools [ http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/ ] http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/

meta-search engines [http://lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/MetaSearch.html ] http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/MetaSearch.html [ http://meta.copernic.com/copern.main/ ] http://meta.copernic.com/copern.main/

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[ http://www.metacrawler.com/ ]http://www.metacrawler.com/ [ http://www.mamma.com/ ]http://www.mamma.com/ [ http://www.kartoo.com/ ]http://www.kartoo.com/

glossary on internet terms [ http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html ] http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html

mailing lists about et-utoring/e-learning/CMC, etc [ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningwithcomputers/ ] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningwithcomputers/ [ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IATEFLComputerSig/ ] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IATEFLComputerSig/ [ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webheads/ ] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webheads/ [ http://groups.yahoo.com/ ] http://groups.yahoo.com/

other online courses [ http://training.freeskills.com ] http://training.freeskills.com [ http://knowplace.ca ] http://knowplace.ca

how to prepare materials/contents online:

Basic knowledge about HTML code [ http://www.geocities.com/vance_stevens/htmledit.htm ] http://www.geocities.com/vance_stevens/htmledit.htm [ http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp ] http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp [ http://www.ibiblio.org/edweb/htmlintro.html ] http://www.ibiblio.org/edweb/htmlintro.html

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Some tutorials on webdesign [ http://www.htmlhelp.com/links/tutorials.htm ] http://www.htmlhelp.com/links/tutorials.htm

Design Elements [ http://www.htmlhelp.com/design/ ] http://www.htmlhelp.com/design/

Training Content Authoring Options [http://www.traincaster.com/product_info/authoring_options.shtml ] http://www.traincaster.com/product_info/authoring_options.shtml

screenshot software programs for tutorial creation. Camtasia Studio http://www.techsmith.com/ Screenshot Utility http://www.screenshot-utility.com/ Snapz Pro X - 2.0.2 (only for Mac I believe) http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/11530

MWSnap: http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html

hardcopy readings

DUGGLEBY, Julia, How to Be an Online Tutor~ SALMON, Gilly E-Moderating; The Key to Teaching and Learning Online COLLISION, George, Elbaum, Bonnie, Haavind, Sarah, Tinker, Robert, Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators PALLOFF Rena M., and Pratt Keith, Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace KO Susan and Rossen, Steven, Teaching Online: A Practical Guide