1. Towards learner informed guidelinesfor virtual classroom facilitators Sarah Cornelius and Carole Gordon 16 November 2011

2. Using Elluminate during this sessionPlease interact with us and each other! Tick/cross Emoticons Chat box Hands up for spoken questions 3. The Plan Why learner-informed recommendations? The context and our research approach The recommendations for facilitators Your suggestions and comments 4. Best http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elluminateguidancePracticeGuideshttp://onlignment.com/live-online-learning-a-facilitators-guide/http://repository.alt.ac.uk/803/ 5. Elesig.ning.com 6. Group interviewAll participants with40 hours Virtual Classroom experience 7. Research approach Collation of a rich data set of stories andexperiences Analysis to look for themes and guidance Some expected categories, some unexpected 9 recommendations drafted 8. The draft guidelines Recommendations Prepare learners for learning in the virtual classroom Establish etiquette and adopt a set of protocols Use icebreakers to welcome and familiarise learnerswith tools Use breakout rooms for small group activities Provide a variety of activities to meet different learningpreferences Foster student-tutor and student-student relationships Identify and manage those who participate minimally Use the media to suit the situation Reassure, encourage, keep things simple 9. Recommendation 5:Provide a variety of activities to meet differentlearning preferences Do all you can to accommodate different thinking and learning styles Respect learners privacy, in terms of what you ask of them 10. Recommendation 4. Breakout rooms Breakout rooms are an excellenttoolwhen we log on initially, we get a small idea of what is to come by seeing the breakout rooms and I do look at the breakoutwhat they are called builds the rooms and see what they anticipationare namedI wonder what it isSub-recommendation 1:Choose names for breakout rooms that allow for helpful learner anticipation 11. I hope you never use the team captains approach.. I remember being in aThat would dredge up breakout room and no-one memories of the gym classelse being therefeels lonelyIt is fairly easy to get into theI think [allowing participants to breakout rooms although I move themselves to rooms] gives sometimes wait until the rush is participants autonomy as well, toover and then drag my name into know that you can do that the roomyourself, instead of someonetaking youSub-recommendation 2:Select optimum numbers for breakout rooms andallow learners to move in and out of rooms as appropriate 12. I didnt notice [when theI was aware of tutorstutor dropped into a entering but didnt feel thebreakout room]need to interrupt the flow of discussion to acknowledge their presenceSometimes it can be easier to ask a question when in a breakoutIt gives an opportunity to askroom as opposed to asking in the questions when the tutor popsmain room in if anyone is nervous aboutthat kind of thing Sub-recommendation 3: Facilitate group work by moving between the rooms judiciously 13. Recommendation 7. MinimalistsIt creates a level ofIt was juststress that possibly annoyingyou [tutors] arentaware ofThis has probably There were some been the mostpeople, like me, whostressful part of the[were] quite happy to course for mewe talk all the time, butmake plans, theythere were others whodont turn up werentthey didntseem to want to participantSub-recommendation 1:Be aware that those who participate minimally have a negative effecton their peers and consider ways to manage this 14. Recommendation 5. Diversity Dont put me onI dont like being put on the spot with an the spot with a difficultacademic question,question (I must havemy mind goes blank sounded like the Kingsspeech) but then the good thing was no-onecould see my red faceI dont like giving outpersonal information in a public forum, e.g. what I did on myholidaysI felt underpressure to join in andthis turned me off inSub-recommendation 2: terms of participationRespect learners privacy 15. Discussion questions Are theserecommendationshelpful in your context? Do they reflect yourown experiences? Do you have otherevidence/stories thatadd to the examplesprovided? 16. What next? Full report on study forthcoming check ELESIGwebsite Wider research into learners experiences needed Links with other current research into teachersexperiences Sarah Cornelius s.cornelius@abdn.ac.uk Carole Gordon c.a.gordon@abdn.ac.uk