My facilitation plan

Identification and Timing

Facilitating an online course "Psychology in Occupational Therapy"




Facilitators name

Dr Graeme Dixon



Class Identifier

Online Learning Community




Start Time

Dependent on Class



Start Date

Dependent on Class



Finish Time

Dependent on Class




Finish date

Dependent on Class




Reasons for the Meeting.

This meeting is being set up to discuss the feasibility of the proposed online course "Psychology in Occupational Therapy" , a course which will be run through Wintec next year to a group of approximately 50 students.
The outcome of the meeting there will be discussion of the following t0pics.


a) suitability of the medium chosen


b) suitability of the course structure


c) a plan for warm ups - given the large group


d) discussion of assessments and timing


e) alternate plans

Medium Used

The medium chosen for the meeting is an Elluminate platform with references to Wiki material. A week long Blog feedback and follow-up will be carried out after the Elluminate session.


I have chosen this medium as it appears to be a platform that the proposed group is familiar with, has some experience with, has met online before and some useful discussion has taken place, and is synchronous allowing for real time discussion.
It will also give me some experience with utilising a technology I am relatively uncomfortable with from the other side of the board.

Description of the group

• age range -
  

30-60 years

• Size of group

5-15 (dependent on timing)

• Profile/persona (to include learning profile and stage)

Keeping in mind the learning styles of auditory, visual and kinesthetic and believe the mix of media on Elluminate will accommodate the first two styles and the ability to interact with the material after the session through my Blog will help those kinesthetic styles.

• Topic/concept to be discussed
  

a) suitability of the medium chosen -


Question: Is the combination of Wiki, Blackboard, face to face the best way to deliver this course?

b) suitability of the course structure -


Question: Does the timing and structure of the course allow the best learning experience for the participants?

c) a plan for warm ups - given the large group -


Question: What warm-ups do you think would work?

d) discussion of assessments and timing -


Question: Are the assessments suitable for determining learning and is the weighting and timing correct?

e) alternate plans -


Question: If you were to run the course would you use other methods and what methods?

• Expected result
  

Answers to the above questions


How often has the group met previously?

The group has met regularly since the beginning of the second semester with an average of 5 people attending a regular Monday night session (this number sometimes rises to 15)

Has this group ever met face-to-face

Some members (i.e. approximately 50%) have met face-to-face. Four members I have met face-to-face with on a regular basis.


Over what period of time has the group been interacting online?

The group has been interacting online for approximately 5 months.


Which of these stages best describes the group ( Delete those that don't apply)

Performing group


Planned facilitation of the meeting

I will inform participants of the session through the course communications (i.e. Black Board, Online learning community Blog, email)

Here is the link to setting up Elluminate.

and a Video version


I will have a slide show prepared to augment the session which will contain the questions above.
Download from slideshare here

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I will provide links to the Wiki and my Blog previous to the meeting.
My Blog
My Wiki


I will provide real-time (Elluminate) and post session(Blog) summary of the session and encourage contributions for one week, when I will prepare a summary of what occurred.


I will have a backup system which will be that if Elluminate does not work by five minutes after the scheduled starting time the participants will be informed by email (they will have to give me their emails where they will be at session time before the session starts) and we will reschedule the meeting.


I will introduce the session and introduce topics as we proceed.

My role will be to keep the group on track, facilitate when conversation slows, provide summary of each task as we proceed.

• First facilitation message (motivation/task orientated)
• Second facilitation message including facilitation techniques to be used
• How ofter will you facilitate?
• Third facilitation message including facilitation techniques to be used
• Summarising message main points to be covered
• Closing message.

I find this last part of the assignment difficult to complete as I have no idea how the session will proceed and having a script to direct facilitation seems rather an antithesis to what my understanding facilitation is all about. I have therefore refrained from having any pre-prepared words.
I think by pre-advertising the session, by sending out contacts and a fall back plan, by having the topics on a whiteboard on Elluminate, by having a summary component on the day , a feedback forum afterward, by keeping to time constraints - I have done the best I can to make sure that a properly facilitated session will occur. Having said that I will be aware of the principles encapsulated in this presentation.

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