Placing Human Interaction at the Center of a Distance Education Program in Educational Leadership 173Facilitators
Each of the four components of the online program—structure, professors, facilitators,
and students—serves an important function. The structure was designed to facilitate
relationships while infusing the content, the skills and the development of reflective practice
that students—as future school leaders—will need for success. Professors design the courses
in such a way that the program maintains the philosophy of the on-campus program, ensures
that the content is applicable to students from many different states (and countries), and
designs assignments that are meaningful and facilitate growth. Facilitators help to ensure that
the foundations of the program remain intact, that personal relationships are built with each
student and among students in the cohort, and maintain lines of regular and supportive
communication. The facilitators make the program personal to each student.
Facilitators serve as a bridge between the professors and the students. With over 250
students taking a class at one time, a professor could not possibly provide timely feedback,
build relationships, and adequately support all the students at once. The professors design the
courses, create assignments and learning experiences, set expectations for student
achievement and provide guidance for the facilitators. The facilitators guide the experience
for the students—facilitating weekly online discussions, grading papers, and providing regular
and timely feedback and communication. Facilitators meet each quarter to collaborate,
discuss strategies and practices, and receive clarification and guidance from the professors
and the program director.
Facilitators guide the students through the process, the courses, and the content. A
student’s facilitator is his/her first line of communication. During the two-year program, a
facilitator and the student members of the cohort develop a level of familiarity that would not
otherwise be possible. Students feel comfortable explaining challenges and asking their
facilitator questions, and facilitators gain an understanding of the strengths and areas of
growth for each student. The facilitator knows the professional backgrounds, personal
situations, and geographical locations of his/her students.
Each facilitator in the University of Cincinnati’s Educational Leadership Distance
Learning Program is a graduate of the parallel on-campus program. Not only does this allow
for a two-year interview process, of sorts, it also serves many other purposes. Facilitators
have knowledge of content covered in each class; they can maintain the philosophy and
foundations of the program; and they can maintain a relationship with each professor. While
most facilitators are currently school administrators, all mentors for the internship are
administrators, so the experience and wisdom of a practitioner are available for the student in
one manner or the other.
Facilitators are provided with all materials and resources required for each course—books,
software, articles, manuals, etc. The facilitators have taken each course in the program and
have built a foundation of knowledge and experience in the course content. With these
resources, the facilitator’s role is comparable to that of a teaching assistant in traditional on-
campus programs. Most courses incorporate weekly online discussions over material covered
in reading assignments. Facilitators set expectations for discussion participation, guide the
conversation, and assign grades for student involvement. Students are encouraged and
expected to share insights and explore ideas. Facilitators ensure that discussion is reflective
and comprehensive by constructing dialogue in such a way to facilitate the cohort in building
knowledge together. One great benefit of online discussion over in-class discussion is that
students are forced to put into words their own learning and understandings, which nurtures
reflective practice—another foundation of both the online and on-campus programs.