The Role of the Online Instructor/Facilitator
Zane L. Berge, Ph.D.

A modified draft of this article appears as: Berge, Z.L. (1995). Facilitating Computer Conferencing:
Recommendations From the Field. Educational Technology. 35(1) 22-30. Please review and cite the
Educational Technology article in any published work you author. berge@umbc.edu

Introduction
This article will list the roles and functions of the online instructor in computer conferencing (CC). Simply stated, computer conferencing is "direct human-human communication, with the computer acting simply as a transaction router, or providing simple storage and retrieval functions" (Santoro, 1995, p. 14). Regardless of the level of technology used for CC--such as email, mailing lists, MOOs, MUDs, BBSs, computer conferencing systems, or the Web--certain instructional tasks must be performed for successful learning. It may not create the best learning environment to rely solely on CC. But used alone or in conjunction with other media, such as audioconferencing, classroom delivery or printed materials, CC can be used to provide an effective instructional system.

Types of Interaction in Learning
In essence, learning involves two types of interaction: interaction with content and interpersonal interaction, (i.e., interaction with other people). Both are critical in many types of learning. I think as an educator designs a course that is to promote higher order learning, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, rather than rote memorization, it becomes important to provide an environment in which both kinds of interaction can occur. Technology available today, like CC, allows interaction with and about the content. In the past, while this interpersonal interaction has occurred almost solely between instructor and student in distance education, it is increasingly possible for students to interact with one another, even when geographically separated. Again, different channels of communication can hinder or facilitate interpersonal and interaction with content. It is a combination of technologies and media that provide an environment rich in various opportunities for interaction that the designer can use, provided the strengths and limitations of each are taken into consideration.

Interpersonal interaction doesn't necessarily require real-time (synchronous) communication. Therefore, interaction among instructor and students can be independent of time and place. Designers of online instruction need to be aware that the higher the content density of the materials to be learned, the more self-pacing becomes the responsibility of the learner. High density content may be better delivered via recorded media such as printed text, video tape or on a Web site--all of which can be revisited by the learner at his/her convenience and individual pace.

The Role of the Instructor When Teaching in the CC Environment
Clearly the most important role of the online instructor is to model effective teaching and accept "the responsibility of keeping discussions track, contributing special knowledge and insights, weaving together various discussion threads and course components, and maintaining group harmony" (Rohfeld & Hiemstra, 1995, p. 91).

There are many necessary conditions for successful online tutoring, which I have categorized into the following four areas (Berge, 1995): pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical. Not all of these roles need to be carried out in their entirety by the same person. In fact, it may be rare that they are. A brief description of those roles follows (Feenberg, 1986; Gulley, 1968; Kerr, 1986; McCreary, 1990; McMann, 1994; Paulsen, 1995).

Pedagogical (intellectual; task)

Certainly, some of the most important roles of online discussion moderator/tutor revolves around their duties as an educational facilitator. The moderator uses questions and probes for student responses that focus discussions on critical concepts, principles and skills.

Social

Creating a friendly, social environment in which learning is promoted is also essential for successful moderating. This suggests "promoting human relationships, developing group cohesiveness, maintaining the group as a unit, and in other ways helping members to work together in a mutual cause," are all critical to success of any conferencing activities.

Managerial (organizational; procedural; administrative)

This role involves setting the agenda for the conference: the objectives of the discussion, the timetable, procedural rules and decision-making norms. Managing the interactions with strong leadership and direction is considered a sine qua non of successful conferencing.

Technical

The facilitator must make participants comfortable with the system and the software that the conference is using. The ultimate technical goal for the instructor is to make the technology transparent. When this is done, the learner may concentrate on the academic task at hand.

The following recommendations come from many sources and experiences. Besides the references, these sources are listed in the "For Further Reading" section below. Let me emphasis that I have categorized these arbitrarily. There is considerable overlap with some tasks. This is especially true of the issues more difficult to address effectively. It may well be because these issue cut across two or more areas that make them particularly challenging! For example, if I say that the mechanics of giving feedback online student papers (as oppose to hardcopy) need to be devised, should this be under pedagogical, technical, administrative or interpersonal issues? I think a case could be made for each as being an appropriate category.

Pedagogical Recommendations

• Have Clear Objectives.
• Maintain as Much Flexibility as You Can. i.e. follow the flow of the conversation, while guiding it toward the subject.
• Encourage Participation.
• Maintain a Non-authoritarian Style.
• Be Objective.
• Don't Expect Too Much. Online instructors need to be content if two or three well articulated, major points are communicated in a particular thread of discussion.
• Don't Rely on Offline Materials.
• Promote Private Conversations as well as Those in the CC.
• Find Unifying Threads.
• Use Simple Assignments.
• Make The Material Relevant.
• Required Contributions.
• Present Conflicting Opinions.
• Invite Visiting Experts.
• Don't Lecture.
• Request Responses.

Social Recommendations

• Be Accepting of Lurkers.
• Guard Against Fear in Your Conference. Fear of public ridicule often stifles participation in CC. Be gently accepting of students' comments and deal with exceptions off the list.
• Watch the Use of Humor or Sarcasm.
• Use Introductions.
• Facilitate Interactivity.
• Praise and Model the Discussant Behavior You Seek.
• Do Not Ignore Bad Discussant Behavior.
• Expect That Flames May Occur.

Managerial Recommendations

• Informality. Depending upon the instructional objectives of the course, the instructor may decide that informality should be encouraged.
• Distribute a List of Participants.
• Be Responsive. Respond quickly to each contribution.
• Providing for Administrative Responsibilities.
• Be Patient.
• Request Comments on Metacommunications. Request metacommunications by inviting participants to tell how they feel about the course within the conference.
• Synchronize and Resynchronize. As much as possible, ensure that all students begin in unison and in an organized fashion. Also, periodically design ways so that students can "restart" together.
• Be Mindful of the Proportion of Instructor Contribution to the Conference. As a rule, instructors or moderators should generally contribute between one-quarter to one-half of the online material.
• Procedural Leadership. The online tutor should initiate procedures and stifle frustrating procedural discussions. Change what isn't working, but don't allow the conference to be taken over by discussion of failed procedure rather than content or more useful discussion.
• Use Private Email for Prompting as is Appropriate for Discussion . Using private messages the facilitator can urge participants to join in the discussion, to initiate debates, and to solicit suggestions.
• Be Clear. Succinctly and clearly state the conference topic and the expectations for students within the conference. Clarify the topic and expectations throughout the conference proceedings.
• Don't Overload. The instructor should pace the conference so that the equivalent of about one long post per day is made. If the participants have a lot to contribute, the moderator should contribute less so that the slower students can keep up.
• Change Misplaced Subject Headings. Immediately change the subject line on a contribution posted under a wrong discussion heading to the more appropriate one.
• Handle Tangents Appropriately. Return inappropriate digressions to the author or guide the participates back to the original topic.
• Vary Participants' Amount of Contribution. If there is a participant who appears overly outspoken, ask that person (privately) to wait a few responses before contributing. Similarly, ask less outspoken individuals to participate more actively.
• Student Leaders. It is perfectly reasonable to design elements of most online instruction so that students could take turns as assistant moderators and lead the discussion. This needs to be determined by the content of the class, and the skill, knowledge and attitude of the students. But again, one instructor does not necessarily need to solely execute all these roles and tasks.
• 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.
• End the Sessions. Decisively end to each discussion thread and the conference. Conclude discussions so that they don't drag on after they have served their purpose.
• Have experienced instructors. Avoid having a first-time instructor also teach online the first time.

Technical Recommendations

• Use Technical Support. Using face-to-face tutorials sessions for novice computer conference participants is recommended, but not always possible. If it is possible, it may be useful to have technical support people available at these sessions, and available to answer emailed or telephoned inquiries. Before the conference begins, the instructor should know who is available for technical support that is needed beyond his/her skills level.
• Provide Feedback. Provide swift feedback, especially to technical problems.
• Develop a Study Guide. A common reader, study guide or workbook that addresses both the content and any common technical concerns is important. These could serve as the basis for discussion, provide introductory information, description of course activities, resources materials, and other information about the course components or procedures.
• 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 must participate.
• New Methods of Indicating Feedback. One needs to develop standards for online feedback to students' work, such as how corrections or notes to the author can be accomplished working online versus hardcopy.
• Promote Peer learning. Encourage novice email or e-conference users to work with more experienced peers.
• Avoid Lecturing. Single contributions should be limited to no more than two screens. Longer postings are hard to read on screen, become tedious, and impede discussion. If lecture is in order, it is better to send the lecture separately as a reading, either electronically to be downloaded, or by mail.
• Giving Direction. It is important to not give too much direction. Learners will often rebel if the structural design of the conference is excessive.

Summary
Each computer conference, regardless of the technology that carries it, has a different "feel" about it and what may work in one setting with one group of people may not in another. Both the teacher and each student are challenged by new roles, functions, and tasks they need to perform. While instructors are asked to articulate more clearly their goals and methods to others in the development team, students are also asked to take more responsibility for their learning. It takes time for student and instructor to develop effective use of technologically mediated instruction, and it takes time for students to learn in this environment.

In many instructional situations, to be successful there often needs to be more discussion occurring among the students than the one way transmission of facts and information from teacher to student generally allows. Online instructors need to be aware that this can make some students and faculty profoundly uncomfortable and take positive steps to build both confidence and communicative competence in online instruction.

Computer conferencing usually should not be the only medium one uses to create the elements in a learning environment. If your instructional goals and objectives lend themselves to the instructor focusing on the right questions to ask, rather than the right answer to give, then computer conferencing should be given serious consideration as an effective medium for communication within the instructional system being designed.

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