Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Training Manual
Tiffany Loken
CUR/532 Facilitating Online Learning
December 21, 2015
Melinda Medina

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Welcome to
Train the Trainer, Distance
Learning Edition
A Synchronous 3-day Training
Your facilitator is
Tiffany Loken

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Welcome! My name is Tiffany Loken and I will be your facilitator for this synchronous 3-day
training. Our training will be completed 100% online through www.ecampus.phoenix.edu. We
will be connecting shortly at 10:00 am on the website. You will use your NTlogin to enter the
website and will see our training course in the current course section. Please look through the
entire training manual before our initial meeting at 10:00 am.
Please ensure you keep this manual handy throughout this training as well as the two books we
will be referring to during the next three days;
Haythornthwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-Learning Theory & Practice. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2011). The Excellent Online Instructor. New York, NY: John Wiley &
Sons Inc.
You should have received these two books via inter-office mail last week.
You are in the right place if you were recently selected for our first distant learning corporate
facilitator team. This means from this point forward, you will essentially have the same role, but
will not longer facilitate face-to-face training classes. The University of Phoenix has decided to
move away from in class trainings and this is our first step. You were selected for this program
because through your tenure here with the University of Phoenix and or Apollo Education
Group, you have shown your exquisite skills as an effective member of our training team. We
appreciate you and are excited that you have chosen to take on this new responsibility with us.
Many of you have not had direct experience with training through a distance learning platform,
however you may be familiar with the online learning system. Thank you for completing our
survey, I was excited to learn that each of you have obtained at least one degree/certificate with
us, so you should be familiar with our online learning system. We will be using the online
learning system/new classroom for this training course along with the trainings you will each
facilitate.
You are in an interesting position because you are currently extremely skilled with knowledge of
our corporate training material and how to deliver the information in a face-to-face learning
environment, have a true understanding of andragogy, and understand distance learning from a
students perspective. However, this three day training will help to understand the method,
theories, and understanding behind facilitating a training program solely through online
mediums.

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Training program goals

To show how your skills as an effective face to face facilitator, hone in on the skills that have
made you successful and turn that into becoming a confident and collaborative online corporate
trainer.
Typically, Training online facilitators travel through the following phases:
Stage 1. Teacher as learner: Termed an information gathering stage, instructors are seeking to
develop the skills they need in order to perform instructional tasks using technology.
Recommended training includes demonstrations of best practices using technology delivered by
peers who are already incorporating technology into teaching.
Stage 2. Teacher as adopter: This is an experimental stage in which instructors try out various
forms of technology and share their experiences in doing so with a focus on task management.
The use of mentors and knowledgeable peers, as well as lab situations, is recommended to
support instructors in their experimentation.
Stage 3. Teacher as co-learner: A clear relationship between technology and the delivery of
curriculum is forming at this stage. It is at this point that workshops focusing on enhancing
instruction through the use of technology are recommended, along with collegial sharing of
lesson and assessment ideas. Students can be effectively used as technical assistants in this phase.
Stage 4. Teacher as reaffirmer or rejector: Greater awareness of learning outcomes is
developing in this phase, along with the ability to determine the impact of various technological
approaches on student learning. Incentive systems work well at this phase, including
encouragement to disseminate exemplary student work as examples of the impact of technology
on student progress and performance.
Stage 5. Teacher as leader: Experienced instructors are encouraged to expand their roles in this
phase to become active researchers and teach new members. Instead of participating in training at
this phase, instructors are encouraged to lead workshops and work as mentors.
Palloff& Pratt (2011)
We will work our way through these stages together and you will still explore and progress
through the stages on your own as you gain confidence and experience through the online
learning environment. Over the next three days we will focus on getting through stage 1. You are
in a unique position as you can be completely honest with your current experience level with your
training classes. The entire organization understands that the university is moving away from
traditional training sessions and will start to move forward with e-learning mediums. Also, 92%
of our current employees have taken at least one class with us, so they will already be familiar
with the distant learning platform used for our trainings.

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Successful online instructors typically possess the following in class:

Visibility- The excellent online instructor can establish presence and is present frequently in the
online environment. Being visible is extremely important as you want the members of your
training classes to feel supported. In a traditional setting you can speak to them, praise them, help
them, all while walking around the classroom. Unfortunately you cannot do that in an online
classroom unless issued by non-verbal communication. If you are not present in the classroom,
the posts will add up fast, so it helps to be in there often and make it known that you are in there
by responding to trainees.
Compassion- Genuine concern, flexibility, fairness, and honesty, the excellent online instructor
expresses sincere positive regard for students and delivers student-focused, student-centered
instruction or in this class, employee focus, employee centered instruction. You are already
compassionate, just hone in on a way to show that in the new classroom/online learning system.
Type how you would talk in your class; it does not have to be perfect.
Communication- The excellent online instructor communicates with students
frequently, provides substantive feedback, and is comfortable with using the technology. You
understand how to effectively communicate, give feedback, and you know the technology
platform. Make sure you make the most out of your communication. Be clear and concise, but
still warm. Some interactions online, especially when new to the model, can seem cold or distant.
Be yourself.
Commitment- The excellent online instructor is a passionate and committed teacher, sees the
value in teaching online and sees the facilitated model of teaching as rigorous and powerful.
Hopefully each of you have taken on this challenge because you see the value of distant learning
and have seen how many students our university has helped through distant education. Through
the new lean university process, our expansion of distance learning models makes sense. If you
do start to lose faith in our process, know that you were chosen for a reason and you are a
pioneer.
Organization- The excellent online instructor is organized and a good time manager. You are
already used to time management and time-wise. You have gone through the trainings; you will
now put that training to use in a different manner.
(Palloff & Pratt, 2011, p. 19)
The main focus of this training is to merge how you have been successful in a traditional training
environment and how that can communicate successfully in an e-learning environment.

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Training program objectives

Day 1Understanding and identifying the successful characteristics of an effective online facilitator.
Establishing an understanding of a community approach with an employee-centric focus by
creating an online presence.
Day 2Establishing clear and concise communication that incorporates student/employee participation.
Day 3Understanding the additional technology tools, other than the new classroom/online learning
system, to create involvement.

Summative Assessment
What to expect- I will be your mentor as you dive into the online teaching realm. I will also be
observing your classes and completing summative assessments (CBT/WBT (Computer/Web
Based Training) throughout your initial classes in the near future.
Your training material will be assessed, but your interaction in class is the most important. I will
complete the assessment in the final week of your training class. I will take the consideration into
the following:

Perceived usefulness and ease of the course

Flexibility for students and instructors

Ease of and emphasis on interaction

Experiences with engagement

Time Management

Frequency of online presence by instructor

The Skills that are needed to create an effective e-learning environmentHaving a clear understanding of what stages/phases you and your learners are currently in.
-

Understanding andragogy and knowing that all adults come in with personal goals and
wanting to know whats in it for me

Building students/employees up by acknowledging their experience

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

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Establishing an active environment where adults fell comfortable participating

Incorporate up to date- ready to use information so the students/employees see the

immediate use

(Palloff & Pratt, 2011)

Please read through the following to understand the correct phases. This helps to
understand where you are during this process.
a.) Visitor: Faculty who have toyed with the idea of technology integration in their faceto-face classes and who may have posted a syllabus or assignments online or used e-mail
for assignment completion.
b.) Novice: Faculty who have never taught online and who may or may not have taken an
online course as a student but have consistently posted a syllabus online and have used
some communications technologies to supplement their face-to-face teaching.
c.) Apprentice: Faculty who have taught online for one or two terms. They may have
taught more than one course per term. They are developing an understanding of the
online environment and the skills required to teach online.
d.) Insider: Faculty who have taught more than two semesters online and have taught
more than one course per term. They feel comfortable in the online environment, are
proficient with course management technology, and have basic understanding of the skills
needed for online teaching. They may have designed one or more online courses.
e.) Master: Faculty who have taught online for multiple terms and have designed several
online courses. They have mastered the technology required to teach online and are likely
to have integrated technology beyond the course management system into their teaching.
They feel extremely comfortable with the skills required to teach online and can be called
upon for peer support for newer online faculty.

Mentors:
The University of Phoenix is offering to have mentors that will assist you in your journey, other
than myself. All mentors have over 5 years of experience in online education facilitation.
Typical topics during mentorship:
Providing Visions for Technology Use
Novice instructors often have difficulty seeing the myriad ways that technology might be
infused into their teaching. As we have discussed, this along with fear of the technology
itself are some of the needs that novice faculty have as they begin to move into online

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

teaching. By working collaboratively with a mentor or a peer group, novice faculty can
begin to catch the vision in terms of ways in which technology might enhance the work
they do with students, as well as develop understanding of the pedagogy involved in
online teaching. Chuang, Thompson, and Schmidt (2003) noted that faculty who
completed mentoring programs indicated that they were able to gain a deeper level of
understanding in terms of how to use technology effectively along with a greater sense of
confidence in their ability to do so (Palloff & Pratt, 2011)

Individualizing Technology Support

Individualized support, such as that offered through a mentoring relationship, provides
learner-focused instruction. Given that a learner-focused approach is what we promote for
online teaching, doesnt it make sense to provide the same to those who are learning how
to do it? Working with a mentor to learn how to use technology and teach online allows
the new online instructor to work at his or her own pace while allowing for the specific
needs of an instructors discipline or teaching approach. Furthermore, providing an
individualized approach reduces perceived risk on the part of the new instructor, by
allowing experimentation and exploration without feeling or looking foolish in front of a
group of students. This approach allows the instructor to practice and make mistakes
before going live with a group of students in an online class. Often this involves first
shadowing a more experienced instructor in his or her online course, followed by the
mentor shadowing the new instructor as he or she teaches for the first time. Observations
should be coupled with ongoing discussion about technique and designed to support any
needed changes. What should be avoided, however, is putting the mentor in an evaluative
position in terms of job performance or job retention. Feedback should be for the purpose
of performance and quality improvement (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
Breaking Down Hierarchical Structure
Group and network approaches and the use of students as mentors help break down the
traditional hierarchical structures that exist with traditional mentoring. When a more
experienced instructor is assigned to a novice instructor for mentoring purposes, a power
imbalance is established. There is also an inherent risk when mentors are assigned rather
than chosen that the individuals involved will not develop a strong relationship resulting
in the desired outcomes (Goodyear, 2006). When group and network approaches are
used, however, mentees often set the direction of mentoring, determine the norms by
which the group will operate, and set the agenda for the group. Not dependent on a oneto-one relationship, mentees are able to get needs met from multiple sources and power
imbalances are erased, thus resulting in a more collaborative, community-oriented
approach. This is particularly important when students are used as mentorsthey need to
feel comfortable approaching their mentees on equal footing in order to support them in
learning about and using technology effectively (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

Establishing Open Dialogue and Collaborative Relationships

When nonhierarchical models are employed for mentoring, the result is often increased
levels of mutual respect and trust (Chuang, Thompson, & Schmidt, 2003). It is not
uncommon to see mentees engaging in collaborative work with one another as they
become more comfortable in their use of technologywe have seen the development of
wikis, projects in Second Life, coteaching, coauthoring articles, and copresenting at
conferences resulting from group and network mentoring programs and have often seen
such collaborations between faculty members and their student mentors. In fact, we have
also benefited from such collaborations when we have worked with our own students to
learn a new form of technology. Most recently, we collaborated with a graduate student to
support our faculty training and development work with a group of K12 math teachers.
Our student has developed significant expertise in the use of cell phones in his math
classessomething he is now teaching us. We brought him into an online training to
present his work in this area and also to support the teachers in their exploration of
constructivist approaches to math instruction. His involvement was extremely positive
and moved the group much farther in their acceptance and understanding of this approach
than if we had worked with them by ourselves (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
Providing Mutual Benefits for Mentors and Mentees
All of the literature we have reviewed on mentoring, along with our own experiences in
this area, underscores that mentoring processes benefit everyone who participates in them
whether mentor or mentee. Whether helping or being helped, self-esteem and
confidence increase along with mutual respect. All parties feel a sense of empowerment
as well and feel as if they are able to influence those who will carry on in the profession
(Goodyear, 2006). Bright (2008) suggests that the collaboration can also create a greater
sense of ownership of the institutions online program and greater willingness to
participate in evaluation activities, a topic we discuss further in the next chapter.
Consequently, not only do mentoring programs benefit those who participate, they also
have the potential to benefit the institution as a whole and support their efforts to
implement and grow online learning programs (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
Emphasizing the Creation of a Learning Community
The positive benefits and outcomes of mentoring that we have been describing
increased collaboration, willingness to experiment with new approaches, mutual respect
and trust, mutual learning goals, reduction of hierarchy, and open communicationare
all important elements involved in the development of a learning community. Add to that
the fact that online teaching can be a very lonely endeavor. Creating a learning
community through mentoring relationships can significantly reduce isolation and create
a stronger sense of connection to the institutionsomething that is particularly important
for adjuncts at a distance (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).

Train the Trainer, Distance Learning Edition

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Other Sources for Technology to be used in classroom:

The ecampus has online media resources along with additional readings. However,
youtube.com, prezi.com, and other visuals help with making the class more integrative. One
of the largest complaints from employees when notice of the non-traditional training roll-out
was shared was losing the active environment. At the University of Phoenix we pride
ourselves on incorporating andragogy theories and models in every inch of the training
curriculum. We will still incorporate that in our trainings moving forward. Just like you are
able to make your traditional classes interactive and fun, you can also do that within the
online environment. Gamescapes and simulations are great tools to incorporate interaction
and competition into trainings. When integrating WebEx teleconferences, teams can be
broken up for competitions and interactive assignments.
**note, if you do wish to use interactive technology platforms, please let all trainees know so
they do not expect to access the classroom on their phones through the University of Phoenix
mobile app, as some interactive technologies will not work at this time. They will need
access to a computer.

Its all about the learners

Just like our actual classes, all trainees will have access to beginning and end of course
surveys which will be assessed during the summative assessment. Their managers will also
conduct an end of training one on one to prompt more thorough responses. The feedback that
each manager receives will be addressed with you, the facilitator via an end of course skype
meeting. You will also be able to help the manager understand how to continue training on
the floor.
Possible Challenging Behaviors
Being Inappropriate- All trainees/students will be currently employees, so there should be no
cyber bullying or improper use of resources and language. However, if there is. Please
address is individually first. Once addressed individually you may make a class message
announcement or instructor announcement, and then let their manager know. If it is an HR
issue, please consult your HR rep.
Non-Participants- Please remind all trainees/employees that in order to pass each training
they must meet the participation requirements. If they do not fulfill all requirements of each
training, they will then need manager and director approval to take training over.

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11

It has been my pleasure and I cannot wait to help mentor you through this process. You should
have received my business card with your books and the manual. You can also find me in
outlook and skype at any time.

References
Haythornthwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-Learning Theory & Practice. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2011). The Excellent Online Instructor. New York, NY: John Wiley &
Sons Inc.