Adapted from “The Live e-Learning Cookbook: Recipes for Success,” by Jim Hollahan, Al Gordon, Yatman Lai and Kathleen Barclay, Ph.D. Click here to order

Effective online instruction, especially presenters new to web seminars, requires two instructional staff—a subject matter expert or instructor, and a virtual classroom producer.

The instructor’s role

• Knowledgeable about content, instructional strategies, and learning outcomes.
  
  
• Interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills—lead person on learning facilitation, discussions, learning exercises.
  
  
• Facilitates learning experience, encourages learner participation, encourages learners to share and to talk with each other as well as with the instructor.

An instructor typically operates on several levels simultaneously during the virtual class:

• Content — Presenting content, learning exercises, and case examples related to the learning outcomes of the class.
  
  
• Planned interactions— Planning for interaction with students every five minutes.
  
  
• Discussion and facilitation — Planning discussion points and dialogue opportunities. Students also initiate discussion when they raise their hand and initiate a question.
  
  
• Classroom technology— Supporting the instructional process and student interaction using virtual classroom tools such as whiteboard annotations, chat, hand raising, web tours, application sharing, polls, and quizzes.

The Producer’s Role

• Skilled in operations of all technical aspects of conducting a virtual class session.
  
  
• Lead person on technical facilitation and a support person for discussions.
  
  
• Handles technical problems, monitors hand raising, and operates classroom features (application sharing, web tours, and polls).

It’s important to identify one or two people who can play the producer role. They will serve as the virtual classroom producers supporting your instructors and subject matter experts. The virtual classroom producer should have the following skills:

• Full knowledge and skills in operating all the features of the virtual classroom: whiteboards, annotation tools, polls, questions and answer sets, chat, application sharing, and web tours.
  
  
• The ability to assist the instructor by moderating and/or facilitating discussions. This is a team teaching approach with the subject matter expert focusing on content and the producer focusing on facilitation and virtual classroom operations.

Author Jim Hollahan is president of Essential Solutions, Inc., Silver Spring, MD © Copyright 2003 Jim Hollahan. To purchase “The Live e-Learning Cookbook” click here.

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