**9. Design and instructor facilitation features**

Although learners engage in the three phases of self-regulated learning independently, and set goals and practice the specific dimensions of self-regulated learning (motive, method, time, physical environment, social environment, performance) largely on their own, the process is facilitated through course design and instructor dialogue. The four components of this part of the model—structure, dialogue, social environment, and collaborative control—have a theoretical basis, described in the previous section, and are built into the course design. They also have implications for instructor behavior.

As indicated earlier, the structure of the course helps guide learners and provides predictability while dialogue entails communication among course participants and the teacher for purposes of socialization and learning support. These two elements affect autonomy. Figure 3 indicates the relationship among structure, dialogue, and autonomy.

When structure and dialogue are low, the learner is able to make choices about learning independently. However, structure and dialogue may be needed when necessary information is not included in the course or if the information is incomplete, or when learners need greater levels of support. When structure and dialogue are high, autonomy decreases. As instructors work with students, they can tailor the instruction and support to the level of the learner

9

Although learners engage in the three phases of self-regulated learning independently, and set goals and practice the specific dimensions of self-regulated learning (motive, method, time, physical environment, social environment, performance) largely on their own, the process is facilitated through course design and instructor dialogue. The four components of this part of the model—structure, dialogue, social environment, and collaborative control—have a theoretical basis, described in the previous

As indicated earlier, the structure of the course helps guide learners and provides predictability while dialogue entails communication among course participants and the teacher for purposes of socialization and learning support. These two

section, and are built into the course design. They also have implications for instructor behavior.

**Figure 3.** The interaction among structure, dialogue, and autonomy.

**Figure 3.** The interaction among structure, dialogue, and autonomy.

through the use of dialogue. As the learners' skills improve, the amount of dialogue will likely decrease. The following example demonstrates structure in the form of assignment instruc‐ tions that are set in the course, and instructor dialogue that provides additional information to help learners successfully compete the assignment. Instructor dialogue can be provided as an announcement (oral or written), a supplemental page in the course, in a brief video, or in an e-mail to the class. When structure and dialogue are low, the learner is able to make choices about learning independently. However, structure and dialogue may be needed when necessary information is not included in the course or if the information is incomplete, or when learners need greater levels of support. When structure and dialogue are high, autonomy decreases. As instructors work with students, they can tailor the instruction and support to the level of the learner through the use of dialogue. As the learners' skills improve, the amount of dialogue will likely decrease. The following example demonstrates structure in the form of assignment

#### **9.1. Assignment** compete the assignment. Instructor dialogue can be provided as an announcement (oral or written), a supplemental page in the

**Principle**

**reflection).**

**Learning can be improved through identifying the purpose for learning, goal-setting, and examining beliefs about learning (forethought); learning, practicing, and monitoring strategies**

**Student Course Instructor Training Course**

⋅ Discussion boards, learning journals, or survey instruments that provide prompts for reflection on goals at regular intervals in the course (e.g., weekly, monthly,

⋅ Opportunities to share reflections with colleagues or the trainer for feedback. ⋅ Inclusion of goal modification and next

midterm, end of course).

steps as part of reflection.

**performance against a self-imposed or external benchmark, and modifying goals and strategies as needed (self-**

Self-reflection ⋅ Discussion boards, learning journals, or

44 E-Learning - Instructional Design, Organizational Strategy and Management

**Table 1.** Activities for the Three Phases of Self-regulated Learning

also have implications for instructor behavior.

the relationship among structure, dialogue, and autonomy.

**9. Design and instructor facilitation features**

end of course).

steps as part of reflection.

survey instruments that provide prompts for reflection on goals at regular intervals in the course (e.g., weekly, monthly, midterm,

⋅ Opportunities to share reflections with peers or the instructor for feedback. ⋅ Inclusion of goal modification and next

Although learners engage in the three phases of self-regulated learning independently, and set goals and practice the specific dimensions of self-regulated learning (motive, method, time, physical environment, social environment, performance) largely on their own, the process is facilitated through course design and instructor dialogue. The four components of this part of the model—structure, dialogue, social environment, and collaborative control—have a theoretical basis, described in the previous section, and are built into the course design. They

As indicated earlier, the structure of the course helps guide learners and provides predictability while dialogue entails communication among course participants and the teacher for purposes of socialization and learning support. These two elements affect autonomy. Figure 3 indicates

When structure and dialogue are low, the learner is able to make choices about learning independently. However, structure and dialogue may be needed when necessary information is not included in the course or if the information is incomplete, or when learners need greater levels of support. When structure and dialogue are high, autonomy decreases. As instructors work with students, they can tailor the instruction and support to the level of the learner

**(performance); measuring**

Read the article about the spread of English as an international language and then write a oneparagraph summary of the main ideas. Organize your ideas clearly and upload the paragraph for your teacher's review. course, in a brief video, or in an e-mail to the class. *Assignment*  Read the article about the spread of English as an international language and then write a one-paragraph summary of

instructions that are set in the course, and instructor dialogue that provides additional information to help learners successfully

#### **9.2. Instructor dialogue** the main ideas. Organize your ideas clearly and upload the paragraph for your teacher's review.

In order to complete this assignment, you need to know how to write a summary. See the steps below to help you complete the article summary assignment. *Instructor dialogue*  In order to complete this assignment, you need to know how to write a summary. See the steps below to help you

**1.** Understanding the reading complete the article summary assignment.

The first step in writing a summary is to read through the article carefully and make sure you understand it.


#### **2.** Writing the first sentence

The first sentence of a summary follows a specific format. See the instructions and examples that follow.

	- **◦** The author's name—usually the family name only
	- **◦** The title of the article, book, magazine, or chapter
	- **◦** A restatement of the author's thesis
	- **◦** Examples:

When you are certain you understand the content of the reading and have practiced expressing it orally, and you have written your first sentence for the summary using one of the patterns, use your notes to draft the remainder of the summary paragraph. Be sure to review the paragraph carefully and edit as needed so that your language is as accurate as possible.

	- **◦** explains the main ideas of the original article in your own words
	- **◦** does not contain your own opinion
	- **◦** is usually 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the original

The assignment instructions assume that learners know how to write a summary. The dialogue, in the form of supplemental materials, provided by the instructor gives them specific steps to follow. The teacher also needs to include an example summary paragraph and instruction about reference list formatting. Even though the materials in an online course are already established; in other words, the structure is present, skilled online teachers know their learners and recognize when additional information is needed. This situation is similar to using a textbook in a course; the teacher determines what to use from the textbook and what to add based on a needs analysis of the learner. As instructors teach a course regularly, they have a better sense of where learners will struggle and how to assist them. This is a principle that needs to be included in online teacher training and addresses the viewpoint that is sometimes present among instructors that online teachers are glorified graders. The opposite is true effective pedagogy and interaction is critical in an online course.

The next example demonstrates how instructors can facilitate learning through dialogue in the form of response to assignments. The instructions for the assignment are an example of structure, complete with specifics for how to formulate the post, word count, and deadlines, while the instructor feedback guides learners toward better utilization of this structure so as to meet expectations for the assignment.

#### Assignment

**2.** Writing the first sentence

**•** The first sentence of a summary includes the following:

46 E-Learning - Instructional Design, Organizational Strategy and Management

**◦** The author's name—usually the family name only

**◦** The title of the article, book, magazine, or chapter

**◦** A restatement of the author's thesis

learners to hear and use the language.

**•** Use transitions to connect the ideas

**◦** does not contain your own opinion

**◦** is usually 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the original

**•** Check your use of punctuation

**•** Remember that a summary

**3.** Completing the summary

that follow.

**◦** Examples:

The first sentence of a summary follows a specific format. See the instructions and examples

**•** According to their article, "A Model for Self-regulated Distance Language Learning," Andrade and Bunker claim that learning a language through distance education is a

**•** In "A Model for Self-regulated Distance Language Learning," Andrade and Bunker observe that distance language learning is particularly difficult due to the lack of opportunity for

When you are certain you understand the content of the reading and have practiced expressing it orally, and you have written your first sentence for the summary using one of the patterns, use your notes to draft the remainder of the summary paragraph. Be sure to review the paragraph carefully and edit as needed so that your language is as accurate as possible.

The assignment instructions assume that learners know how to write a summary. The dialogue, in the form of supplemental materials, provided by the instructor gives them specific steps to follow. The teacher also needs to include an example summary paragraph and instruction about reference list formatting. Even though the materials in an online course are

challenge due to the learner's limited opportunity for real-life interaction.

**•** Write a sentence or two summarizing each main idea of section of thought

**•** Put the sentences in the same order of the ideas in the original article

**•** Add your reference list (see the writing tip on how to format references)

**◦** explains the main ideas of the original article in your own words

**•** Check sentence structure, verb tense, and other grammar

Post a response to ONE of the following questions about the article you summarized. Clearly state your point of view and use information from the reading and your own experience to support your answer. Respond to at least two of your classmates' posts. Your initial post should be at least 100-150 words in length. Responses to your classmates must be 50-75 words. Your initial post is due Monday at 11:59 pm. Your two responses to classmates are due Thursday at 11:59 pm. Be sure to check the discussion each day.

#### Questions


#### Student post

English provides people with opportunities for education and better jobs. This is why I am studying English. I want to go to school in the UK. Then, when I come back home, I can get work and look after my future wife and children better.

#### Instructor dialogue

You have important reasons for wanting to improve your English skills. Please make sure you focus on the topic in the question. You have mostly talked about your personal reasons for wanting to learn English. You need to bring in ideas from the article, take a position on the topic, and support your viewpoint. These are skills that you will need in academic writing. The discussion board assignment is designed to help you practice and develop these writing skills. You also need to make sure your response is 100-150 words. Always make sure you read the instructions and follow them carefully. If there is something you don't understand, I am here to help. Please also review the example responses that I posted in the announcements this week. I look forward to your next post.

The instructor response example follows the sandwich approach, which entails starting and ending with positive comments (the two slices of bread) while the middle portion (the filling) provides specific recommendations for improvement. The purpose is to encourage learners while helping them improve. Instructor dialogue in the form of feedback on assignments can be individualized, as in the example above, or it can be provided to the entire class, which is the purpose of the announcement the instructor refers to. The whole-class approach allows the instructor to provide a more extensive response with examples and models. To do this, the instructor notes commonalities in strengths and weaknesses in the students' interactions and provides feedback, examples, and direction to the entire class similar to what would occur in a face-to-face course. Some of this information, depending on the length, could also be posted in the discussion board itself—during the time period that students are doing the assignment. Students do need to know where to find the information, so it is best to have a common practice for this.

Providing a rubric for assignments and including it with the instructions also provides structure and helps learners know how they will be graded. However, often learners need to be reminded to examine the rubric carefully and compare their work to it. An option related to this is to use the practice of collaborative control to help learners develop their own evaluation abilities. Learners could be paired or assigned to small groups and asked to review and discuss each other's posts and then evaluate them with the rubric, providing rationale for the scores assigned. Although students may tend to give each other high scores, the activity at least increases their awareness of the rubric and helps them explore common or differing understandings of it. This is also an example of how the social environment can be integrated into a course. Another way to use the social environment is to simply have an open discussion board in which students post their own questions about anything related to the course to other students. In this way, students can get help on their own that is not instructor-focused. This supports the development of autonomy and self-regulated learning in that they are selecting topics of need and taking responsibility for factors affecting their learning.

This discussion has included guidelines for instructors related to the components of structure, dialogue, social environment, and collaborative control. In the instructor course, structure is provided in the set course modules on various topics—introduction to the university mission and English language program, logistics about the course they will be teaching and the learning management system, understanding their role as online instructors, planning and preparing, and exploring techniques for response. Dialogue and the social environment are incorporated into the course design with opportunities for instructors to share perspectives on the infor‐ mation in the various modules such as how to apply the teaching strategies presented. Examples such as those shared regarding student posts and corresponding instructor feedback can be included in the course to help teachers see models of response. Additionally, strategies for individual and whole-class response, use of technology, and other pedagogical information relating to the principles of structure, dialogue, social environment, and collaborative control should be included and practiced in the training course. The instruction needs to introduce these features, the philosophical foundation for the student course and related research, and also give the teachers the opportunity to discuss these areas much in the same way the learners are discussing the global nature of English in their discussion board in the example shared previously.
