Training the Trainer
Leadership Issues
Presented By:
Dolores MacNeil
Trevor Julian
Dawn Hayward
EDER 677
Training the Trainer
D. MacNeil, T. Julian, D. Hayward
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Training the Trainer
Presentation Sources
Littman, Margaret. (2002) Teaching the Teacher. University Business
Vol.5, Issue 7.
Beaudoin, M. (2002). Distance education leadership: an essential role
for the new century. Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(3),131-144.
Retrieved October 09,2002, from the Gale database.
Palloff, M., Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom;
the realities of online teaching. San Francisco,CA. Jossey-Bass.
Pielstick,C. (1998). The Transforming Leader: A Meta-Ethnographic
Analysis. Community College Review, 26(3), 15-34. Retrieved
October 21,2002, from the WilsonWeb database.
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“The very essence of Leadership is that you have to have a vision”.
Theodore Hesburgh
There seems to be little attention given to
Leadership in Distance education--- WHY?
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Possible Suggestions …
Perhaps because :
1) Up until now the energy in Distance Ed has gone into analyzing
how it compares with the traditional classroom learning.
2) Up until now the attention has been on the planning and
administering of Distance Ed courses.
3) Many have dismissed the concept of leadership as being useful
for the advancement of Distance Ed.
But Now, because Distance Ed has gained credibility and acceptance, it is no
longer seen as a “maverick on the fringe” and it can now give attention to the
role of Leadership for its future growth and development
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Leadership in Distance Ed has been defined as a set of
attributes that create a condition for innovative change :
Creating a shared vision
Communicating the vision
Building relationships
Guiding implementation
Exhibiting character
Achieving results
Developing a supporting organizational culture
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Questions such as …
How many future faculty are needed?
Is the present structure of institutions
appropriate?
Will students and teachers need to meet
face-to-face?—need to be addressed by the
future Leaders
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From Micro to Macro …
Now, as competition-costtechnology come together there is
a need to move away from the
“natural conservatism” ( Palloff
and Pratt,2001,p.39) of educators
to a role of decision-making;
away from a micro view of
technology towards a macro view
of the impact of technology.
D. MacNeil, T. Julian, D. Hayward
What’s
Next?
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Distance Education Leaders
Persons prepared as Leaders in Distance Ed.
will, for the first time, be Leaders who have
not “come up through the ranks”; It will be
possible to play a Leadership role without
being an expert in the field.
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Teaching Teachers
University of Arizona Study by Mark Zupan

Can universities meet graduate students’ demand for
online classes?

Is there a problem in training teachers to become
effective online instructors?

Does a good classroom lecturer make a good online
teacher?
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Distance Education Instructors
Problems with untrained online instructors …





lacked technical basics
need handholding in learning
need too much tech support
lack the ability to develop a sense of community
had difficulty in planning courses that could run
smoothly
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What should we do?
 We need to realize that teaching
online courses requires a special
skill set
 Knowing what content is most
effective online is important
 Assist experienced teachers who
resist the idea that they need to
learn new teaching skills
 Implement formal training for
online instructors
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What’s happening?
Instructors must be available to respond to student
questions and problems.
Clearly the standards for interaction are different for
classroom based learning and online learning.
It is difficult to get instructors to view technology as a
pedagogical tool, not just as a communication tool.
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What are Universities doing?
Eller College of Business at Arizona has initial teacher
training and also require ongoing training for instructors to
improve their skills.
University of Phoenix, believes that student evaluations are
the best judge of distance ed success. Many teachers who
don't stay with UOP because of the time required for
giving students feedback and many are weeded out largely
due to negative student evaluations. Others are unable to
conform to UOP online policies and practices. Mentoring
of new faculty is an important process at UOP.
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Break Out Groups
For five minutes, please discuss one of the following and
be prepared to present to the large group:
1. What training have your received that would be the
most beneficial to you in instructing online learning?
2. If you were approached by your principal to develop and
implement an online course would you feel prepared? Why or
why not.
3. A colleague who is about to instruct her first online learning
course asks your advice. What three things would you tell her to
make her experience easier?
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How did we measure up?
To demonstrate effective practices in leading
online learning activities we …
Offered advance organizer
Had back up plan
Had back up plan for back up plan
Practiced using technology
Were well organized
Used humour to create community
Introduced interactive elements to involve learners
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Training the Trainer
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