Chapter 1: Principles That Support Effective Moderating
Consortium Netcourses
International Netcourse Teaching Enhancement Coalition
(INTEC)
Teacher Learning Conference (TLC)
Principles of Effective Moderating
Principle One: Moderating Takes Place in
Both a Professional and a
Social Context
Principle Two: The Style of "Guide on the Side" (vs.
"Sage on the Stage")
is Most Appropriate for Leading a Virtual Learning Community
Principle Three: Online Moderation Is a Craft That
Has General Principles
and Strategies – Which Can Be
Learned
The New Landscape
Chapter 2: Negotiating Space: Forms of Dialogue and Goals of
Moderating
Forms of Dialogue
Social Dialogue
Argumentative Dialogue
Pragmatic Dialogue
Chapter 3: Key Facilitator Roles
The Facilitator as "Guide on the Side"
Moving Participants to a New Conceptual Level
Training Participants in a New Skill
Pyramid Model
The Facilitator as Instructor or Project Leader
Designing a Regular, Manageable Feedback Loop
The Facilitator as Leader of Group Process
Leading Introductory, Community-Building Activities
Providing Virtual "Hand Holding" to the
Digitally Challenged
Acknowledging the Diversity of Participants’
Backgrounds and Interests
Infusing Personality with Tone, Graphics, and Humor
Maintaining a Nurturing Pace of Responding
Keeping Up with the Pace That’s Been Set
Organizing Posts and Discussion Threads
Balancing Private Email and Public Discussion
Chapter 4: Healthy Online Communities
Functional Online Groups
Participants Post Regularly
The Online Community Meets Its Members’ Needs, and
Participants
Express Honest Opinions
Participant-to-Participant Collaboration and Teaching Are
Evident, and
Spontaneous Moderating Occurs among the
Participants
Reasonable Venting about Technology, Content, and Even the Facilitator Is
Acceptable and Evident
Participants Show Concern and Support for the Community
Sharing Documents Online
A Caring Community
Keeping an Online Community Happy and Healthy
There’s Too Little or Too Much Participation in the
Course
The Course Is Too Constructive
The Course Is Too Personal or Impersonal
The Continuing Challenge of Maintaining Community Health
Chapter 5: Voice
Introduction
The Landscape of Advanced Moderating Skills
A Palette of Voices
Generative Guide
Conceptual Facilitator
Reflective Guide
Personal Muse
Mediator
Role Player (Character Identification)
The
Potential for Using Voices
Chapter 6: Tone
What Does Tone Have to Do with It?
Selecting the Tone
Chapter 7: Critical Thinking Strategies
Sharpening the Focus
Identifying the Direction of a Dialogue
Sorting Ideas for Relevance
Focusing on Key Points
Deepening the Dialogue
Full-Spectrum Questioning
Making Connections
Honoring Multiple Perspectives
Using Strategies and Voices: Why and How?
Chapter 8: Roadblocks and Getting Back on Track
Hijacking the Dialogue
The Good Student
The Question Mill
Standing in the Middle
The Inquiry Advocate
Whoosh, It Went Right By
If I Do Nothing, They Will Inquire
Summaries vs. Landscapes
Letter from a Fellow Traveler
The Five-Cornered Intersection
Two Poles of Interaction
Epilogue: Evaluation of Success
Glossary
References
