Training of Adults - Facilitators, Assessors and Moderators

This short course is intended for all facilitators, moderators and assessors or any other person interested in the training and education of adults

Online Course

This short course consists of seven sections and covers:

• Adult learning and principles
• Modes of instruction
• Lectures as an instructional method
• Visual aids
• Interactive facilitation skills
• Assessment
• Educational strategies

This short course provides a basic overview of the knowledge that a person requires to teach adults.

It includes learning principles, the use of visual aids in lecturing as well as facilitation skills. It furthermore covers assessment techniques and educational strategies.

In addition, the course describes mechanisms and structures to support learners as well as the organisational steps that can be followed to plan a workshop. It also describes the key factors and guidelines to plan a lecture.

The role of role, place, value, advantages and disadvantages of using different presentation media are discussed as well as the characteristics of a facilitative leadership style.  Assessment principles, formative and summative assessments as well as feedback and effective self-assessment are covered.

After completing this short course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the concept adult learner
• Describe the characteristics of the adult learner
• List the implications for teaching practice
• Discuss adult learning principles
• Define distance education
• Explain the rationale for distance education.
• Identifying educational needs of learners.
• Discuss the factors playing a role in designing learning material for distance education.
• List support mechanisms and structures to support learners.
• Describe the organisational steps that can be followed to plan a workshop.
• Develop guidelines for the academic activities and content for a workshop.
• Describe the importance of goal orientation.
• Identify a variety of roles that a lecture can fulfil.
• Debate whether the lecture still has a place in the education process.
• List objectives against as well as advantages of the lecture as instructional method.
• Identify the key factors in planning a lecture.
• Formulate guidelines for preparing a lecture.
• Differentiate between good and poor lecture presentation as far as style and technique are concerned.
• Discuss lecturing styles.
• Formulate good practice while working with an audience.
• Choose lecturing models that suit you as the lecturer and explain the advantages there off.
• Compile a framework of guidelines to enhance a presenters’ presentation skills.
• Discuss the role, place, value, advantage and disadvantages of using different presentation media
• Analyse the use of videos in teaching and learning activities.
• List advantages and disadvantages of using videos and audio recordings.
• Describe facilitation as a core competency.
• Explain the characteristics of a facilitative leadership style.
• Discuss the leader as facilitator.
• Give examples of shared responsibility during the learning-facilitation process.
• Identify factors that influence success as a facilitator (what make a good facilitator).
• Develop a profile of a facilitator.
• Discuss the tasks of a facilitator.
• Identify the qualities of a successful facilitator.
• Discuss, with giving examples, the structure and functions of a group.
• Analyse the different components and actions in the process of building a team.
• Describe the roles people play in a group discussion, giving examples.
• Discuss the rationale for group work in education.
• List the different factors that play a role in group work.
• Explain the facilitation skills necessary when using different methods/techniques for group work.
• Define key concepts of assessment
• Describe assessment principles
• Explain how some of the assessment principles relates to credibility
• Discuss ways of formative feedback
• Describe formative and summative assessment
• Distinguish between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment
• Explain the requirements for effective self-assessment.

After completion of the knowledge section, the learner must successfully complete a multiple choice questionnaire

To obtain the certificate of completion, the learner must achieve a pass mark of 50%.