This course is designed to fulfill this general learning outcome: Understand the core roles and skills of an online facilitator and the tools available through Grow2Serve to succeed in the task. The course asks you to invest 8-12 hours of learning time over a 14-day period.

• As a result of participating actively in the course, by the end you should…
• understand Grow2Serve’s expectations and preparation requirements for facilitators,
• understand the foundational roles, characteristics and skills of an effective online facilitator,
• appreciate the wealth of accumulated knowledge on good facilitation technique,
• begin to feel comfortable with the technology tools available to you as a facilitator on grow2serve.com,
• be able to review an assignment that a participant has completed, indicating appropriate completion or not and giving written feedback as appropriate,
• feel comfortable with the techniques necessary to effectively moderate an online discussion,
• understand your primary role as a “guide” rather than “sage,”
• be able to create a balance between projecting an active presence and the time investment you are able to make,
• be able to use Grow2Serve email features effectively in order to enhance your participation as a facilitator,
• understand the nature of your relationship, as a facilitator, to Grow2Serve,
• know where to go for help when needed,
• be able to take responsibility for the weekly administration tasks related to a Grow2Serve course,
• be able to make judgment calls as to the preferred location within a course for the conducting of different types of dialogue

Course Materials

All readings and materials required will be available on the course site or through other Internet sites.

Course Mechanics

The key to successful learning in this course is interaction, both with the facilitator and with the other participants in the course. It is vital that each participant faithfully post responses on time and reply to the posts of other participants. You will not receive a grade or mark from your facilitator. Your success in learning will be measured by you and the learners that you will serve in the future as you engage into ministry as a course facilitator.

Content, Community, Consultation, Connections

A main feature of the course is the interaction between participants and the facilitator through forums. This is an asynchronous course, so there are not specific times you need to be online. Participants will be in several different time zones around the world, so there is not one set time when everyone is online together. The assignments have due dates, and within the boundaries of those due dates, you are free to complete assignments according to your schedule (i.e., you can do them at night, in the morning, at lunch, etc.).

Better online facilitating – learn by doing!

The course creator and facilitator for this course is Mark Morgenstern. Mark and his family served in evangelism and church planting in Russia and Ukraine with Cru, Navigators, and ReachGlobal from 1992-2006. Returning to the US in 2006 to serve initially as training director for ReachGlobal, for the last 15 years Mark has provided leadership for the development of groundbreaking online professional development resources for missionaries from dozens of Evangelical missions organizations.  Mark is currently the director for continuing learning through the CIT Next ministry of Center for Intercultural Training and Senior Director of Grow2Serve.

Please note that for maximum learning impact in this course, a learner will ideally spend 30–90
minutes daily (Monday — Friday) working on the material. Because it is focused on preparing
facilitators, this course requires that the time be spread out over most of the days of the
course.

• Participants should plan to participate in the course at least 10 of the 14 days.
• They should allot a minimum of 15 minutes (and often much more than that) during
  each of the 10 days.
• Timeliness in completing assignments is especially important as participants will practice
  facilitating with fellow classmates.

The goal is to offer the best preparation for facilitators, so participants’ full engagement in the
course during these two short weeks is very important.