Facilitator preparation, support and quality assurance for the improvement of student performance at contact sessions

Abstract

This paper focuses on how distance education (DE) facilitators of the Advanced Certifi cate in Education (ACE) are trained, supported and quality-assured during contact sessions to improve their facilitation skills. The argument is whether facilitators are adequately trained, quality-assured and supported to assist students studying independently in improving their performance. A further argument is whether the training, quality assurance and support of facilitators contribute to the two-way communication between students and the facilitator, and the communication of students with one another during the learning process. Ten facilitators from two provinces, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, who were involved in the ACE Education Management Programme, were purposively sampled and interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The aim was to establish what the support structures and methods used for distance education facilitation were. Findings revealed that module coordinators had no standardised training programme or support mechanisms for the facilitators, which resulted in some facilitators being better prepared than others. These fi ndings may contribute to designing a standardised facilitator training programme and support strategies for the improvement of facilitation and learning, as well as quality assurance at contact sessions.