Onboarding Design: Workshop Moderators

Moderator Training for the
Filipino American Culture Society Lock-In Alumni Workshop

Purpose

Every fall season, the Filipino American Culture Society (FACS) hosts an overnight lock-in event to serve as a bonding activity for its current members. The alumni members of the organization take this opportunity to meet and facilitate identity-based workshops for the current members. The organization can range from 60 to 100 members each year. There are often a total of close to ten alumni members who attend this event and take on the role of workshop moderators. When moderators are able to successfully foster meaningful and thought-provoking discussions, strong relationships are built between the alumni and current members. Being that the organization was created in 1994, the group of alumni is made up of a variety of ages, genders, occupations and moderator experience levels. 

This lesson is designed to offer training for lower-level experienced moderators or serve as a refresher course for highly experienced moderators, who may be stepping back into the scene after taking a long break. The learners will be informed of various strategies and guidelines that will pave the way for successful workshops. The participant instruction guide will provide clear and detailed instruction that can be easily comprehended with a limited given amount of time. Everyone has a unique story to bring to the table and often end up walking away with a greater sense of community and self-awareness. This training session will prepare the learners to reach those goals in an efficient and effective manner.

Aim

Train workshop moderators to successfully explore ideas of social justice and foster a collective consciousness of inclusion, tolerance, and strength through meaningful and thought-provoking discussions with current organization members.

+ Goal Analysis

1. Accurately comprehend the themes of inclusion, tolerance, and strength.

2. Demonstrate how to execute the workshop activities assigned in the moderator instruction guide within the given time constraints.

3. Identify strategies of how to present a low-pressure environment to encourage participation.

4. Demonstrate how to facilitate meaningful discussions by asking thought-provoking questions while providing an unbiased perspective.

5. Demonstrate how to resolve obstacles and redirect the focus of the workshop back to the themes of inclusion, tolerance, and strength.

6. Identify the significance of providing feedback to the moderator coordinator and completing the evaluation worksheet during the workshop.

Learner Analysis

+ General Characteristics

Learners will be of all genders including male, female or transgender and will be of a wide range of ages starting from 18 years old. In regards to work and education experience, the learners may have little to none or a vast amount of years of experience under their belt. The same range of experience will be present regarding the involvement these moderators have had during their time with FACS. With that said, a portion of these learners will have previously played the role of a moderator while some have only acted as participants. The organization is open and welcoming to all ethnicities, however a majority of the members may be Filipino American.

+ Specific Characteristics

As a prerequisite, each learner must currently be an alumni member of FACS. There is no minimum requirement for the physical capability of a learner. However, it is preferred that the learner is willing and able to verbally communicate with others as this will determine the success of the workshop they are moderating.

+ Motivation and Attitude

In FACS, the members are always encouraged to give back. This could mean giving back to their community, loved ones, or the organization itself. The majority of the learners are taking on this task to reconnect with old classmates or meet new members of the organization. Sometimes learners attend the event because they are at a crossroads in their lives and are looking to gain inspiration for a fresh perspective. Others may be attending because they have something they would like to share with the new members or simply miss the endearing environment. There are learners who take the task more seriously than others. Those who take it seriously, naturally end up stepping up to the role of the primary moderators. Those who wish to take on less responsibility often end up having more internal experiences while they observe the interactions that take place during the workshop.

+ Expectations and Vocational Aspirations

The learners can expect to hold a leadership role in one form or fashion. Regardless of whether the learner wants to take on a position with less responsibility, they must recognize that they are being presented as leaders and must conduct themselves in a respectable manner.

In these leadership roles, learners must be outgoing and willing to break the ice. They will be responsible for facilitating conversations and should feel comfortable with giving direction when necessary. The level of confidence they have in the message they are delivering will be easily reflected to the participants. The impressions the workshop moderators leave on the workshop participants can serve as a powerful influence for how the participants will perceive the organization after the workshop.

+ Decision-Related Characteristics

As long as a learner is an alumni member of the organization they are welcome to attend the lesson. Those who will not be present for the annual event itself are allowed to attend the lesson as they may offer insightful perspectives.

As the learners are recruited on a volunteer basis, this will show the instructor that the learners are willingly participating. The learners have chosen to be there regardless of their desired level of involvement. The fact that the moderators are volunteers can be inspiring and motivational for the workshop participants as they are witnessing the alumni members’ putting into action their vow to give back.

Contextual Analysis

+ Delivery Setting

1. The instruction will be performed in classroom 232 at Salem High School. There will be 12 desks lined up in a grid format for learners who are able to be physically present. The room will have standard fluorescent ceiling lighting and adequate HVAC services. The desk of the workshop facilitator will be located to the right side of where the students are facing. An electronic smart board device will displayed at the front of the classroom and the facilitator will have a laptop connected to the smart board to display the instructional material. Printed copies of the moderator instruction guide will be provided in the classroom as well as a digital copy online for remote learners to download and reference.

   An online videoconference application will be used to present the instruction and be accessible to remote learners who would like to attend the lesson via an online platform. The facilitator will use the microphone installed on the laptop. An additional camera and microphone facing the students will be in place. The session will be recorded through the online videoconference application for learners who were not able to attend the lesson due to scheduling constraints.

2. The learner will have a high level of involvement during the lesson. The facilitator will frequently request the learners to participate verbally so they can become more comfortable with speaking in front of others. This immediate feedback will also inform the facilitator of whether they need to change to a different teaching technique or take a brief detour to clarify the lesson material.

3. Nearly all of the learners will have previously attended this annual event as a participant themselves. However, it is possible that they may have never played the role of a moderator. Although the learner may be familiar with the content being delivered in the workshop, they will still need to be guided on how to facilitate the workshop successfully.

4. There will be a low level of competition during the lesson. The facilitator should ensure that all of the learners are on the same page and are working together.

5. There will be a high level of task orientation during the lesson. With a limited amount of time, the facilitator should not move on to the next task until they are reassured that the learners are on the same page. Once the lesson is over, it is very likely that the facilitator will not be available to answer any of their questions during the application of their task.

6. The facilitator will be dealing with learners of a wide range of experience levels. The facilitator needs to deliver the lesson material in a format that can be easily comprehended by novice learners, yet still enticing for experienced learners. The facilitator also needs to ensure that the moderator instruction guides are clear and concise in case there are moderators who need to utilize it, but were unable to attend the lessons prior to the event.

+ Application Setting

1. The annual lock-in event takes place throughout various areas of a Salem High School. The workshops often take place in a section of the hallway that are chosen to be at distance where they are unable to hear or see other discussion groups. The hallways have standard fluorescent lighting and poor acoustic design. The workshops are to be completed within a total of 45 minutes. This includes the time it takes to travel from the original meeting place to their discussion location and back.

2. The Moderators have little to no level of supervision during their workshops. The ratios of participants to moderators can range from one moderator for every fifteen participants to two moderators for every eight participants. It varies, as the final headcount for the workshops cannot be determined until the day of the event. As a result, the moderator coordinator often has to play the role of a workshop moderator himself or herself. Thus making them unable to offer supervision support of the other moderators.

3. The Moderators are highly involved throughout the entire process as they are facilitating the assigned workshop activities and discussion prompts.

4. The degree of peer cohesion can vary as this depends on the number of moderators present at the event. If the moderators are working in pairs, one moderator is designated a primary role and the other a secondary role. They each have their assigned duties, however they should be fully knowledgeable and capable of carrying out the duties of their partner.

5. There are certain portions of the workshop agenda where the moderator will have flexibility on how they would like to direct the activities. Therefore, there is a medium level of autonomy in the application setting. There are specific activities like the final poster product that should be completed exactly as instructed, as the product will be presented alongside the other discussion groups’ products.

6. There is a medium level of task orientation as the moderators are given a time limit of 45 minutes and must create a poster product. If a moderator is too focused on completing the task exactly how it is written in the moderator instruction guide, there is a chance they will miss an opportunity to further expand upon a stimulating thought raised by a participant. This could potentially be discouraging to the participant if they feel they have not been acknowledged and prevent them from participating any further. Working in small groups, this could easily influence the mood of the remainder of the workshop if not handled appropriately.

7. The clarity of job expectations varies as a portion of the task deals with cognitive learning theory. The moderators will be given a detailed set of instructions that will clearly outline the activities and goals of the workshop. Results of certain activities are more easily measured than others. For example, you can evaluate whether the poster product was completed correctly through visual inspection, but evaluating the quality of a discussion may be more difficult to do.

8. There is a low level of management control as the moderator coordinator will serve as the facilitator during the lesson, but will most likely not be present during the application setting. After the lesson, the task is solely left in the hands of the workshop moderator.

9. Innovation is highly encouraged, as the moderators should feel a sense of ownership over their workshop. They are given detailed guidelines should they need assistance getting back on track, but are welcome to mold the workshop so long as it doesn’t lose focus of the workshop themes of inclusion, tolerance, and strength and the poster product is completed correctly.

10. The application setting is highly appropriate as the organization was created and built at Salem High School. This event is designed to create relationships between the alumni and newer members of the organization. Salem High School is commonly the first degree of similarity that the moderator and participant will have.

11. Having the event at Salem High School not only brings the moderators back to their roots, but it often draws up new perspectives of the venue for the participants. The intellectual discussions that occur during these workshops tend to leave deeper impressions on the participants that contrast with the daily hallway social interactions they may be used to.

Task Analysis

Learning Objectives and Instructional Strategies

+ Objective 1: By the conclusion of the training lesson, the moderator will demonstrate an acceptable comprehension of the themes of inclusion, tolerance, and strength for the discussion groups and the overall goals of the workshop.

(Concept/Recall)

Initial Presentation:

Announce the three themes and discover how each learner defines each term. Read a formal definition of each term. Ask the learners to write down possible scenarios that identify with each concept and may relate to the participants. Discuss the difference scenarios.

Generative Strategy:

The learners will write a definition for each term in their own words. They will be given the opportunity to share their definition. The learners will then write an example of a scenario of where each theme could relate to the participants. Learners will volunteer to read their scenarios.

+ Objective 2: Given a detailed instruction guide, the moderator will administer the workshop activities in their entirety within the given time constraints.

(Procedure/Application)

Initial Presentation:

Display an abbreviated agenda for the alumni workshop and review it by reading it aloud. Review and display a detailed breakdown of the agenda. Perform the icebreaker with all of the learners. Discuss the icebreaker. Describe the goals of the group discussion section and how the moderators can approach the activity. Ask the learners to write down two examples to use. Display an example of the sticky note poster and how the posters will look once they are displayed together.

Generative Strategy:

The learners will listen to the review of the agenda and write down notes. They will have a first-hand experience of participating in the icebreaker and take note of the different things they observed or thought about during the activity. The learners will discuss their experiences aloud and take down any notes necessary. Lastly, they will review the sticky note activity and how it should be displayed.

+ Objective 3: The moderator will present a low-pressure environment to encourage participation while actively observing participant behavior.

(Concept/Recall)

Initial Presentation:

Ask the learners to alternate counting off as the letters A or B so they will be split into 2 groups. Next, ask the learners to think about whether they are for or against abortion and why it’s necessary to discuss it with the FACS members. Announce that each learner will be asked to share their opinion aloud one by one and we will begin with group A. Play the one minute timer video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA0-QXbLnaE) and announce when the time is up. Mention that for the sake of time, only three volunteers will have to share their opinions from group B once you have gone through all of the members in group A. The facilitator will then call on the first person in group A and ask them how they felt about group B being given the option to share their opinion. Call on another learner of group A to share how they felt. After, ask a learner of group B how they felt once it was announced that they had the option of volunteering. Call on one more learner from group B. Ask the learners to raise their hand if they would have volunteered to share their opinion if given an open floor. Discuss the importance of providing a low-pressure environment and how it can affect the FACS members’ experiences. Specify how certain topics may be more sensitive to some than others. Display a list of the types of behavior to look out for and how these signals can tell a moderator how they may need to direct their discussion.

Generative Strategy:

Learners will be asked to mentally form an opinion about being for or against abortion and why it is important to discuss it with the FACS members. Once the learners are given the restrictions for sharing their opinions, they will be randomly selected to share their opinions about the given sharing restrictions. The learners will write down notes about behavior and signals to observe.

+ Objective 4: Given a suggestion list of discussion questions, the moderator will drive a thought-provoking conversation while providing an unbiased perspective.

(Procedure/Application)

Initial Presentation:

Display the slide for active listening and have the learners write down a few signals that confirm that someone is practicing active listening. Open the floor for 3 learners to share their list. Type the list on the slide and display your list after from source (https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/active-listening.html). Ask the learners why it is important for a moderator to practice active listening. After the discussion, ask 6 learners to select an index card from your stack of moderator practice cards. Give 2 online learners roles by typing into private chat messages with them. Tell the class that each of the cards list a role and line that they will read aloud. There will be a Moderator A, Participant A1, Participant A2, Participant A3, Moderator B, Participant B1, Participant B2, Participant B3. Announce that Moderator A will read the first question on their card first and Participant A1 will read a response. Moderator A will need to reply to that statement and carry on the discussion eventually getting through 3 questions listed on their card. Read your assigned response that will serve as an obstacle taking the conversation on a possible tangent. Open the floor for discussion about strategies that worked in that scenario and where improvements could have been made. Discuss the purpose of holding an unbiased perspective and revealing this technique to your participants. Proceed with practicing the same exercise with Group B and briefly discuss the exercise in the same way the first scenario was discussed. Give the learners 1 minute to reflect and write down notes about the activity.

Generative Strategy:

Learners will be asked to write down different ways to practice active listening and will have a group discussion about why it is important for moderators to practice it. By randomly selecting cards, 8 learners will be assigned cards that list a role and a line to read aloud. Group A will act out a brief discussion acting as either the moderator or participants. The learners will have an open-floor discussion about strategies that worked and improvements that could be made to the scenario. Group B will act out the second scenario. The learners will be given time to reflect on the activity and write down notes.

+ Objective 5: During the workshop, the moderator will resolve distracting obstacles presented by the participants and redirect the focus towards the themes of inclusion, tolerance, and strength.

(Procedure/Application)

Initial Presentation:

During the discussion exercises, you will present responses that will present obstacles for the assigned moderator. Identify the obstacle presented and how it was handled during the discussion portion. Ask the learners if they have experienced having to deal with any unusual obstacles during their previous experiences or witnessed any. Try to encourage a minimum of 3 learners to share.

Generative Strategy:

The assigned moderator during the discussion exercise will receive a response from the facilitator that reveals an obstacle. The group will discuss how the moderator handled the obstacle and other options of handling it. They will be asked to share any previous experiences they have had dealing with unusual obstacles.

+ Objective 6: By the conclusion of the workshops, the moderator will be confident in their ability to facilitate activities and discussions with current FACS members.

(Concept/Application)

Initial Presentation:

In the beginning of the course, ask learners to write down 3 challenges they have witnessed or experienced themselves as moderators in the past. Pass out a survey asking the learners about their experience with moderating. At end of the workshop, ask the learners which challenges that they listed on their surveys were successfully addressed during the lesson. Ask the learners which challenges listed their surveys were not addressed during the lesson and have an open floor discussion to brainstorm how they could be addressed. Ask the learners to fill out a survey asking how they feel about moderating and what their favorite activity during the lesson was.

Generative Strategy:

The learners will be evaluated at the beginning and the end of the workshop on how confident they feel about moderating. At the beginning of the lesson, they will be asked to list challenges they have faced in the past and they will be asked whether these challenges were addressed in the lesson or not.

Workshop Material

Moderator Handout

This handout was created for moderators who received training is meant for quick reference only. Therefore, the hand out could not include include too much information. Graphics were used to help communicate ideas and jog the users’ memory. The ice breaker section had the most information, but each of the prompts needed to be listed since we couldn’t expect the users to memorize the activity prompts.

What was especially great about this handout was that there was a digital format available. Users could send the handout to other moderators who may have misplaced their copies and they could zoom into sections if needed on their phones. Looking back on this now, the very first thing I would change is the color scheme of the guide itself. I would use a background color that is more compliant with accessibility standards so that it is easier to read.

Workshop Presentation Deck

Facilitator Guide

Instructional Designers work with Faculty Developers to help create a course. However, the Faculty Developer does not always become the instructor for the course. For this purpose, instructor guides must be created and must comprehensive enough that anyone off the street could come in and teach the course if need be.

I had experience making similar instructional deliverables, but have never made one quite this detailed. This was my first experience making a professional facilitator’s guide. One essential thing I learned was the significance of visual cues. I used visual cues to:

• Identify which slides to display

• Cue actions such as dialogue, slide changes, and other action items

• Provide classroom seating layouts

• Identify handouts

If I had known ahead of time how much time I needed to allot for the development of these packets, I would have definitely set aside some extra time to design a style guide to enhance the packet.

Participant Guide

The participant guide was essential a workbook. I added questions and fields to provide answers, checklists, and empty lined pages for personal notes. Examples of each of the handouts that were going to be used in the workshops they were going to facilitate were also included.

Evaluation

Moderator Evaluation Worksheet

Evaluative Instruments

A written prompt will be given during the lesson requesting for the learner to describe their definitions of inclusion, tolerance and strength. Once everyone’s personal definitions are discussed, the moderators will be asked to write down their refined definitions. The moderators will keep these prompts for their own reference.

The poster product will be serve as a motivational and collaborative creation displaying how the participants practice inclusion by displaying tolerance and promoting strength. The posters will be turned into the moderator coordinator who will give them to the FACS sponsor.

The evaluation worksheet will be started during the workshop itself and completed during the moderator feedback session. This worksheet will record details about the demographic such as age, gender and grade. Moderators will record a tally mark each time a participant voluntarily contributes to the conversation and note any obstacles that arose in the discussion. These worksheets will be turned into the moderator coordinator who will review them with the FACS sponsor and FACS president.

The moderator feedback session will serve as a platform where moderators will be able to verbally share their thoughts and workshop experiences with one another. The moderator coordinator will ask moderators about the areas they felt they excelled in and what processes or activities that they would like more training on. The written notes and video recorded during this session will be key resources for the FACS sponsor and FACS president to review for possible future improvements.

Evaluation Plan

+ Formative Evaluation

One of the main duties of a workshop moderator is for them to foster thought-provoking discussions with their participants. They must do so while not veering too far off from the overall workshop themes of inclusion, tolerance and strength.

During the lesson, learners will be asked to verbally provide examples of how they may handle various obstacles during these discussions. This could include a role-play activity where the learners take turns being a participant presenting an obstacle and a moderator providing a solution. This activity will allow the facilitator to observe the learners’ abilities to remain flexible and adapt the discussion. It is important to conduct the majority of the evaluations verbally so the learners are comfortable speaking up and leading their own discussion groups. With a limited given amount of time to prepare the learners, conducting this immediate evaluation will allow the facilitator to adapt the lessons accordingly if needed.

Lastly, an Instructional Designer will be reviewing the material from an Instructional Design lens. This will ensure that the over lesson is effectively and efficiently working to improve learning for the moderators through achieving the chosen objectives.

+ Summative Evaluation

Following the workshops, a feedback session will be held for the moderators and the FACS sponsor. The moderators discuss new experiences, observations or difficult situations they may not have been able to overcome. The moderator coordinator will take written notes and record a video of this session. These notes will be referenced for improvements that need to be made for the next annual workshop.

With the possibility that many learners will be traveling a long distance to attend and participant in this event, it is imperative that the evaluations be conducted immediately after the workshops. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that the moderators will take the time to complete them in a timely fashion, if at all. It is beneficial for the learners to complete this written evaluation while the experience is fresh in their minds.

In addition to the feedback session, a written questionnaire will be included for the learners to rate their experience. This will also allow them to share any unique situations that they were unable to discuss due to the time limit or that they were not comfortable with sharing with the entire group.

+ Confirmative Evaluation

I will be incorporating an evaluation worksheet to be completed during the workshop itself. Initially, the worksheet will gather basic details about the participants such as age and gender. There will also be an open section where the moderators will be able to record any interesting observations they have made.

As this is will be the first year these evaluation worksheets will be incorporated in the workshops, only preliminary assumptions will be gathered. One of the most difficult variables of this activity is that the individual participants and the moderators are always changing.

The group of moderators will always be compiled of individuals ranging from a variety of ages and experience levels. There is rarely ever consistency with the demographics of the moderators as it is a volunteer position with the only prerequisite of having been a member of FACS. The participants often tend to fall into to trending behaviors, but major changes can be observed with different waves of generations. Therefore, the annual events could generate similar results over a four-year period or produce entirely different results every year.

Incorporating these evaluation sheets is a great first step towards improving the annual events to follow. A digital archive of these evaluations will be created for future generations of FACS to reference along with the written notes and video recordings of the moderator feedback session.

Additional Handouts