With the increasing use of the Internet as a means of delivering education, the roles of teachers and students are being redefined in the online learning environment (Bates, 2000; Wade, 1994). In this setting, students play an active role in their learning process and assert their autonomy in self-directed learning activities. Concomitantly, teachers become facilitators whose primary role is to promote a positive environment for collaborative learning and provide necessary support (Wade; 1994; Herrington & Oliver, 2001). In the remainder of this paper, the roles and responsibilities of the online learner and the facilitator will be discussed in greater detail. Furthermore, recommendations for improving the facilitator's ability to maximize these roles and responsibilities in an online course will also be presented.
As mentioned above, an online learner is expected to assume substantial responsibility because of the self-directed nature of online learning, with the support of the online facilitator and peers. By using the research studies of Janes (2000) and Palloff and Praff (1998, cited in Nageswaran, Dreher & Chang, 2000), the following roles and responsibilities have been identified:
Self-directed learner: In this role, the online learner is expected to take an active role in solving problems presented by the facilitator, completing assigned tasks and participating in scheduled synchronous meetings. The online learner should establish specific learning goals and seek assistance from facilitator as needed.
Cooperative collaborator: Especially in activities involving collaborative learning, the online learner need to be able to cooperate with other online learners, share resources and resolve conflicts in an appropriate fashion.
Disciplined manager: Because of the independent nature of online learning, the online learner has to be able to manage time appropriately in order to allocate sufficient time to participate...