Book review
E-moderating: The Key to Teaching & Learning
Online
RoutledgeFalmer, January 2004
Author: Gilly Salmon
Review by Mark Harrison, Epic
Gilly Salmon first captured her experiences of e-moderating in
the first edition of this book back in 2000. Back then, the use
of tutoring online was confined primarily to academic learning support.
Her ideas on computer mediated conferencing (CMC) were well presented
and her five step model (Access and Motivation followed by Online
Socialisation then Information Exchange, Knowledge Construction
and finally Development) became a core model that many fledgling
e-moderators adopted.
For anyone involved in supporting learners progressing through
an academic course or seeking formal qualifications, the book provided
a wealth of examples and great tips. The bulk of interested readers
came from this world, and it has become a 'must have' reference
for lecturers and teachers.
For those in the training world, with the absence of much in the
way of practical examples, it was at least somewhere to start, and
so, many virgin e-trainers used the core principles to create their
own training-orientated models. It would have been nice to have
non-academic examples but hey, you can't have everything…
Three years have passed since, and the world has moved on (a little!).
E-moderation in education has become more established. The Training
world now recognises the value of e-tutoring, but has found it difficult
to apply a support model that works well for those seeking qualifications
but which is harder to introduce in the workplace (where the motivation
to study is less pronounced).
Learning specialists are now offered a revised edition of Gilly
Salmon's e-moderating bible, whose appearance raises three questions:
- If you are in education but didn't read the first edition of
E-moderating , should you now rush out to buy the latest version?
- If you already have an old copy, should you upgrade to the
latest version?
- If you are from the training world, does the new book give
you greater guidance for supporting workplace learning online?
The simple answers to these questions are: definitely, probably
and not really.
If you don't already have a copy and want to build up your e-moderating
expertise, you should get onto Amazon immediately. Every aspect
of the topic is simply and clearly documented. The 'Resources for
Practitioners' section in particular provides an invaluable set
of checklists.
For anyone who has a well thumbed copy of the original, this latest
edition provides new examples and some fascinating new reflections
on what has happened in the intervening years. I particularly liked
the different scenarios in which e-moderation can provide very different
models of support - expressed as different planets i.e. Planets
Contenteous (sic), Instantia, Nomadic and Cafélattia.
There is enough to seriously consider an upgrade (or to persuade
a colleague to do so!). For the extra examples and enhanced 'Resources
for Practitioners', it's definitely worth getting your hands on
a copy.
However, for those inhabitants of Planet Corporate Training, the
emphasis (and the examples) still assume a world of formal qualification-based
courses. This is not to say that you won't get value from the models,
as many of the tips for getting greater engagement can be applied
outside academia; it would just be far more useful if there were
case studies and examples that directly demonstrated e-moderation
being used successfully in a training situation.
Perhaps, this might just be a driver for a third edition? In the
meantime, though, try and get a look at the latest edition of E-moderating.
There are few better places to get your first introduction to the
subject, whatever world you inhabit.
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