Your approach to facilitation Product facilitation Process facilitation Laissez-faire facilitation Evaluative facilitation © SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet

Product facilitation Traditional master-apprentice relationship Focus on the solution Focus on documentation Provide tips-offs and answers Fields ownership towards the project Risk that students do not learn to work independently. Make an index to the report as soon as possible © SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet

Process facilitation Leaves the ownership of the project to the students Facilitates the students learning processes More questions than answers Values reflections on the process, the theories and methods higher than a flawless product. Try to formulate some questions and revise them continuously to manage your project © SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet Risk that the students feel that the lack of product orientation results in an unsatisfactory product. uimages/handy_man2.jpg

Laissez-faire facilitation Facilitates group members interest Praises and encourage the group to be independent and take responsibility for the project Interferes only by request Risk that the student feel a lack of engagement, and that the supervisor use this strategy to limit the time for facilitation. Well everything seem to be working fine – so I might as well stay at home. © SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet

Evaluative facilitation Facilitation is like being at an exam The focus is on the forthcoming exam The focus is on the individual knowledge obtained during the project. Risk that the facilitation seems rather scary and thereby the students keeps facilitation at a minimum. Can you please go to the blackboard and derive the formula on page 10 © SLP-gruppen, Aalborg Universitet

Small assignment  You are facilitating a group of second semester students, 2 females and 4 males. You have initiated the first 3 meetings. During the first meeting you had a clear impression that the group was very focused reg. the project solution. During the second meeting you realised that several in the group are technically knowledgable and therefore well into defining and detailing the solution. The third meeting was cancelled by the group.  After the cancelled meeting you haven’t received any written material and the group has not approached you with questions. None in the group seemed enthusiastic when you commented on their project-ideas and gave suggestions for problem- analysis and for alternative solutions.  Which approach will you take as facilitator? 6

Telling the group how you view the present situationenProcess Requesting the group to produce an outlineProduct Secure that all group-members fully understand the approachEvaluative Leave them for a while – they will call when problems occurLaissez-faire Discuss with the group how they can share knowledgeProcess Engage in a discussion of current issues, i.e. technical details and approaches to data collection and analysis Product Challenge the group in the technical areas they (partly) master, and let them realize your competences Evaluative Enjoy the group’s progression and turn your attention towards less progressive groups Laissez-faire Guide the group towards initial analysis of the problem before they develop possible solutions Process Ask for preliminary solution specifications and success-criteriaProduct Let them know what will be enforced at the examEvaluative Praise their obvious enforcement of responsibility for own learningLaissez-faire Which approach will you take as facilitator? (apply a scale 1=least <> 5=most for each question) 7

Project finalizedProject start Evaluative facilitation Laissez faire facilitation Process facilitationProduct facilitation (%) Plot your (changing?) approach to facilitation …