An Interview with Lolla Bryant

by Joyce Hertzoff

First, a basic question, what does a facilitator do? How much do they bring to the class?

As facilitators, we basically set up and manage the classroom for the duration of the course. For literature classes, we research the author and their work to provide thorough information for those taking the course. After setting up the classroom and providing the necessary information, facilitators answer any questions the students may have, keep track of who does and doesn’t post their assignments, manage feedback required for course participation, and provide progress reports and reminders for students to complete classwork. We do this for the duration of the courses, which range from 1 to 16 weeks. It is because of our detailed involvement that I believe facilitators bring a tremendous amount to the class.

When did you start facilitating classes at WVU? Do you only facilitate MFA classes? Give us an estimate of the number of classes you’ve facilitated. Do you prefer to facilitate Literature or Core classes?

I completed the facilitator’s course in November 2018 and facilitated about 3 MFA classes shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, circumstances forced me to step away from WVU within a few months of that time until 2021. Since then, I have facilitated about six classes. I try to volunteer when I see the need but usually someone beats me to it (you know how wonderful our facilitators are). I facilitate all types of classes. MFA, Literature, and Core courses; whatever the need is.I can’t say I prefer a particular type. Although, I can say that facilitating Literature courses is a good way to ensure I get them completed.

What have you learned from facilitating? Would you recommend that others take the training class and facilitate classes?

Facilitating has taught me the value of experience. In the beginning, I was afraid to facilitate classes because I didn’t want to make some sort of mistake and have my classmates pay the price. I know, I know. I overprocessed that way too much. But for a short time, I let that fear deter me from volunteering as much. But I am so glad I didn’t let that stop me because the experience I’ve gained cannot be valued. I am more confident, not just in the WVU classroom, but in my professional life as well. I’ve also learned that the best way to learn something is to teach it to others. For that reason and the fact that there are few of us and many students, I recommend others take the training and begin facilitating classes. There is plenty of need for more.

How much time do you generally spend on each class, including preparation time and research? What kinds of things do you search for to add to the class?

That depends on the type of class and the length of it. I would estimate that for a 2-week class, I spend about 2 hours setting things up, answering questions, and monitoring feedback. For a 6 – 8-week class, that time increases (because of the additional weeks) to about 5 hours because those usually have more students attending which increases the feedback and questions, as well as more time researching or ensuring archived materials are up to date. I research things such as magazine articles about an author/subject, interviews by an author, and video clips available that may explain or enlighten students about a subject or author. A lot of information is archived but as I mentioned before, I have to research and be sure that information is still up to date before posting it in the classroom. We’ve all clicked on a provided link and found it no longer available. It is my responsibility to try to minimize that as much as possible.

How do you keep track of which students complete their assignments AND give sufficient feedback? What do you expect the feedback to include?

To keep track of students and assignments, I first make a list of who has posted their assignments. Then I go through and provide feedback for each assignment while noting which students have posted feedback for that post on my list of posted assignments. I also always check to see if the feedback word count required for the class is met. For an essay, I expect feedback to include the student’s thoughts and ideas concerning the topics and significance of their classmate’s post. It should be an exchange. I encourage them to ask questions of each other. For a short story or first draft, there is a list of suggestions I provide to assist with how to leave feedback. I expect a respectful evaluation of what they just read. What did they think of the technique used? Did the point-of-view impact the telling of the story? Is there a theme that stands out? Basically, things pertaining to the story’s structure.

What’s the hardest part about facilitating?

That would be the diplomacy of it all. I ask for respect for each other, the authors, and their work. There is a fine line between directness and rudeness (real or perceived). I do my best to ensure no one feels singled out or talked down to by minimizing posting individual directions or needs for modifications for a particular student in the classroom unless necessary. I send a personal message at least twice before doing that. Depending on what the issue is, I may reach out to their advisor to have a word with them. I’ve found this helps a lot with running a smooth classroom.

An Interview with Gary Josephsen

by Brigitte Whiting

What made you decide to become a facilitator?
It made sense to give back to WVU after years of taking classes. WVU runs on all of us. We're our own community and we make it what we want. Facilitating is a good way to contribute.

Has being a facilitator affected your writing?
I think so. As the facilitator, you're thinking about the concepts in more depth. You answer questions, reread things, and troubleshoot difficult concepts. All of this helps you learn better than simply taking the course. Also, sometimes as a student I might feel negativity or intellectual laziness, but as a facilitator, I remind myself to be positive and set an example (it's silly but it's true). Of course, this ends up making the experience more positive for me, as you'd expect, especially when the going gets tough.

What tips do you have for a newbie facilitator?
Stay positive and confident. We're all here to learn, and your fellow Villagers appreciate you facilitating these courses. When you read posts, highlight all the things students are doing well and empower their writing by asking questions and giving positive feedback.

Have you taught or facilitated classes outside of WVU?
This is the only forum in which I've taught writing, but I'm an ER doctor who teaches medical students. I'm also helping homeschool our kids right now, so there's a lot of teaching going on whether I'm motivated to do it or not. The key for me is to always look for the positive and highlight what students are doing right. This might also be a weakness of my teaching style, but I feel people are hard enough on themselves.

What has been your favorite class or classes to facilitate?
I created a course on dialogue and facilitated it with help from other Villagers. The process was difficult but rewarding. It highlighted that sometimes there is a disconnect between one's expectations and the reality of the course as it plays out and people learn. Times like that are a good opportunity to focus on that positivity manta.

How much time does it take to research and prepare for each class? And to give feedback? As a facilitator, what other kinds of things do you spend time on?
Researching and preparing for a class the first time is a little time intensive. I copy and save the code in a file on my computer which makes it easier to post again the next time you facilitate the class. Feedback can also require a lot of time in a large class, but you can explain your constraints and keep it short when you need to do so. People understand and respect your time. Feedback, like anything else, is quality over quantity.

Please share what you'd like to on your special love of writing. Is there some aspect of writing which really intrigues you? What classes have you taken here?
What I love about writing is the chance to share a character's inner world. No other medium allows us to do this as well as a written narrative. It's a bit of a miracle: an ancient art of written telepathy that despite thousands of years of progress, cannot be improved upon, like bread.

Open Positions

by Joyce Hertzoff

A Call for Advisors

Would you like to be an advisor for current incoming students for the MFA program? All, or almost all of you, were assigned one when you started working on your MFA certificate at WVU. We saw a large influx of students during the last year or two. Currently, there are only a few active advisors to be contact points for those students. If you have taken MFA 2000, you learned additional ways to navigate the site and many other things you need to know to advise them. But most importantly, you need to want to help new students find their way. This is what I do as an advisor:

1.      Contact assigned new students by phone or email.
2.      Chat with them, ask them questions and answer theirs.
3.      Record their answers.
4.      Provide a contact point for their future questions.
5.      Encourage them in their MFA journey.
6.      Make sure they know where to find answers about the program, including requirements.

A follow-up message includes links to important information.

Not all that much, right? Keeping track of your advisees is easy. You’ll learn a lot about WVU as you help them. It’s been a pleasure for me to get to know so many new students from all over the world and watch their progress through the program. You’ll enjoy it as much as I do. Give it a try.

If you’re interested in joining us, send a private message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Coming Soon!