Again, I seem to be somewhat 'behind the game' in terms of responses...  So, once 
again, I will add my comments to the lot before reading and then comment on others' 
later.  Sorry for redundant commentaries (undoubtedly there will be some).

Know what?  I actually find it very difficult to return myself to a pre-web state.  I'm 29... 
the web has been a part of my life for the past ten years or so... since I was 18-19 and 
for the entirety of my post-secondary education.  I can honistly say that I have never 
written a university essay by hand (outside of exams).  Never.  Then again, until I 
started the MEd programme, I had never actually taken an online course before... 
hmmm.  

If you were taking an online course or a course with an online discussion component, 
for the first time... 

What characteristics would you want to see [in a moderator]? Why?
Someone who is going to undertake delivery of a course via the web ought to be:

Knowledgable -- Someone who doesn't know what s/he is talking about might 
be able to swing-it in a classroom from time to time (God knows I've had to teach 
subjects/lessons where I was less than an 'expert').  However, the level of knowledge 
required for a web-course is essentially 'big'.  It is too easy to get bogged down and lost 
in minor complexities because there is so much more direct interaction.

Moderation -- an online moderator ought to be that: a moderator.  S/he must 
facilitate learning... to 'give' the answers is too much like giving us a book and 
saying 'learn this'.  Facilitation of the asynchronous discussion forum through 
organization of topics, variety, some interjection, guidance, accessability, direction, etc.  
Diane, for example, has been interacting with the group since day 1 but she is 
not 'teaching'... she is facilitating our learning.  We teach ourselves and each other... it is 
truly a constructivist approach to education.

Accessability -- While the moderator ought to facilitate, s/he must also be 
readily available for interaction with any student at practically any time; especially for 
students who are 'new' to the web-learning experience or who are unfamiliar with the 
Internet and how things 'work'.  This 'requirement' is augmented by the fact that the 
moderator can literally access the net from anywhere at any time via computer, lap-top, 
library, cel phone, etc.  
* Diane made a good move giving us her web email address in addition to the course 
email... for times like this past week when the uccb server was 'down'.

Anticipation -- I really like this quality in a moderator.  Diane has anticipated 
most issues and organized the course accordingly.  Particularly, though I didn't need to 
use it, I liked the fact that she added the "How To" section to the course site... her 
anticipation of issues like how to use Scriptum etc., eliminated the problems associated 
with moderation and direct interaction.  That is, while it is important to be accessable, it 
would truly drive a moderator crazy to have to respond to thirty e-mails about how to 
create bios or something of that sort.

Organization -- While I have already commented on the need for a moderator 
to be organized in the qualities outlined above, it warrants its own 'quality status'.  :)  
Moderators must be organized to the point that, no matter what might arise, s/he is 
ready for it.  It also makes the students feel less uncomfortable.  Constructivist learning 
should involve struggle (dare I say, a little 'floundering'? :)) but this struggle ought not to 
come from uncertainty of the course requirements... it should come from an attempt to 
interrogate the course content... to LEARN... not as a result of trying to figure out what to 
learn or where to find it or whether or not one is learning the intended material.

Of course, the organization also extends to the asynchronous forums -- I really like the 
way that the forum topics were parceled out in 537.  Variety in the forum topics does a 
couple of things:  firstly, it helps to reduce extraneous frustration by indicating where to 
post what.  Secondly, it keeps the amount of postings down (somewhat :)) within a given 
forum.  For example, Diane could have simply created a section entitled "Discussion 
Activities" and left it there -- we would then have had to post all activity discussions 
within the same forum, resulting in a single forum with over 800 postings.  Imagine the 
difficulty in trying to assess order within THAT sort of chaos!

What would you need to know?
Well, first of all, I would need to know what was expected of me within the course.  
The 'outcomes', as it were.  It is very helpful to know where the marks come from and 
where to focus my efforts.  Additionally, it is important to know how I will be assessed... 
an evaluation scheme of some sort.  Due dates are essential... if you guys are like me, 
you always seem to be overloaded and overwhelmed with work (both in and out of 
school) and knowing when something is ‘due’ usually means when something 
is ‘done’. :)   I’ve also discovered that I really like knowing who else is participating in 
the course.  This is my third course and I’ve seen three different methods of doing this 
but each course has had some sort of ‘introduction’ section (this course is my favourite… 
the bios are a great way to get a ‘feel’ for my classmates from the get-go).

How would you get this information?
Personally, I prefer to have all of this information given up-front and accessible 
throughout the course.  The way that Diane has organized the course site is perfect for 
my preferences.  I don’t think that time ought to be wasted trying to filter through the 
discussion forum for directions… too easy to miss something (or forget it).  That is, 
suppose that the due date for Assignment 3 was posted among the 1300 postings that 
exist within the forums at this point.  Suppose I didn’t print it off or mark it down… I’d 
have to remember when and where it was posted originally to find it.  Then I’d have to 
locate it.  What a hassle… nope… it’s better to have it linked directly.  

What would frustrate you?
Frustrations have been a part of the online learning experience for me from time to time 
(though, not many with this course).  Download time tends to be very frustrating for me.  
Also, anything which doesn’t fit into what I like as outlined above… that would get on my 
nerves.  I have recently had a less than pleasurable experience in another course in 
terms of feeling a reasonable level of comfort while learning.  This was due to lack of 
organization, problems communicating with the prof due to inaccessibility, expectations 
of knowledge that were not included in the pre-requisite and then a lack of tutorials, etc.  

Contact with the moderator is essential and lack thereof is very frustrating.  That is not 
to say that I want to be buddies with him/her but that s/he ought to be very accessible.  
If I email a question to him/her, I expect a prompt response (with a day or so)… 
otherwise, I feel very ‘alone’ and without guidance.

****************************
By and large, I think that I expect and would like to see the same sort of things in a web 
based course that students like to see within a classroom.  The idea, I think, is that 
learning ought to be similar within both contexts and that the physical considerations 
ought not to affect the learning that takes place.

Sorry for rambling…

Corey