Abstract
The wide-spread use of the Internet has increased the demand for university courses to be offered online, and many universities are now offering entire educational programs over the web in a variety of fields. This article is an overview of the development, maintenance and teaching of an online counselor education class in counseling techniques. This article will focus on one professor’s experience with traditional versus online teaching in general and the steps and potential obstacles involved in developing an online course.
The
development and increasing growth of the Internet has provided new opportunities
for delivering instruction (Charp, 1999;
Teh,
1999), and has allowed educators to offer courses to those in a more
convenient and flexible environment. The widespread use of the Internet
has increased the demand for university courses to be offered online, and
many universities are now offering entire educational programs over the
web in a variety of fields (Hankin, 1999).
Research is focusing on the effectiveness of online instruction on many
content and theory-based coursework. However, little is known about the
prospects of the World Wide Web as an educational method in counselor education.
Although there are many content or theory-based courses in most counselor education programs, much of the focus of counselor training is skills mastery. The question becomes whether these skills-focused courses -- e.g., counseling techniques or communication skills -- can be taught using an online format. The focus of this article is on my experience developing a web-based counseling techniques course. This article will feature discussion of traditional versus online teaching in general, and the steps involved and obstacles that may arise in developing an online course in counseling techniques. Click here to go to the counseling techniques course web page.
Traditional vs. Online Classrooms
A traditional classroom can be defined as a communication system that makes it possible for a group of people to come together to dialogue about something they want to learn (Hsu, 1999, p. 96). The conventional classroom is surrounded by walls to protect students from outside interference; the teacher or professor typically uses lecture as the primary teaching modality; and, students are responsible for demonstrating that they have accumulated knowledge in the course (Oblinger & Maruyama, 1996). There is little interaction from student-to-faculty, student-to-student, and student-to-information; in fact, research on classroom activity shows that, irrespective of class size, interactions between faculty and students are limited to a few individuals. Using the lecture format, students only record about 10% of the instructor's spoken words (Johnstone & Su, 1994).
An online classroom, on the other hand, is a system that provides the same opportunities for the teaching and learning process beyond the physical limits of the traditional classroom walls, thanks to the use of computer communication networks (Hsu, 1999, p. 96). Frequently, the term "distributed learning" is used when discussing online classrooms, although the term also includes the use of videotape and interactive television among others. One of the advantages of teaching over the web is that delivery of information is "asynchronous," e. g., learning is not restricted to the classroom at a certain time. The length of the learning activity can expand or contract to fit the learner's schedule and educational goal. In this environment, the instructor becomes the designer of the learning environment. Content can be accessed at any time by the student -- the instructor is no longer the "gatekeeper" to learning. Instruction is learner-centered rather than teacher-centered (Oblinger & Maruyama, 1996). Holmberg (1981,1989) stated the best kind of education is reported as student driven. Students learn what they want to learn, when they want to learn, what they have use for, and as a result, they learn more. Offering online courses is one way to foster this effective, autonomous learning.
Research studies have investigated the effectiveness of distance education (correspondence, videotape, interactive television) since the early 20th century (Russell, 1999). Distance education has expanded greatly in the last century, and it is projected that 2.2 million college students will be enrolled in distance education by 2002 (Distance Learning in Higher Education, 1999). All of the studies examining distance education have found that students learn equally well from distance education courses as they do traditional courses. The phenomenon of the online course is relatively new, and little research exists evaluating the effectiveness of online vs. traditional classes. However, studies by Sechrest (1998) and Miller, Hewitt, and Brawner (1997) found no statistical differences of student performance between online and traditional classes.
Despite
the apparent favorable outcomes of the research studies on distance education,
the Institute for Higher Education Policy reviewed the research on distance
learning since 1990 (Distance
Learning in Higher Education, 1999). It found that the quality of much
of the original research was questionable, thus rendering many of the findings
inconclusive. Because of the inconsistencies in the interpretation of the
available research, more studies are needed to investigate online vs. traditional
classroom learning.
Developing an Online Course
The process of developing my online course involved more than simply developing a course that could be taught in a non-traditional manner. The role of the teacher can have quite a different meaning when comparing online vs. traditional course development. Online teachers need a variety of talents and abilities. Some distance education courses require the teacher to be course planners, instructional designers, technical experts, writers, or editors and troubleshooters when technical equipment fails. These skills are not part of teaching in the traditional sense of the word, but may be necessary in online education. Personally, I still feel like I know little about the technical side of preparing an online course. I was very fortunate to have knowledgeable support staff who helped me design my online course and work with me through any technical difficulties I may have had.
The
present emphasis on web-based instruction focuses on content or theory-based
information. Teaching a counseling techniques course, one which emphasizes
skill mastery, includes more than presenting students with theories and
didactic information. Learning and practicing the skills were a key component
in my traditional classroom, and must be again in an online course. I will
first present a step-by-step process of developing an online course in
general, then I will discuss the components of my online course which addressed
the need for skill mastery.
Steps in Developing an Online Course
Step 1: Faculty Education
The first step in preparing an online course is to get oriented with the required skills and resources needed. My university provided a semester-long course called "Interactive Distributed Learning for Technology-Mediated Course Delivery" developed by the Course Development department to teach university faculty how to develop an online course. I could not have developed and taught an online course without the help of this course and the people in the Course Development department. In addition to attending weekly classes and seminars focusing on how to develop and deliver an online course, homework was required using the same web format that my students would use in my online class. This process proved invaluable as I experienced some of the challenges my students will experience: problems with inadequate computer ability, learning about the variety of interactive tools, and underestimating the amount of time needed to complete the online readings and homework.
Step 2: Know Your Resources
It is important to have resources to contact for assistance during the process of developing the course. The following are a list of resources that proved quite helpful to me:
1. Web Software - This software takes away the step of developing a whole new web page for your online course. It removes the necessity of learning the html (hyper text markup language) computer language which all web documents must follow in order to be readable and successfully executed on the web. My university uses WebCT.
2. Technical Resources - The help of instructional designers and web technicians are invaluable in developing your web page, particularly if you are relatively unfamiliar with web software or how to develop a new web page. It was the instructional designers who took the content of the course and put it on the course web page. They also developed the course logo, background colors, and other page formats. The required scripting necessary for successful submission of assignments is an additional advanced computer language that web technicians and instructional designers are trained in. Without the help of these resources, it would be necessary to learn this highly advanced and complicated computer language.
3. Graduate Assistant - Having a graduate assistant to help answer student e-mails, read forum entries, and help grade and record homework assignments is very helpful, particularly if you have a very large class.
Step 3: Designing Your Online Course
There are many components to an online course. As with traditional classrooms, it is important to plan your course ahead of time. However, designing your course is vital when developing an online course. During the semester the course is implemented, the instructor’s time is frequently taken up with student emails, reading homework assignments, and dealing with other interactive components of the class (forums, chats, etc.). Many instructors underestimate the amount of time required to maintain the course. Thus, planning ahead and preparing the content of the course well in advance of the semester it is offered is crucial. The following are the various components of an online course:
1. The Syllabus - The components of my syllabus included such usual information as instructor contact information, course overview, required text and materials, and course schedule. However, because of the nature of the class, login and password information were also needed. Students must login with their username and password to get to the course information. Another component of my syllabus included e-mail and forum "protocols." These protocols are basically the rules and procedures for use of the interactive tools of e-mail and forums. The purpose is to help students understand how to use the interactive tools, to use proper e-mail and forum etiquette, and to reduce the number of e-mails to the instructor.
2. The Course Materials - This process basically involves putting your lecture notes on the web. This can be relatively easy, particularly if you already have lecture notes typed in word processor format. For the online material, I categorized the content from each weekly class into "modules." Then, I expanded my written outline to a more readable, easy-to-understand form. I tried to remember everything I usually present in the traditional class and fully expand it in written form. When developing each module for my course, I used the following outline for each module:
a. Introduction of the topic - short introduction of the material being covered and what the student will learn.b. Full written presentation of the topic - the course material
c. Video demonstrations of the particular counseling skill using video streaming.
d. Written homework exercises - these covered both the content and skills reviewed in the course material.
e. Videotaped role-plays of students mastering the skill (using Video Streaming).
4. Assignments/Activities - There are a variety of assignments and activities instructors can implement online. These include having students respond to a question or problem over the forum or e-mail, participate in a discussion in a chat room, or download a form and attach it to an e-mail to the instructor. For my class, I have homework assignments using all of the above.
5. Quizzes/Examinations - Another important component to both traditional and online courses are course quizzes and examinations. Using web software, an instructor can develop online exams using multiple choice questions, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and even essay questions.
Underestimating the importance of time management in the development, administration and monitoring of an online course can be detrimental to the success of the course. The following are a list of important aspects of time management related to an online course.
1. Course Design - Designing the course can be a relatively time consuming component in the development of your online course. This particularly includes developing the course material for each module or section. Developing each module or section involves taking your classroom lecture notes and typing them up in a clear and understandable fashion. The content of the online course replaces the lecture you would normally give in a traditional course. It is important that the content is easy to read and interesting for the students. In addition, you need to develop appropriate homework exercises and activities. It is recommended that you design your course completely prior to the semester in which you teach the course. Developing course material while teaching the course at the same time can be overwhelming.
2. Student orientation.- Student orientation includes corresponding with students outside the Internet arena prior to the start of the course. These orientations need to include information on course navigation, resources available to the students for technical help, how to obtain the proper software and Internet services required for the course, initial instruction on accessing the course, and registration or other contact information. For my course, my graduate assistant and I prepared a letter to go out to prospective students (students who had initially indicated they were interested in taking an online course) which included information about online learning, technology requirements, and the resources available to students. In addition, a class meeting was held at the beginning of the semester to orient the students to online learning. I was fortunate to have both my graduate assistant and an instructional designer attend the orientation to answer any questions the students had. Although planning and providing a student orientation takes additional time, it is well worth the effort.
3. E-mail response.- Because of the nature of the web course, student interaction times will be sporadic and can at times produce a surge of e-mail messages for the instructor to respond to. This includes the influx of e-mails the instructor may receive at the beginning of the course (students will initially have many questions regarding online learning), if course material becomes inaccessible due to technological problems, or from students experiencing difficulty with submitting assignments. With a large class, this influx of e-mail messages to respond to can be overwhelming and time consuming. To deal with e-mail messages, instructors can (a) solicit help from graduate assistants to respond to course emails, (b) create a “frequently asked questions” page where students can find information typically needed throughout the course, or (c) create a protocol in which students must ask questions over the course forum (bulletin board) prior to e-mailing the instructor. Another recommendation is that instructors provide students with a contact person to handle the inevitable technological obstacles that are inherent in accessing a web based course. My university provides a service called the Cyber Knights. Students may call the Cyber Knights 24 hours a day with computer or technology questions.
Step 5: Predicting/addressing obstacles
The obstacle with the potentially strongest impact is the technological aspect of a web based course. From learning new computer skills and advanced software programs to helping students understand the navigation of an online course are all potential challenges. The acquisition of advanced skills are crucial in addressing the technological obstacles, particularly if it is the instructor himself or herself who must be the technical expert. In some cases, resources such as instructional designers and technology experts can be solicited to help professors; and it is recommended that the professor become familiar with these and develop a strong working relationship with these resources. The following are a list of the technical challenges that frequently appear during a web based course.
1. Instructor or students loosing access to their Internet service provider.2. Instructor or students loosing or having difficulties with connection ability to the Internet which provides access to the course.
3. Internal course difficulties such as errors in submission of assignments or difficulties posting or accessing messages on a web forum (bulletin board).
4. Computer failure such as a virus, crashes or complete computer breakdowns.
5. Slow modem processing.
6. Underestimating the time necessary for completing online assignments and successfully submitting them to the instructor.
Developing an Online Course in Counseling Techniques
After developing my online class, I had to consider the importance of students practicing and mastering the basic counseling skills. The purpose of a student's first graduate course in counseling techniques is to learn the fundamentals in communication and counseling. These basic skills include attending behavior, encouragers, questions, paraphrases, reflection of feelings, reflection of meaning, and etc. (Ivey & Ivey, 1999). Online courses can provide the content, interaction components, assignments, and activities needed for students to learn the basic information about counseling techniques. But how do I teach them how to master the skills? How do they learn to do this online? I decided to require what I also require in my traditional techniques class, the use of skill demonstrations and video-tape role-plays.
To provide skill demonstrations online, I, and my very capable graduate assistants, videotaped a variety of counseling skills. Using the required textbook, Intentional Interviewing by Allen Ivey, (1999), these skills included attending behavior, questions, encouragers, paraphrases, reflection of feelings, reflection of meaning, and the interview structure. Using "video streaming", a process of accessing video on the web, students click on a button and see a video vignette demonstrating a counseling skill. Then, the students would be required to complete a written homework assignment addressing the vignette. Click here to see a sample of a video streamed vignette from the course. If a student’s home computer did not have the capacity to operate video streaming, a VHS videotape of the vignettes was provided.
To
address the need for practicing and mastering the counseling skills, I
required students to meet in triads on their own time, practice the skills
through the use of role plays, and turn in videotapes of themselves using
the skills. In addition, the students were required to transcribe the videos
and identify the counseling skills they used.
Conclusion
The growth of the Internet has lead to increased and varying opportunities for delivering instruction. The demand for online courses is increasing, and entire educational programs are now being offer over the web. Little is known about developing online courses in counselor education.
Similar to other fields of study, much of the coursework in counselor education is theoretical in nature and conducive to online learning. The question becomes whether the skills-focused courses inherent in all counselor education programs can be taught using an online format.
In developing an online course in general, instructors must be educated regarding technology and the web and be familiar with and have access to available resources such as web software, technical assistance, and graduate assistants. Online course include a variety of components including course materials, interactive components, assignments, and examinations. In addition, instructors must be aware of the factors, which contribute to excessive time constraints. Obstacles, particularly technical problems, are inherent in online courses. Managing these obstacles effectively can help reduce frustration levels for both instructor and student.
When teaching a counseling techniques course, two key components are demonstration and practice of the counseling skills. My online course addressed these two issues through the use of video streaming counseling vignettes and requiring students to videotape role-plays demonstrating their skill mastery.
There
are strong implications and opportunities for further research of web based
counselor education courses. After this initial study of the development
of an online counselor education skills course, research examining the
effectiveness of counselor-trainees skills in online versus traditional
classroom environments will be employed.
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