Abstract:

Counselor educators across the world are faced with the ethical and pedagogical dilemma of improving the online instruction of counseling skills and techniques. The unique features of the learning environment in the virtual classroom bring into question the ability of faculty to appropriately monitor the skill development of counselors-in-training, who are required to perform counseling services in schools and mental health facilities as part of their professional preparation. Counseling interns should engage in ongoing supervision with their faculty, clinical, and on-site supervisors during their internship experiences to ensure that they are performing and growing professionally (Trepal et al., 2007). Counseling faculty members are charged with the responsibility of delivering instruction while continuously monitoring the development of the interns’ counseling skills and techniques to ensure that the recipients of such counseling services receive a high quality of care. In most graduate counseling programs, courses involving skill and technique instruction and fieldwork include experiences in role-playing, mock counseling sessions, careful reflection and self-evaluation, and frequent communication and exchange of feedback among faculty, students, and their peers (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2010). This paper will describe a recent study conducted to examine the perceptions of counselor educators, practitioners, and counselors-in-training on the appropriateness and effectiveness of online instruction of counseling skills and techniques. The study sought to gain information on the views of these participants on the specific skills and techniques that can or cannot be taught, learned, and assessed efficiently in the online course modality (Cicco, 2011). The study sample, methodology, instrumentation, data analyses, and results will be discussed. The paper will conclude with a review of the implications of the study’s findings, for future research investigation. Suggestions will also be made for the improvement of online skill instruction. Special considerations for online counseling educators include students’ learning-style preferences, differentiated instructional and assessment methods, and enhancement of the overall online learning experience through engaging students in rigorous self- and peer-evaluation (Cicco, 2009).

References:
[1] Cicco, G. (2009). Online versus in-class courses: Learning-style assessment as an advisement tool. International Journal on E-Learning, 8(2), 161-173.
[2] Cicco, G. (2011). Assessment in online courses: How are counseling skills evaluated? i-manager’s Journal of Educational Technology, 8(2), 9-15.
[3] Ivey, A.E., Ivey, M.B., & Zalaquett, C.P. (2010). Intentional interviewing & counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
[4] Trepal, H., Haberstroh, S., Duffey, T., & Evans, M. (2007). Considerations and strategies for teaching online counseling skills: Establishing relationships in cyberspace. Counselor Education & Supervision, 46(4), 266-279.

Keywords:

On-line assessment, on-line courses, online evaluation, counseling skills and techniques, differentiated instruction, learning-style preferences.