Logged In, Zoomed Out: Creating & Maintaining Virtual Engagement for Counselor Education Students

Abstract

Distance learning has signifi cantly changed the face of counselor education and has greatly enhanced the learning process, becoming more prominent since the national pandemic of COVID-19. However, experiential learning, a primary component for counselor education students, can be particularly challenging for some instructors as they may struggle with developing key learning competencies and experiences via distance formats (Schreiber et al., 2021). Using the Theory of Online Learning Quality as a theoretical framework (Hathaway, 2009), we provide practical implications for how faculty can implement best practices for distance learning while maintaining active engagement for counseling students. In addition, we review online learning from a social justice lens, evaluating the diverse needs of various counseling students’ identities and the unique challenges they face that impact curriculum.