Counseling Instruction in the Online Classroom: A Survey of Student and Faculty Perceptions

This article will review the design, procedures, and results of a recent study conducted to survey the perceptions of counseling students and professionals regarding the delivery of counseling instruction in online courses. Few studies have addressed the appropriateness, effectiveness, and evaluation procedures of counseling skills instruction via the online classroom (Trepal, Haberstroh, Duffey, & Evans, 2007). Counseling skills courses, especially those requiring field experiences, typically involve intensive and ongoing communication among counselors-in-training, their faculty supervisors, peers, and clinical or on-site supervisors. The frequent exchange of information among learners, faculty, and evaluators is primarily centered on critiquing and improving specific counseling skills and techniques. Exercises such as role-playing and mock counseling sessions are viewed as appropriate and necessary for the healthy development and practice of core counseling skills. Such skills are viewed as hierarchical, from basic attending skills to advanced development of personal theory (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2010). Essentially, courses that teach counseling skills provide opportunities for practice, review, and assessment of core and advanced skills and the interpersonal skills that are prerequisites for their development. The study described in this article utilized a researcher-made survey instrument to obtain the perceptions of counselors-in-training, counseling faculty, and active practitioners on the instructional procedures, learning, and evaluation of counseling skill development within the online classroom. Many participants offered suggestions for the improvement of instruction within online courses and the incorporation of live interaction to supplement strictly asynchronous exchanges. The results of the survey revealed participants' concerns about the opportunities for students to practice skills sufficiently in online courses and the ethical responsibilities of academic program faculty to confirm skill mastery prior to graduation. Study findings also hold implications for pedagogues on the importance of considering learning styles in online classrooms (Cicco, 2009).