Strategic Lesson Planning in Online Courses: Suggestions for Counselor Educators.

This article presents instructors with a myriad of strategies for lesson planning in online courses. There are many inherent differences between the traditional classroom and the virtual classroom. Factors such as student experience with online courses, instructor availability, and the compatibility between instructor teaching style and student learning style may impact on student performance and satisfaction in online courses (Cicco, 2009; Haberstroh et al., 2008). These variables are important to consider when designing innovative and engaging online courses (Cicco, 2012). A five-step plan for creating online courses will be reviewed, with an emphasis on strategies for accommodating specific learningstyle preferences within the context of online graduate counseling courses. This plan includes syllabus revision and differentiated instruction. The concerns associated with relationship-building in the virtual classroom will be highlighted, especially those relevant to counselor-preparation courses (Cicco, 2012; Trepal, Haberstroh, Duffey, & Evans, 2007). Creative instructional strategies that correspond to perceptual and sociological learning styles will be addressed, including learning activities that increase the possibilities for accurate assessment of student performance and for relationship-building among faculty members and students (Burke, 2000; Dunn & Griggs, 2003; Fearing & Riley, 2005;