This chapter looks at the evolving technological environment around online learning. The Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications department (DELTA) at North Carolina State University, who are experts in instructional design and technology within the college setting, share concrete examples and discussions they engage in when working with new and seasoned instructors who are delivering content online. For students to learn from their experience there should be a conversational space, where students can reflect and talk about their experience together. It can be a daunting process to develop a course online, and particularly difficult to take a course that has community engagement and experiential learning at its core. The authors focused on the learner’s needs first and this lens drove the majority of the decisions. They recommend using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Model (TPACK) framework to help plan what technology can support the pedagogical and content knowledge.

University instructors largely are responsible for the development and delivery of instruction. Great strides are often taken to ensure that instruction satisfies curriculum requirements and promotes student learning. Regardless of the mode of instruction, ethical considerations should be given to all facets of teaching and instructional delivery. This is especially the case for instructors who teach in online learning environments. This chapter provides an overview of the intersection of academic integrity and professional ethics in online instruction. Both instructors and students maintain responsibility for demonstrating ethical behaviors. Therefore, the chapter outlines ethical considerations for both parties within the contexts of education and the helping professions. It provides a case example to demonstrate the online instructor’s role in promoting academic integrity and professionally ethical behavior. Finally, the chapter provides resources to support instructors' efforts to deliver sound instruction and navigate ethical dilemmas should they arise.

Like it or not, in our current academic culture, student reviews can make or break an instructor’s career. This chapter addresses practical tips to learners themselves, and provides useful samples for instructors to use in preparing them to become online learners as well as tips that were developed by graduate students in online education programs. These samples are effective tools for novice students who are new to the online learning environment. To be a successful online learner, the author encourages the students to consistently check back on the “tentative learning agenda” on the syllabus. The chapter also provides reflective checklist for the students. The checklist can be shared with students to gain a quick snapshot of the type of online learner they may be. Instructors can post the information online for students to respond to in a private discussion forum or upload as an assignment.

Online learning is a hot topic and is one of the fastest growing trends in the educational use of technology. Currently, online education programs are typically asynchronous; the technology used for these courses includes emails, discussion forums, article reviews, and narrated slides or film clips. However, recent improvement in synchronous teaching technology means that more interactive discussions, assignments, and exercises can be built into the course design. Online education and technology makes new demands on instructors, of course, but it also makes unique demands on students. Online education is a better match for some personalities and learning types than for others. It works especially well for students who are self-disciplined, independent learners who are flexible, open to using technology, willing to take initiative, and are able to work in groups. The growing popularity of online learning extends to the helping professions.

Developing and delivering online courses can feel especially overwhelming when little or no guidance or support is provided. Instructors bring their own strengths as well as their deficits to the online learning environment, where some of these strengths and deficits are magnified. Online teaching requires planning, focus, diligence, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail to the curriculum and instruction. This chapter explores the variables that can ultimately determine the success of the instructor and offers strategies that help instructors manage their thoughts/emotions and mediate stress. The strategies serve as a platform for exploring strategies to allay fear and anxiety. Practical strategies such as Prepare, Assert, Consistent, and Embrace technology (PACE) and the ABC Model are good options for instructors seeking solace to unmanageable stress. Finally, instructors must demonstrate they CARE if students are to succeed and experience online learning for what it truly is a viable vehicle to accessible education.

This chapter presents recommendations on what not to do when teaching in the online learning environment based on authors experiences and those of other online instructors in the helping professions. Mistakes, missteps, glitches, and interruptions will happen. The key is to learn the lesson by remembering, reflecting, and adapting. The chapter shares some of the important (and silly) mistakes that the authors have made and the lessons they learned. The lessons include: (1) Say exactly what you mean; (2) Set personal time boundaries; (3) Technology 101; (4) Organize and automate; (5) Expect the unexpected; (6) The unresponsive student; (7) Engaging the passive student; (8) Require students to use the university email address; (9) Expect interruptions; (10) Return the right paper to the right student; (11) Sometimes pets join the class; (12) The instructor sees all; and (13) Release assignments and exams when you say you will.

This chapter helps creating the most effective programs/courses for the best student outcomes. Online education is nascent, especially in the helping professions, and little evidence of effectiveness was found in the literature about the impact of online learning in counselor education. Confidentiality in online learning is an ethical concern, and it may prevent counselor educators from adopting teaching technologies as rapidly as some other fields. However, technology is advancing and new technology and software will arise to cover the issues of privacy and confidentiality. The counseling skills suggested for online teaching strategies include questioning and probing, reflecting client’s feeling, and closing a session. They also make recommendations for helping students to establish and maintain therapeutic relationships online. These recommendations include training counseling students to convey affect with words and symbols, using emoticons, asking the client for clarification, and becoming familiar with common and popular and online abbreviations.

This chapter focuses on practical steps and thoughtful considerations to help us design a successful online course and curriculum. It addresses both instructors and administrators with tips and checklists to think through before, during, and after the semester. Time is one part of life that we all wish we had more of but we can’t seem to create more. Keeping this in mind, instructors and administrators need to be mindful about how time may look differently in the online environment compared to the on-campus classroom setting. Understanding students’ level of competency in technology use as well as general growth and development in the program is critical. Considering the zone of proximal development, instructors can best design assignments that meet students “where they are”. Organization, time management, and attention to detail, among others, are instructor variables that influence students’ perceived experiences of a course.

This chapter focuses on the student voice: their thoughts, experiences, and expectations. The student voice is important to consider when developing and teaching course content. To glean this information, the authors asked several students studying helping professions online to answer questions about their experience in the online environment. Learning from students about their preferences and how they individually and collectively engage with the technology and content is helpful to keep in mind as one prepares his/her course as a student-centered course and program improves both student success and course/program outcomes. The chapter also looks at how students learn and the learning theory. There are, generally, three styles of learning: visual, auditory, and tactile. Most students use a combination of styles, with one style dominant. However, as an online instructor, it is important to provide content in multiple formats because connecting the content to the student is essential.