Abstract
Innovations in distance education are evident in social science programs and in helping meet the diverse needs of students. However, distance education does not come without challenges. This chapter will discuss the phenomenon of distance education specific to for-profit institutions in higher education. Moreover, this text will highlight the application of distance education pedagogy in programs that are dedicated to the fields of professional counseling, social work, and psychology. Specific recommendations will be offered to empower students and instructors who participate in distance education courses.
TopBackground
Although some might consider distance education to be a relatively new phenomenon, college and universities have been implementing distance learning programs for several decades. In fact, virtually based and on-line platforms have been a reality in higher education institutions since the 1990’s (Sheperis, Coker, Haag, & Salem-Pease, 2020). Since, its inception virtual program degrees and distance education has taken on many forms of delivery and has grown in popularity all over the world. Distance education remains a global trend in higher education systems (Kennedy, 2015). As a result, the facilitation of distance education has become a pervasive movement for countless graduate and undergraduate degree programs (Khurshid, 2020). Today, distance learning and virtual education are considered commonplace in academia and have precipitated many shifts in the traditional pedagogical methods of higher education.
Key Terms in this Chapter
National Association of Social Workers (NASW): The largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world (NASW, 2018).
American Psychological Association (APA): Professional organization representing psychology in the United States (CHEA, 2020).
Distance Education: Educational programs that include at least 50% of instruction facilitated through technology. Interaction is regular and substantive between the students and the instructor, either synchronously or asynchronous (OPE, 2012).
Asynchronous: Educational platforms that do not require the instructor or learner to be on-line at the same time (Castle & McGuire, 2010).
Synchronous: Educational platforms that are dependent upon the instructor and student being on-line in real time (Simonson, Snaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP): A specialized accreditor for counseling programs (CACREP, 2009).
Gatekeeping: The initial and ongoing academic, skill, and dispositional assessment of student competency for professional practice, including remediation and termination as appropriate (ACA, 2014).