Online learning creates opportunities

An increasing number of individuals are choosing to take substance abuse certification courses for college credit online. Iris Wilkinson, EdD, coordinator of the addiction counseling certificate program at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, recalls the changes she has seen across her state since online learning first became available there in 1997. “The development, the growth has been amazing,” Wilkinson says. “In addition to the program at Washburn, Kansas now has online addiction programs for academic credit at Kansas City Kansas Community College, Butler Community College, Allen Community College, and Fort Hays State University's Virtual College.”

Anita Reach, instructor and former coordinator of the addictions counseling program at Kansas City Kansas Community College, co-taught the first online substance abuse course in the state; she and Wilkinson received Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) seed money for development of the course. “It was also the first online course offered by Kansas City Kansas Community College,” Reach says. “We had eight students from different parts of the state in that first class. I was amazed that people were willing to take a course online—it was something so new. By the spring of 1998 there were 56 online students college-wide. Now, in 2008, we have about 160 online students with substance abuse counseling as their declared major.”

Nancy A. Roget, project director of the Mountain West ATTC, helped spearhead development of online substance abuse courses for the University of Nevada, Reno, and she too saw students quickly embrace the format. “We offered our first academic credit online class in 2003. By 2005 we had six classes in an addictions minor. Currently, registration averages well over 200 students per semester for these courses.”

Instructors who have become comfortable with online learning are confident that those pursuing or already working in the addiction field not only will continue to embrace online educational opportunities, but will demand them. Basic demographic trends offer part of the explanation for this.

Competitiveness in today's workplace demands higher qualifications and more specialized knowledge, spurring growth in U.S. adult enrollment in postsecondary education that is projected to continue through 2015.1 Less than 20% of the more than 17 million people enrolled in higher education fit the typical image of the youngster living on a college campus for four years.2 Many of today's students are working adults who are studying part-time. Because these individuals must juggle work, family, and school responsibilities, the flexibility that online coursework allows is welcomed.

In traditional classrooms, communication and interaction are “synchronous,” meaning they occur in real time. In a typical online course, however, learners access materials and interact with the instructor and peers via the Internet, with little or no face-to-face contact. Interactions online are usually “asynchronous,” where participants are separated by time—much in the way we interact when we send e-mail. Students can “come to class” and do their work online at whatever hour is most convenient within the scheduled time frame, usually a week. Students are still part of a learning community, and courses still follow the academic semester or quarter schedule of the institution.

Time is not the only problem facing potential students in the addiction field. Particularly in more rural locations, the problem is one of access. “Many people live geographically removed from institutions that offer a substance abuse counseling degree,” Wilkinson says. “One of my students works in an outpatient clinic in the state of Washington. The closest college was something like 150 miles away, so traditional classroom courses were not a realistic option. Taking courses online, however, makes it possible for students to realize their academic goals.”

The overall statistics on the influence of online learning are startling. In the fall of 2002, about 1.6 million students were taking at least one online course at degree-granting institutions of higher education in the United States; by the fall of 2004, that number had risen to more than 2.3 million.3

Course structures

Developing high-quality online courses requires a significant investment of time, effort, and resources. Rather than have multiple institutions duplicate that effort, institutions may establish cooperative agreements so that students can take needed courses online at one school while getting credit toward their degree at another. “In our Mountain West region,” Roget explains, “we currently work with Montana Tech (of the University of Montana), the University of Utah, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Cooperative agreements with the University of Wyoming are in progress.”

Institutions offer academic online courses needed for substance abuse certification in a variety of ways:

• As part of the requirements for an associate's degree;

• As part of the requirements for a bachelor's degree;

• As part of an agreement between two institutions where a student first obtains an associate's degree from one institution (typically a community college) and then completes requirements for a bachelor's degree at a university; and

• As part of a “minor” or “specialization” in substance abuse that is taken in addition to the student's major course of study for a bachelor's or master's degree.

The latter option is attractive to many psychology, social work, and criminal justice students. A minor or specialization in substance abuse can make them more marketable, as well as better prepared to work in their field.

Of course, getting a degree offers some very practical advantages for those wishing to become certified or licensed as substance abuse counselors. (A directory of academic addictions programs is available at https://www.attcnetwork.org/dasp/main.asp.) In many states, having a degree significantly reduces the number of supervised work experience hours required for certification. Also, many instructors believe more states will continue to enact legislation and regulations requiring an academic degree for certification/licensure. Some look forward to the development of standard requirements for certification of addiction counselors on a national level.

“I would like to see things change so that if a student has a degree from Rhode Island and is certified in Rhode Island, that counselor can move to North Dakota and do their work,” Wilkinson explains. “I think that is now possible—the technology is there.”

Unexpected benefits

Online learning also appears to offer some unique and often surprising advantages. Susan Esp, PhD, instructor and coordinator for addictions studies at Boise State University, describes herself as “initially a naysayer … I was very skeptical. But I was amazed to discover that the projects done by my students online tended to be better than those by students in my traditional in-person classes. The quality of the group work is also often superior.”

Washburn University's Wilkinson agrees. “In some ways the online environment is a richer environment,” she says. “We can explore the wide extent of Web resources; we can even have guest speakers from anywhere in the world ‘visit’ the class. Recently my students wrote questions and a national expert in the field responded. They were delighted to have this expert, who also happens to be the author of their textbook, communicating directly with them.”

Another benefit of studying online is that it exposes students to a broader spectrum of peers and colleagues. “I have students in my classes who are working in the addiction field in places as diverse as Texas, New York, and Fort Hays, Kansas,” says Wilkinson. “As these students interact with one another, they better understand what is happening in their area as well as in the nation.” This rich diversity also can extend to the team of instructors, who can be from any number of different locations and can offer students a broader perspective than what they might receive in a traditional classroom.

For Reach, “What was awesome for me to discover was the sense of connection that was possible between teacher and student online. I had taught in traditional classrooms for many years. I was astonished to discover that I could have as satisfying a relationship with students online as I had with students in my traditional courses.”

She continued, “As I became more proficient with online delivery I found that I actually had a much better connection with the individuals in the online class than with those in my in-person classes. When I ask a question online, every student answers. I get to ‘know’ each student online, who they are, their concerns, their preferences, because I am constantly interacting with each and every one of them. In person, that happens only with the few who talk in class.”

This group of academicians does have some warnings about online learning, urging students to be careful consumers when searching for online courses. They offer the following tips:

• Make sure the institution is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. A directory of accredited institutions can be accessed online at https://www.ncahlc.org/index.php?option=com_directoryandItemid=192.

• Contact the program's coordinator or director and ask for all information and employment data follow-ups for the program.

• Contact the certifying association in the state regarding its requirements. Ask about the online programs with coursework that it has approved.

• Finally, students should engage in some self-examination. Online coursework requires a great deal of reading and writing, a special dose of self-discipline, and, of course, some basic computer skills.

Edna Salcedo Talboy works as an Instructional Design Consultant to the Addiction Technology Transfer Center network. She has worked in the training arena of the addiction field since 1991, primarily with state government and grant-funded entities. Her e-mail address is etalboy@kc.rr.com.

References

1. National Center for Education Statistics. The Condition of Education 2006 (Publication NCES 2006-071). Washington, D.C.:U.S. Government Printing Office; 2006.
2. U.S. Bureau of the Census.Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007.
3. Allen IE, Seaman J. Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005. Needham, Mass.:Sloan Consortium; 2005.