Traditional counseling systems in community colleges typically involve short infrequent counseling sessions that are usually student initiated in response to an immediate need or problem. Students frequently are not sufficiently prepared to derive maximum benefit from in-person counseling appointments and they often default to counselor suggestions and random choices in their educational and career planning. At Skyline College, a relatively small percentage of students enroll in classes that deal with career and educational planning or college survival skills. Unfortunately, too many of our students appear to see counseling services as something they passively submit to in order to earn a registration priority or to meet special program requirements. Many students, including some of our most intellectually gifted learners, underestimate the importance of exploration and information-gathering activities necessary for informed decision-making about their futures.
In the context of a single counseling session, it is extremely difficult, often times impossible, for a counselor and a student with uncertain goals, to interact in a way that could culminate in the production of a meaningful educational plan. The kinds of learning experiences students need to identify and progress towards their goals are as much a part of their education as English, history, math, or vocational classes. It is deceptive to suppose that one or two short sessions with a counselor each semester would provide adequate time for students to examine and evaluate the myriad of career and transfer options available to them. It is equally unrealistic to presume that the typical community college counselor possesses the breadth and depth of knowledge to be seen as the principal source of guidance for students who have yet to select a major or career goal.
Clearly, counseling departments have acknowledged the limitations of traditional in-person counseling sessions and most community colleges have developed an array of courses and Internet resources designed to help students explore and evaluate educational opportunities. While the hope is that students would take advantage of these resources and thus maximize the utility of a counseling interaction, often this is not the case. Even students who have taken career classes and reviewed Internet resources seem to have done so in a discrete way and may have difficulty integrating those experiences with the immediacy of a back and forth discussion with a counselor. In a classroom situation students need time to acquire and assimilate information, evaluate and consider alternative ideas, and then focus on solutions and applications of knowledge. So it is also with educational decision-making. Students need time to discover, evaluate, and respond. These processes require time and effort and cannot take place in a thirty minute counseling appointment.
It is my belief that, for many students, online counseling supported by a comprehensive and well-organized college website provides an efficient and more functional form of academic advising than in person appointments. Skyline College provides a full service electronic counseling option for students. The program has been operational for over five years and more than 5,000 unique individuals have been served. As the program developer, my initial impetus for wanting to provide electronic services was to maximize access to counseling services, especially for evening students and others who because of their work schedules, family responsibilities, or location found it difficult to meet with a counselor in person. Although I continue to believe that this is a more than sufficient reason for providing online counseling, I have come to appreciate that online counseling frequently exceeds my expectations and those of the user in its effectiveness and efficiency.
So what is it about online counseling that might make it more effective and efficient? To begin with, online counseling makes it possible to better engage students in the counseling process. The counselor becomes more a teacher and facilitator. The students must read, write, do research, draw conclusions, focus their questions, and accept responsibility for their choices. Much to my delight, I find students much more willing and capable of doing these things than many counselors might suspect. The challenge for the counselor is to organize available resources in such a way as to provide students with easy access to all the information they need to make mature and sensible decisions.
At Skyline, the counseling department has developed a series of electronic resource pages organized by major or career that with one "click" provide students with a wealth of information to assist them in assessing their interest in an area and the requirements and opportunities associated with it. Although these resources require significant development and maintenance, those efforts more than pay for themselves by enhancing the quality and efficiency of counseling. Typically a resource page for a major or discipline will include direct links to certificate and degree requirements at Skyline, a link to the departmental website at Skyline, Project ASSIST articulation agreements for selected transfer institutions, links to departmental websites at four-year and professional schools, and a list of career information links for further exploration.
Online counseling at Skyline is also supported by a comprehensive and easy to navigate college website that anticipates and provides answers to many student concerns that might otherwise require a counseling appointment. Our site includes an online orientation, extensive websites for the Transfer Center and Career Center, a very complete explanation of the matriculation process, and easy access to many of the forms students need to conduct their institutional business. Our website usage statistics prove students are not the least bit reluctant to use these resources.
Let us consider an example to see how electronic resources and the online counselor operate. Assume you are a counselor and a student makes an in-person appointment with you to discuss a major or career. Further assume that the student opens the session by saying "I want to be a doctor, can you assist me?" I would not presume to project your response to this question but, after asking many people exactly how they would handle such a situation, I have concluded that counselor responses are highly variable, often incomplete and sketchy, and frequently constricted by time and the inability of the student to respond to key questions. No longer do I struggle with this question. When I receive an email asking this question, I normally respond with some encouraging words, a mention of the challenge involved, and a referral to our Pre-Medicine resource page. I tell the student to look it over and let me know their thoughts. Why not try yourself? Go to http://www.smccd.net/accounts/skycounseling/Resource%20Pages/Premed.htm
So what did you learn and how does that experience compare to how you might handle that issue in a face to face meeting with a student? My response to the student takes less than two minutes. History tells me students will follow through on the assignment and when next I hear from them, they are better informed and, if still intrigued by medicine, their questions are focused and pertinent. We can then set about the business of discussing a major, constructing an educational plan, exploring volunteer opportunities, and developing a plan B in the event medical school is beyond reach.
This scenario is repeated over and over for many majors and has been particular useful for students with real but vague commitments to pre-professional majors, computer related majors, engineering, business, service professions, and allied health careers. Students seem more than willing to undertake the research to expand their knowledge. They seem to enjoy the discovery aspects of learning and the sense of empowerment and responsibility in evaluating their educational options. I cannot think of more beneficial outcomes for a counseling interaction.
By now you can see I am not only a practitioner but also an unabashed supporter of online counseling. When thoughtfully deployed and supported with appropriate resources, it can be a superior counseling vehicle. Student response to the Skyline program has been exceptionally positive. Online counseling may not be for everyone but it has an important place in every counseling program that purports to maximize access and functionality. If you have been thinking about establishing a program, I offer my enthusiastic encouragement. It works.
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