Distance Supervision in Human Services

Distance Supervision in Human Services Online education has become increasingly popular throughout the United States (Allen & Seaman, 2011; US Department of Education, 2011). Online education involves the use of technology to supplement traditional face-to-face education, or even replace face-to-face interactions, and it opens the door to providing instruction from a separate location from the learner (Fujikura & Kobayashi, 2013). The amount of students participating in online education continues to increase each year (Allen & Seaman, 2011) and as a result there is an increased need for distance supervision of students participating in programs that require a supervised internship experience, such as human services (CSHSE, 2011). Although there can be many benefits to distance supervision (Kincaid, 2004; Olson, Russell, & White, 2011; Watson, 2003), there are also numerous disadvantages (Chapman, 2008; Dubi et al., 2010; Sindlinger, 2011) and as a result the field of human services education is faced with new challenges for maintaining ethical and program standards. Online Education in Human Services Currently, human services coursework is offered through face-to-face, online, video conferencing, live broadcasting, hybrid, and other virtual classroom formats (Hill, Pusateri, Braun, & Maweu, 2012). In a survey examining educators' use of technology, Kincaid (2004) found that 76% of educators utilized the Internet in course delivery, 100% utilized e-mail to correspond with students, 39% participated in video conferencing, and 57 % participated in phone consultation. In 2011, the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE), the accrediting body for human service programs, recognized an increase in online human service programs and established specific policies for online program accreditation (Hill et al., 2012). Considering 20% of all students in the United States take at least one online course during their program, as applied to human service students roughly one-fifth of all students enrolled take at least one online course during their degree (US Department of Education, 2011). With more human service programs offering online education opportunities, there is a greater need for supervision conducted from a distance when an internship experience is a component of the coursework. The Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) outlines specific standards and requirement guidelines for human service programs throughout the country (CSHSE, 2010). At the bachelor's level, students are required to complete 350 hours of field experience (250 of which may come from the associate's level). Furthermore, programs are required to continually monitor the progress of human service students obtaining field experience (Standard 21.j) while providing biweekly supervision seminars (Standard 21.f). These requirements apply to all human service programs including programs that offer online, hybrid, and face-to-face learning. Typically, students enrolled in online education programs related to the various helping professions tend to seek service learning and internship opportunities local to their homes, as opposed to the physical location of their college (Dubi et al., 2010). Therefore, the traditional face-to-face method of supervision is not always a practical or convenient option and supervisors may conduct distance supervision through the use of technologically supported delivery systems. Delivery Methods There are two types of delivery methods for distance learning (DL) supervision based on the time interval between sending and receiving; they are synchronous and asynchronous delivery (Chapman, 2008). Synchronous software programs, such as the telephone or video conferencing technology, involve live, instant, and real-time interactions (Sindlinger, 2011). Asynchronous software programs such as e-mail (Sindlinger, 2011), threaded discussions (Chapman, 2008), and file sharing programs involve a delay in time between communications (Clingerman & Bernard, 2004). …