Parent

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Parent Family Education From Face-To-Face to
Online Delivery

• Betty Cooke, Ph.D., CFLE
• Michael Jerpbak, Ph.D., CFLE
• December 1, 2006

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Introductions

• Who we are
• Who you are and why you are here
• Apprehensions and/or concerns about online parent
  and family education

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Apprehensions About Online

• Accessibility (technology and language)
• Some prefer face-to-face
• Isolation
• Decline in traditional face-to-face communities
  and social structures
• Confidentiality
• Inaccurate and incomplete information
• Technology can be intoxicating
• Technology is not a panacea for all ills and
  needs
• Might distract us from emotional connections

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Parent Education Online?

• Number of websites grew from 50 in 1992 to over
  8.7 million in 2002
• On a typical day, more people go online for
  medical advice than visit a health care provider
  (approximately 6 million per day)
• A search on Google for the word parenting
  yielded nearly 5 million sites in 2003
• A variety of online parenting education is
  currently available. Participants report the
  following
• positive social support
• developing close personal relationships
• a sense of community
• learning important parenting skills
• a decrease in stress
• a reduction in problem behavior with children

Long, N. (2004). e-Parenting. In M. Hoghughi N.
Long (Eds.), Handbook of parenting Theory and
research for practice, (pp. 369-379). Thousand
Oaks, CA Sage.
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New Parents New Paradigm

• Computers arent technology
• The Internet is better than TV
• Reality is no longer real
• Doing is more important than knowing
• Learning more like Nintendo than logic
• Multitasking is life
• Typing is preferred to handwriting
• Staying connected is essential
• Zero tolerance for delays
• Consumer and creator are blurred

Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, Gen-Xers,
Millennials Understanding the new student.
Educause Review, 38 (4), 36-40. Retrieved
November 20, 2006, from www.educause.edu/ir/libra
ry/pdf/ERM0342.pdf
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Barriers to Face-To-Face

• Transportation
• Childcare
• Scheduling challenges
• Work and life balance
• Lack of local availability (e.g., rural areas)
• Lack of variety for non-traditional audiences
• Costly and inflexible
• Marginalization of participants

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From Face-to-Face to Online at the University of
Minnesota

• Overview of process
• Overview of current program
• Feedback from students

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Student Feedback

• I really enjoyed taking the class on-line. It
  was more interactive than I expected and much
  easier (technologically) once I got the hang of
  it. I really enjoyed the discussions and the
  chats. The readings were excellent and
  everything tied in together nicely (the
  discussion and chat questions, the readings and
  the assignments). I liked having a variety of
  learning methods (video, lecture, readings, and
  discussion).

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Top 10 Lessons Learned

• More potential in online delivery is evident than
  initially thought.
• Students are initially apprehensive, but learn to
  prefer online delivery.
• Relationships can be built online. Also, students
  meeting online may make efforts to meet in
  person, if feasible. Online may lead to
  face-to-face relationships.
• It levels the playing field the quiet person
  has an opportunity to express himself/herself,
  prejudices are minimized, etc. It may be
  disadvantageous for some learning styles (e.g.,
  reflective learners).
• Complex concepts and ways of knowing and doing
  are challenging to deliver online and in danger
  of being oversimplified into sound bites and
  quick fixes. Requires thoughtful preparation
  or lecture notes and mini-lectures.

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More Lessons Learned

• Structure and clear expectations need to be set
  for the students and the instructor (e.g., how
  long is enough for continuing an online dialogue,
  how quickly and often instructor will respond to
  email, etc.).
• Excellent technical support for online delivery
  is essential.
• Small details are magnified online and need to be
  thought about prior to beginning a course (e.g.,
  readings, transitions, URLs, dates, etc.).
• Educators need to check frequently for
  student/participant understanding because
  meanings of words vary and concepts can be
  misunderstood or misconstrued.
• Directions and delivery of information as well as
  feedback need to be very specific and consistent.

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Implications for Practice

• Openness to the use of technology-driven services
• Integration into traditional services
• Helping parents utilize technology effectively
• Developed with parent friendliness in mind
  (visually appealing, easy to use, address
  specific needs and preferences, allow interaction
  with experiential feedback).
• Grounded in current research
• Flexible enough to change as technology advances

Long, N. (2004). e-Parenting. In M. Hoghughi N.
Long (Eds.), Handbook of parenting Theory and
research for practice, (pp. 369-379). Thousand
Oaks, CA Sage.
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The Future

• It is anticipated that in the future the use of
  computer technology and the Internet (or later
  versions) in the home will be as common as the
  use of telephones and televisions are today (p.
  372).
• As electronic technologies become increasingly
  part of our society it will become more difficult
  to think about parenting, and especially
  parenting services, in isolation of electronic
  technology (p. 375).
• Perhaps the most important issue we face is not
  how technology will change but how we manage the
  change itself (p. 375).

Long, N. (2004). e-Parenting. In M. Hoghughi N.
Long (Eds.), Handbook of parenting Theory and
research for practice, (pp. 369-379). Thousand
Oaks, CA Sage.
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Questions?