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MOTIVATING THE FACELESS STUDENT
In 2012, there were over 21,147,055 students who were distance learners (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015). Due to the astonishing trend in online learning, higher education is branching out and developing blended and fully online programs. Currently the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has 752 programs that are accredited (CACREP, 2015). Of those programs, 24 programs are online (CACREP, 2015). As more and more counseling programs are integrating the online learning format, it is essential for counselor educators to understand the unique benefits and challenges to teaching online. Furthermore, counselor educators need to develop a new approach to establishing positive learning communities, which will inevitably help motivate the online learners to be successful with both their education as well as the counseling profession.
ONLINE LEARNING
Garrison and Kanuka (2004) believe that online learning occurs on a continuum depending on the amount of technological integration that occurs within the course. For example, one end of the online learning has very minimal technological integration, the middle of the continuum offers a delicate "blending" of technology and classroom strategies, while the opposite side of the spectrum is fully online learning (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). For programs that wish to be fully online and require no face-to-face component, there are various benefits and challenges to analyze.
BENEFITS TO ONLINE PROGRAMS
Higher education institutions are particularly interested in distance education programs because they often result in large financial returns (Appana, 2008). By offering online programs, it reduces the cost to universities. For example, they reduce the pressure of resources to be at a physical location (Bowen, Chingos, Lack, & Nygren, 2013). With various resources and information at one's fingertips via the Web and online databases, students can access research without the university needing to have on-site libraries and research centers. In addition, online learning aids in the reduction of overhead costs for running facilities, which include: building maintenance, utility costs, and additional hired personnel for grounds upkeep (Smart & Cappel, 2006). Finally, colleges and universities do not need to worry about the overuse of facilities or managing where classes will take place each semester (Bartley & Golek, 2004).
Online learning is not only beneficial to the institution as a whole,...