Applying the strategies of motivational interviewing, a person-centered counseling style, to the instructional design process can enhance relationships with instructors to effectively guide them to successful online course development. The presenters will describe their online course development process and the strategies they use to build relationships with instructors.
In many higher education settings, academic staff such as instructional designers and e-learning consultants are available to help instructors design their courses, but the instructors ultimately choose what to implement. Guiding instructors toward the most effective course design strategies can be challenging if they are ambivalent or unwilling to change and is most effectively performed when the staff person and instructor have rapport and trust.
Motivational interviewing is “a person-centered counseling style for addressing the common problem of ambivalence about change” (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). Used initially in addiction treatment, motivational interviewing has now been applied to numerous disciplines and is widely-researched. Many aspects relate well to the process of online course development or instructional design, as change in teaching strategies is often involved in a change of teaching modality. The spirit of motivational interviewing is to elicit change rather than persuade or impose it. Empathic listening, open-ended questioning, reflection, summary, acceptance, and affirmation are some motivational interviewing strategies that instructional designers or e-learning consultants can apply to their work with instructors. Motivational interviewing practitioners are not judgmental, adversarial, or confrontational; the goal is to support clients’ autonomy by helping them understand the implications of their choices. This philosophy complements the spirit of academic freedom in many higher education environments.
Although some instructors seek out advice and are eager to learn about online teaching, implementing principles of motivational interviewing can still be helpful as people are persuaded best by what they say themselves. Building a relationship with instructors is advantageous to ensure they are comfortable coming back for assistance in the future in a safe environment. While change is often unavoidable when technology is involved, building supportive relationships with instructional designers and related staff can make the change a less painful experience.
The presenters will describe the online course development process at their university, which strongly values academic freedom. Their goal is to facilitate effective course design while ensuring that the course is still the instructor’s. They will provide examples and case studies of how they have implemented motivational interviewing strategies to build relationships with instructors. Participant involvement will be sought to provide different perspectives and examples.