School of Education faculty Jill Nelson, Brenda Hall, Bob Nielsen and Carol Buchholz will present “Maintaining Humanistic Values in Distance Education: A Framework for Counselor Educators and Supervisors” at the 2009 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision conference Oct. 14-18 in San Diego.

The faculty will discuss how to maintain humanistic values when using distance education to deliver course work and facilitate learning. They will outline four principles that guide their practice of humanistic education within technically oriented formats and, specifically, their use of the interactive video network.

They will share best practices for implementing each principle and for adapting pedagogy to enhance the personal aspects of counselor education through distance modalities.

Nelson also will present “Navigating the System of Academia as Pre-Tenured Faculty: What They Didn’t Teach You in Graduate School” with Kimberly Desmond from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Clarrice Rapisarda from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

“Some of the information presented is gleaned from data from my dissertation,” Nelson said. “Beginning a career as a counselor educator is a time of transition for many graduates entering the world of academia. There are challenges to understanding cultural norms, systemic issues and department dynamics that cannot be taught in a doctoral program.”

The presentation will offer 10 recommendations to assist with the transition into faculty life. The presenters will share ways to gain an understanding of the new system and role as counselor educator. Participants will gain knowledge about how the challenges faced by professionals new to the academic system can be facilitated by more experienced counselor educators and the university system as a whole.

The presenters also will provide resources from professional literature, share experiences about how the transition into academia can be successful and encourage thought-provoking dialogue about transition into the academic system with audience members.