Canadian Innovation

Abstract

This article presents a brief historical review and survey of the current landscape of online graduate psychology programs within the Canadian context. Specific focus is given to outlining the establishment and evolution of the first Canadian online professional specialization program in school psychology. The article argues that given the virtual absence of online graduate school psychology programs until recently, there have been limited opportunities to critically examine such approaches to teaching professional psychology. With the establishment in 2007 of the University of Calgary's online graduate school psychology program, among the first in the world, a critically significant analysis is now possible. The purpose of this article is to document both the history of the program and to highlight the possible significance of this event to the profession. The article is intended to foster much-needed discussion at the national level concerning the future development and implementation of online graduate programs.Keywords history of school psychology, online learning, graduate psychology training A comprehensive historical review of the school psychology profession, such as that provided by Fagan and Wise (2007), serves to highlight the myriad of trends, events, and individuals of significance that have led to the development of the profession.

OLJ September 2023 27(3)

“…Nor issues related to anonymity, access to high-speed Wi-Fi, or quiet spaces. These are all important considerations and common concerns shared by instructors, and these reasons are given as to why synchronous discussions are not part of online course design (Raza et al, 2020;Drefs et al, 2015;Simpson, 2013;Berry & Kowal, 2020;Johnson & Cuellar-Mejia, 2014;Stanford, 2020;NYU Steinhardt, 2020). Perhaps, since this study was conducted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the institution the teacher candidates in this study attended supported them in addressing many of these issues.…”

“…At the same time, developing research calls for synchronous video conferencing technologies to support these relational conversations (Berry & Kowal, 2020;Paulsen & McCormick, 2020;Ragusa & Crampton, 2018). But when a synchronous component becomes part of an asynchronous course, this jeopardizes the flexibility and convenience online students desire (Raza et al, 2020;Drefs et al, 2015;Simpson, 2013), along with the anonymity others prefer (Berry & Kowal, 2020). Some may not have the necessary bandwidth (Johnson & Cuellar-Mejia, 2014;Stanford, 2020) or access to quiet spaces (NYU Steinhardt, 2020) to participate fully.…”

“…But, having the choice is essential, honoring those students who found it challenging at particular times and needed flexibility. For students that desire real-time and dynamic interaction that is available (Kadkia & Owens;Majid et al, 2015;Mehall, 2020), along with the flexibility and convenience others crave (Raza et al, 2020;Drefs et al, 2015;Simpson, 2013), threats to the anonymity are mitigated (Berry & Kowal, 2020), and issues of bandwidth are addressed (Johnson & Cuellar-Mejia, 2014;Stanford, 2020). Also, access to quiet spaces to participate fully (NYU Steinhardt, 2020) becomes more readily available for students through the option to participate using asynchronous communication that does not require the same kind of quiet environment needed for synchronous communication.…”

Building Community Online: Moving toward Humanization Through Relationship-Focused Technology Use

“…Nor issues related to anonymity, access to high-speed Wi-Fi, or quiet spaces. These are all important considerations and common concerns shared by instructors, and these reasons are given as to why synchronous discussions are not part of online course design (Raza et al, 2020;Seaman et al, 2018;Drefs et al, 2015;Simpson, 2013;Berry & Kowal, 2020;Johnson & Cuellar-Mejia, 2014;Stanford, 2020;NYU Steinhardt, 2020). Perhaps, since this study was conducted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the institution the teacher candidates in this study attended supported them in addressing many of these issues.…”

“…At the same time, developing research calls for synchronous video conferencing technologies to support these relational conversations (Berry & Kowal, 2020;Paulsen & McCormick, 2020;Ragusa & Crampton, 2018). But when a synchronous component becomes part of an asynchronous course, this jeopardizes the flexibility and convenience online students desire (Raza et al, 2020;Seaman et al, 2018;Drefs et al, 2015;Simpson, 2013), along with the anonymity others prefer (Berry & Kowal, 2020). Some may not have the necessary bandwidth (Johnson & Cuellar-Mejia, 2014;Stanford, 2020) or access to quiet spaces (NYU Steinhardt, 2020) to participate fully.…”