04/01/2026

Implementing Active Learning in Online Career Counseling Courses

By Lisa Cardello and Ellen Farr

As counselor educators, we want to create environments in which online learners can practice and apply theory through activities aligned with course learning outcomes. Trading long video lectures and supplementing complex readings with opportunities for conversation, debate, and practical application models the behaviors we want in future counselors.

Fostering meaningful online learning engagement requires an empathetic understanding of graduate learners’ distinct needs and motivations. Culduz (2024) suggested that online learners benefit from engaging with multiple viewpoints, including working professionals, part-time learners, and career changers, while facing critical challenges that instructors address through careful course design. Online learning offers flexibility for self-paced exploration but managing competing responsibilities, producing feelings of isolation, and difficulty translating theoretical concepts into practical counseling applications (Culduz, 2024) interferes with knowledge retention and application. Thus, it is critical for counselor educators to create inclusive and student-centered online learning environments that leverage the uniqueness of these learners.

Anyone who has taught in graduate school would agree that meaningful student engagement is strongly associated with improved satisfaction, stronger academic performance, and greater progress toward degree completion (McCafferty, 2024; Wong et al., 2024). Yet, online learning does not lend itself to organic interactions that are more easily woven into in-person classes.  An intentionally designed online learning environment has been shown to increase academic self-concept, cognitive engagement, and overall well-being (Shi et al., 2025). This careful design includes making explicit the connection between the learning activity and the course learning outcomes (Winkelmes et al, 2019); thus, promoting interaction and active participation are essential for deepening student engagement and learning outcomes.

Practical Strategies for Promoting Active Engagement

Counselor educators are encouraged to consider integrating these practical methods and activities in their course design to promote active engagement:

• Build Community Early and Support Often:
  • Kick off the semester with an online welcome session to make connections among instructors and peers with real-time interaction (Forbes & Thomas, 2022). This approach is effective when learners will be joining together synchronously and absolutely critical in asynchronous courses. Learners need connections with peers to know they are not making this journey alone; this must be built intentionally into online courses where casual interaction does not occur naturally (Helmcamp & Fox, 2022).
  • Ongoing semester virtual check-ins, virtual student support hours (McGlynn, 2019), and even online “hallway” spaces where learners can informally share, vent, or ask questions, bolster connection in the absence of in-person interaction (McCafferty, 2024; Geister et al., 2025). The key is to infuse ways to connect throughout the semester and not restrict interactions to one-and-done first meeting ice breakers (Forbes & Thomas, 2022).
• Provide Multiple Means of Engagement:  
  • Replace passive observation with virtual role-plays and recorded microskill demonstrations in a low-stakes, high-support environment. Whether learners are conducting a career intake or facilitating a values clarification activity, ensure they get practice with real-life counseling skills and immediate theory-based peer feedback. Offer structured peer feedback forms to model offering constructive and theory-based observations. This develops both self-awareness and collaborative learning. Padlet, Zoom, and even TikTok simplify dissemination so the focus remains on the learning, not the tech tool.
  • Implement interactive learning options. GenXers may remember Choose Your Own Adventure books where the reader’s choices impacted the story’s outcome. Readers could retrace their steps and choose new options to keep the story going. Replicating this game-like option to present case studies with interactive branching options drives learners to make critical decisions and assess the outcomes immediately. Simulating real-world counseling situations where a decision leads to different paths, learners must think quickly to apply theory to practice. For example, an interactive career counseling case study course might present a client struggling with career indecision. Learners must confront counseling decisions leading to different client reactions. Concluding the activity with self-reflection analyzing decision pathways and how their interventions influenced client progress allows learners to form connections between theory and practice. Comparably, the situation could be set up as an escape room where only correct answers will allow the student to progress. Tools such as H5P, Thinglink and even Google Slides can be used to design visually engaging and motivating branching paths.
  • Utilize artificial intelligence (AI) for easy simulations. While it’s beyond the scope of this article to dive into the intricate options AI makes possible, we would be remiss to not mention using AI chatbots for role play adventures. A recent study supports the use of AI role play simulation in creating realistic, low-stake practice environments in which learners can safely explore potential reactions in real time (Akkurt et al., 2025). ChatGPT (or any AI platform) documents the conversation for learner, peer, and instructor-review providing substantial feedback opportunities without requiring tedious transcription. 
• Explore the Counselor’s Advocacy Role:
  • Encourage learners to explore the counselor’s advocate role by addressing systemic barriers that influence clients’ career development. Such barriers may include wage inequity, discrimination, or limited access to education. Working individually or in small groups, learners design multimedia campaigns such as infographics, narrated slideshows, or short video PSAs to highlight the advocacy issue, provide evidence-based information, and propose actionable strategies for change. This digital advocacy assignment connects classroom learning to broader advocacy initiatives while practicing professional communication and public awareness skills. The NCDA Government Relations Committee webpage offers valuable resources and policy updates to enhance learners’ understanding of current advocacy efforts and inform their project development.
• Integrate Professional Application and Connections:
  • Intentionally connect learners with the professional world. Welcoming guest speakers from career counseling settings such as higher education, private practice, and workforce development offers learners valuable insights into real-world practice and professional pathways. Pre-recorded professional interviews give learners the space to pause and reflect on the field’s opportunities.
  • Include a networking module with alumni connections, professional associations, and networking resources (e.g., Handshake, Meetup, LinkedIn). Insert prompts to drive student outreach to practitioners or alumni using these platforms. By integrating online networking and alumni connections that support professional relationship building and career exploration, the counselor educator helps to open doors to new possibilities for the online learner.

Make Connections Visible

Opportunities abound for counselor educators to provide interactive, engaging learning environments to support application of theory to practice and guide meaningful reflection and feedback opportunities. The key to success, regardless of the strategy or tool selected, is to make visible the connection between the learning outcome and the activity. Continued practice and frequent feedback on the process and outcomes will equip learners with the skills they need when they encounter real-world counseling practice.

References

Akkurt, M., Maurya, R., & Brown, T. (2025). Learning through simulation: Counselor trainees’ interactions with ChatGPT as a client. Behavioral Sciences, 15(12), 1660. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15121660 

Culduz, M. (2024). Benefits and challenges of e-learning, online education, and distance learning. In L. E. Gray & S. D. Dunn (Eds.), Incorporating the human element in online teaching and learning (pp. 1–27). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-4131-5.ch001 

Forbes, L., & Thomas, D. (2022). Professors at play playbook: Real-world techniques from a more playful higher education classroom. ETC Press.

Geister, S., Aschenberger, F. K., Çetinkaya-Yıldız, E., & Apaydın, S. (2025). The role of informal learning spaces in promoting social integration and wellbeing in higher education. Frontiers in Education, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1637874 

Helmcamp, W.. & Fox, T. (2022). Creating connection with online learners. Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.22371/tces/0023 

Maurya, R. K. (2024). Using AI based chatbot ChatGPT for practicing counseling skills through role-play. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 19(4), 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2023.2297857 

McCafferty, J. T. (2024). Happy hours, not office hours: Socially engaging cybersecurity students in a large online graduate course. Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice, 1(28). https://doi.org/10.62915/2472-2707.1200 

McGlynn, T. (2019). Let’s rename office hours to “student hours”. Small Pond Science. https://smallpondscience.com/2019/02/28/lets-rename-office-hours-to-student-hours/ 

Shi, Y., Chen, M., Wei, Y., Shen, J., Wu, M., & Zhu, K. (2025). Understanding effects of engaging online learning environments on students’ cognitive engagement and well-being: The role of academic self-concept and flow. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1614109. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1614109 

Winkelmes, M.-A., Boye, A., Tapp, S. (Eds.). (2019). Transparent design in higher education teaching and leadership. Stylus.

Lisa Cardello, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Online Counselor Education at The College of New Jersey. She is a Certified Career Counselor (NCDA), Licensed Professional Counselor (NJ), National Certified Counselor, and MBTI Certified Professional. She also owns Career Clarity Counseling and Consulting, a New Jersey private practice focused on supporting clients with career and mental health concerns. Dr. Cardello is a past participant of NCDA’s Counselor Educator Academy and past president of the New Jersey Career Development Association. She can be reached at lisamcardello@gmail.com 

Ellen Farr is the Director of Online Learning in The College of New Jersey's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, where she focuses on the design of high-quality, high-touch online courses to enhance student engagement and success. With 25+ years in higher education, Ellen is a committed advocate for inclusion and equity in access to quality education and career pathways. Her expertise lies in designing online learning environments that prioritize accessibility and equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations. Leveraging her background in curriculum development and professional development, she collaborates with faculty to foster digital literacy and ensure that academic programs effectively build the professional competencies needed for post-graduation success. Ellen’s dedication to managing state and federal grants and her experience as an instructor underscore her commitment to advancing transformative online learning that enriches student career trajectories.