Last September NCFR launched its first webinar. An Introduction to Ethical Thinking and Practice for Family Professionals: A Case Study Approach was a collaborative effort with members of the Minnesota Council on Family Relations. They had presented workshops on the ethical guidelines process throughout Minnesota but wanted to try an online approach.

Presenting the ethical guidelines process as a webinar provided the opportunity to bring this very important information to a much wider audience. The ethics webinar is the first in what promises to be a long list of topics presented by NCFR through a webinar format.

NCFR staff has been busy researching webinar platforms and identifying appropriate topics and presenters. In addition to the free webcast on How to Submit a Conference Proposal presented by NCFR member Bahira Trask in February, the following is also planned:

Early March

"How to Review a Conference Proposal" – Karen Myers-Bowman and Thomas Holman

March 27

"Who, Me Lead a Group? Group Facilitation Skills" – Jean Illsley Clarke

May 30

"The Domains of Family Practice Model: Differentiating the Roles of Family Professionals" - Sharon Ballard, Carol Darling, Karen Myers-Bowman, and Judy Myers-Walls

September

"Using the FLE Framework for Program Planning and Evaluation" - David Bredehoft and Michael Walcheski

December

"OverIndulgence: Implications for Parenting Education" - David Bredehoft and Jean Illsley Clarke

In addition, the MCFR ethical guidelines webinar presenters are working on a continuation of the webinar presented in 2012. We are also hoping to have a webinar on policy involvement.

The webinar topics are geared toward different audiences. Some are of interest to practitioners working in the field whereas others will be more relevant to those teaching family science classes at the university and college level. Some will be of interest to both. Eventually we plan to host webinars that address concerns of external audiences such as policymakers, healthcare professionals, those involved in the courts and criminal justice, educators, and others.

There will be a charge for most webinars but some will be free. We are finalizing our pricing structure but can say that there will be a price break for NCFR members. We are also looking into licensing options for classroom use.

We know that we are just scratching the surface on the variety of topics and approaches NCFR can address through online learning. We will be contacting members and CFLEs soon to hear your ideas for webinar topics and to identify people interested in sharing their expertise and experience as webinar presenters. In the meantime, if you have a topic you'd like to see addressed or are willing to present, please email me.

Online FLE Modules

We are also working on a related project: the development of a series of online modules covering the ten family life content areas. Our work currently is focused on researching Learning Management Systems (LMS) to determine the most appropriate platform and process for this substantial project. Once we have selected the best LMS I'll continue my work with the Online Professional Education Committee in identifying subject matter experts and beginning the process of designing the modules. Our initial goal is to develop a separate overview module for each of the ten content areas. Each of the ten content areas has the potential to be broken down into a series of concentrated topics. For example, we could start with an overview module on Family Resource Management but there is the potential to offer additional modules focused on specific concepts within such as goal-setting and decision-making, another on time management, and yet another on budgeting. These modules can be helpful in preparing and refreshing family practitioners in family life education concepts.

The world of education is changing rapidly with new approaches and technologies being introduced almost daily! NCFR is working hard to ensure that members and CFLEs have access to cutting-edge, research-based information. The availability of online education allows us to extend our reach. We look forward to using this exciting platform to share the knowledge of our members!