Teaching Negotiations in the New Millennium: Evidence‐Based Recommendations for Online Course Delivery

Abstract

Traditional methods for teaching negotiation have required both instructor and student to be physically present in the same location. With the advent of the Internet and associated technological advances, however, instructors may now transcend geographical barriers and effectively deliver the same content virtually. In this article, we present an exploratory study comparing two masters‐level negotiation courses: one taught using a traditional in‐person method and the other taught online. Results showed no significant difference in knowledge acquisition as quantified by objective measures, including mean grades. In addition, self‐report data indicate that, although students' skill and mastery of negotiation improved in both courses, online students reported that they experienced less interaction and social engagement with their classmates and instructor. Several course development strategies and best practices are discussed.

A Comparison of Learning Outcomes in Skills‐Based Courses: Online Versus Face‐To‐Face Formats

“…Pelz () agrees, finding that online classroom success is predicated on three types of presence: social, cognitive, and teaching. Parlamis and Mitchell () found, as we did, that the cognitive presence is met in the online class since there were no differences in course grades. They suggested fostering increased student interactions and building a learning community as ways to ameliorate some of the social presence losses found in online, interactive courses.…”

“…However, they are not mastering the skill of negotiating as well as students in face‐to‐face classes. Parlamis and Mitchell () came to similar conclusions. Although their small, exploratory study of 37 masters students (across an online and a face‐to‐face section of the same course) found no differences in grades or performance in a scored negotiation, students in the online course reported significantly lower levels of learning in the class, collaborativeness of the learning environment, and how well they got to know their instructor and fellow students than those taking the course in the face‐to‐face format.…”

Setting out across the sea of monsters: Bringing learning design into mediator training

“…While this phase was a discussion phase rather than an active skills-based interaction, it is worth bearing these views in mind when designing how to incorporate feedback, particularly peer feedback, into an online mediation role-play. Parlamis and Mitchell (2014) took a useful approach to considering online role-play, in comparing two Masters level negotiation courses, one taught in class, and one taught online. Their findings can be summarized as follows: based on objective evaluations, the learning outcomes from the two courses were very similar; neither student grades, nor their performance in simulations differed significantly between the two courses.…”

“…For the purposes of this discussion, Parlamis and Mitchell's (2014) findings are particularly interesting because of their chosen methodology. Part of the authors' assumption, as stated at the outset, is that for online role-play activities to be effective, they must be designed for the online environment, rather than merely replicated from a face-to-face setting.…”

Overcoming Faculty Avoidance of Online Education

“…Additionally, because of an increase in research and pedagogical papers on the topic of online learning, instructors can access research-based recommendations for facilitating learning in an online classroom (e.g., Oliveira, Tinoca, & Pereira, 2011;Parlamis & Mitchell, 2014;Payne & Johnson, 2005). Instructors may also leverage published information about student motivation and multimedia learning strategies that have been systematically investigated in the last decade (Abrami et al, 2011).…”