1. Using Our Existing Technological and Teaching Resources
To Enhance Experiential Learning: A Case Example
Mark Blagen, Ph.D., School of Psychology & Counseling
and The Center for Teaching & Learning
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

2. One Such Difference (and Challenge)
Most students come into an addictions course with strongly held opinions on the subject
These opinions are often incomplete or, inaccurate

3. A Solution to this Challenge
Create a classroom environment that would deconstruct incomplete or inaccurate beliefs
Using the standard “tell’m and test’m” lecture method may benefit some but, by using innovative teaching strategies such as:
Briefly speak of how this realization came about
- students have generally been self selected
- not so in my current position
- in the first class they do a ‘reflection paper” as to what addiction is
- in the second session we discuss the theories of etiology
- this is where, if I facilitate it properly, we get some dissenting opinions
- about 1/3 of the class grew up around addictions – they tend to be quiet
- in my opinion it is absolutely critical to deconstruct incorrect or incomplete opinions of addiction – these are clinical counseling and psychology students – they are going to see addictions day in and day out
in the four different environments I have taught addictions, it has been an elective course, so students were self selected – in a minority of instances a student would be in the course and not be open – but it did happen. In my current position, it is a required course for a vast majority of the students who are in the class.

4. Innovative Teaching Strategies
Technology for instruction
Constructivist learning
Student collaboration
Peer teaching
Problem-based learning
Active learning

5. From Concept to Product
On the first night of class, I set up the problem of college aged drinking by
Stating some accurate and recent statistics on the prevalence of the problem and then
Having the class listen to two National Public Radio clips that clearly and expertly reported on the problem
We then, as a group, processed what we just heard

6. From Concept to Product
The processing lasted about 45 minutes and was very productive (remember this was the first hour of the first night of class – everyone had a lot of energy)
We then transitioned into thinking about solutions
This was aided by me asking “What if we were to design a ‘prevention’ video, what would be some of the concepts and themes we would want to include and how would we want it to look?”

7. Themes and Ideas that Emerged from the First Night
How the drug alcohol has been normalized in our society
“It could (never) happen to me
A vague concept that I introduced of “Living a Life that Matters”
A special emphasis that the opening scene must engage the audience
Peer-aged testimonials

8. The Collaborative Result this Far
Through the hard work and outstanding effort of the CTL production staff which included
Amy Evans who wrote the script and was the producer, and
J Darin Wales who directed and edited the production, and
Diane Cooke who was the assistant director
The video was shot in June and the final cut was completed in August
The following is a short clip of the 22 minute final product

9. What is Next? In my opinion, this project has legs
The Summer Addictive Behaviors class began the process of developing the concepts of the Web-based interactive piece that will go along with the video
My research methods class will develop a program evaluation model and future research methods classes will analyze the outcome data, once the video has been used

10. Ultimately
This project has the potential of “coming to an undergraduate campus near you” and as a result, potentially changing the lives of young students
All this resulted from the motivation of my COUN 535/PSY635 students and
Most importantly, the extraordinary professionalism of The Center for Teaching and Learning