USAFA

Counseling Primer

Proposal and Instructional Plan

 Rationale
• Tidal wave of technology use in communication
o Significant reduction in face-to-face communication creates a
predictable reduction of lack of communication and interpersonal skills

Miles and Wilson (2004) state that millennials need

technological skills but that is not all they need; they also
need a large number of skills including communication,
problem solving, inter-personal, critical thinking and personal
skills. Further, Stevens (2005) contends that technology will
only continue to advance and if concerns with soft skills are
not addressed now the skills deficit will only get worse.
 Rationale
• Does a lack of such skills matter more for a USAFA
graduate than anyone else? Yes.

• If the intent of USAFA is to produce the finest officers, then the implication is
that they must also have communication skills that are at this same high level

• Second, as officers, these Airmen will start out at a management level and
thus their opportunity for impact, positive or negative is instant
• They have less time than enlisted members to catch these soft skills up as
they go
Instructional Plan
Phase 1
Title – Effective Counseling
• The goal of this training session is to expose cadets
to various points to consider in counseling scenarios
as well modeling and participation.
• The training will consist of a blend of lecture,
facilitated discussion and practical application of
counseling concepts through role play and
questioning.
• For the practical portion the instructor will provide
scenarios that involve issues which may be
encountered in real-life military contexts. The
instructor, as well as fellow cadets, may offer
feedback, encouragement, and recommendations
for improvements.
 Target Audience
o Age – 18-26
o Gender – mixed but predominately male
o Education – top graduates from high school, academically
ahead of their civilian peers. All involved in sports and
somewhat accustomed to a disciplined lifestyle. All pursuing
a bachelors degree in various disciplines from engineering to
business.
o Experience – because of their age most cadets have had little
exposure or opportunity to lead. Some, however, may
currently hold a position of leadership amongst their fellow
cadets.
o Cadets attend college free of charge in exchange for a
service comittment following graduation. There is a high level
of comittment to succeed but it is matched with pressure from
an extremely heavy course load of 21 – 24 hours per semester
in addition to sports and other volunteer requirements.
 Delivery Modality/Goals
• Modality
o Instruction is delivered by lecture and facilitated discussion. Practical
application and demonstration of synthesis of learning occurs through role
play & feedback
o Course length is two hours

• Goals
o Raise awareness of the role of critical thinkng and communication in
counseling settings
o Provide cadets with a context through which to identify both good and
bad examples of counseling
o Ensure cadets understand the intent and nature of counseling in the Air
Force
Instructional Plan
Phase 2
 Goals and Objectives
• Goal 1
o Raise awareness of the role and importance of critical
thinking and thoughtful communication in counseling
settings
• Objectives
o At the conclusion of lecture, facilitated discussion and role
play, each student should be able to cite at least three
examples of what critical thinking is in the context of
counseling
o At the conclusion of lecture, facilitated discussion and role
play, each student should be able to cite at least three
examples of employing thoughtful communication in the
context of counseling
 Goals and Objectives
• Goal 2
o Provide cadets with a context through which to identify
both good and bad examples of counseling
• Objective
o Cadets should be able to identify good and bad
counseling examples and also identify preferred
techniques
• Goal 3
o Ensure cadets understand the intent and nature of
counseling in the Air Force
• Objective
o At the conclusion of lecture, facilitated discussion and role
play, each student should be able to cite the ulitmate aim
and philosophy of counseling in the Air Force
 Objective Details
• These objectives employ a combination of
collaborative learning and critical thinking.
Collaborative learning was chosen in part because
of the group nature of the learning setting as well as
to create a lively, fun, and energetic atmosphere.
• Critical thinking was employed because it is an
integral part of cultivating intuitive interpersonal skills
which are needed in effective counseling
 Instructional Strategies
and Activities
• At the beginning of the course the instructor will begin
by showing a video montage of movie clips that show
characters in a variety of counseling settings. The videos
will include humorous scenes as well as serious, and will
focus on less-than-ideal examples of counseling.
• This creates the opportunity for the instructor to segue
into the motivation for the Effective Counseling course
using the movie clips as the reasoning why counseling
strategies must be defined in order to meet the Air
Force’s philosophy on such
• Activities will include role play, faciliated discussion,
questioning and feedback
Instructional Plan
Phase 3
 Timelines and Delivery
• Course length – 2 hours
• Start date – Spring 2018
• Facilitators
o The primary facilitator must be a seasoned professional
capable of speaking with confidence and conviction
regarding AF philosophies of leadrship as well as the
practical application thereof.
o Additionally, because of the large group size, other
facilitators will be required to conduct practical exercises,
role play and discussions. These individuals need to be
experienced professionals.
 Resources Required
o Audio/visual equipment with projection and sound
capability to serve a large audience is critical. Poor audio
or visual quality will have significant negative impact on
student engagement
o The learning facility must be large enough to
accommodate a group of 100-150 learners with additional
space where smaller groups can gather to conduct
counseling scenario role play
o Printed pre-assessments and post assessments
o A refreshment area should be accessible for students to
access during breaks
 Implementation Plan
• Communication
o A meeting with the Director of Curriculum will be requested to
present the idea. The motivation and rationale and the plan
will be presented and discussed
o A case for how societal changes are eroding individual’s
abilities to communicate effectively face-to-face will be built
o Use the training introduction video and facilitator motivational
sequence to illustrate how student motivation and
engagement will be activated
o Identify the benefits to the Air Force enterprise by equipping
cadets (future AF officers) with practical toolsets and
concepts for counseling.
o Conversely, identify the impacts of not providing this training
 Participants
• Two options
• Incorporate this training in an already existing mandatory
leadership development program
• Target this training toward cadet leader nominees as part
of a preparation to assume leadership
Formative Assessments
o Cadets will complete a pre-assessement to be compared
with the Summative evaluation
o To check for understanding during instruction the facilitator
will ask questions such as:
• What might the impacts be of not starting with the end
in mind when preparing to conduct counseling?
o Here the student should cite the potential problems
with lack of planning as cited by the facilitator.
• Ask students to identify appropriate/innappropriate or
effective/inneffective counseling practices as viewed in
video or instructor demonstrated scenarios.
• Students’ ability to identify best/worst practices in
counseling, as well as offering corrective actions or
better choices, indicate a synthesis of learning
Instructional Plan
Phase 4
 Evaluation Criteria
o Goal 1 - Raise awareness of the role of critical thinking and
communication in counseling settings
o Cadets should be able to explain what critical
thinking is and why it is important for effective
counseling
o Goal 2 - Provide cadets with a context through which to
identify both good and bad examples of counseling
o Cadets should be able to identify good and bad
counseling examples and also identify preferred
techniques
o Goal 3 - Ensure cadets understand the intent and nature of
counseling in the Air Force
o Cadets should be able to clearly cite the intent and
nature of counseling in the Air Force
 Evaluation Instruments
• A pre-test and post test that will include an attitudinal survey
will be used
 Evaluation Overview
• Gaging knowledge transfer as well as changes in
attitudes will come in the form of written pre and
post test which will include an attitudinal survey.

• If the testing did not reveal marked change,

formative assessments may need to be increased
and scrutinized to ensure the facilitator is getting an
accurate feel for whether they are effectively
helping cadets make learning connections with the
material and concepts during instruction.
 References
Miles, C. L., & Wilson, C. (2004). Learning
Outcomes for the twenty-first century. Cultivating student success for
college and
the knowledge economy. New Directions for Community Colleges, 126,
87-100.

Stevens, B. (2005). What communication skills do employers want? Silicon Valley

recruiters respond. Journal of Employment Counseling, 42(1), 2-9.