Experiences of mediation training in online format

Evaluation: Experiences of online mediation training

When all educational institutions in Germany had to close their doors on 17 March 2020, mediation training institutes were at a crossroads: Should they postpone their courses until traditional face-to-face teaching would be possible again? Or should they take the plunge and convert their curricula to digital formats? Those who chose the latter path in the spring can now draw on valuable experience with a form of teaching that was an exotic feature of the mediator training landscape only a year ago. At that time, it was considered the innovative icing on the cake of mediation training to serve the participants a pinch of expert knowledge on the future topic of online mediation. Only a few training institutes even addressed this supposedly niche topic as part of the basic training to become a certified mediator. Today, the graduates of these spring courses have already experienced the digital future of mediation first-hand over many hours.

But how did they experience the overnight digital learning environment? Was it even possible to learn the practice method of mediation in the virtual classroom? Did the participants find it a deficit to mediate in a role play between two conflict parties visible only as tiles on the screen? Or were they perhaps even able to concentrate better and, incidentally, became competent online mediators?

The evaluation of questionnaires answered by the graduates of two training courses of the CONSENSUS Campus Institute makes an instructive contribution to the discussion on the comparability between virtual and physical presence in mediation training. A total of 15 people took part in the survey. The questionnaires, which were identical for both groups, contained six simple questions where participants could move a slider on a scale from 0 to 100 %. In addition, individually formulated comments could be given for each question, as well as a concluding comment “General comments on the question online or offline teaching/advantages and disadvantages”.

1) General Online- Experience

What was your personal experience with the online module) (Scale: slider 0= not valuable; 100= very valuable)

Average result: 92.5

2) Details on Online- Experience

2.1 How do you rate the knowledge transfer online? (Scale: slider 0= not good; 100= very good)

Average result: 95,5

Comments on knowledge transfer online:

• Full concentration on the screen and the voice
• Especially the theory introduction is of little use offline if it cannot be taught interactively. I would always prefer to do that online.
• Better concentration and absorption through online space
• The pure transfer of knowledge is just as well possible online as offline and saves time when travelling long distances.
• Your own environment can be used for full concentration
• Longer concentration times, reactions are better perceived

2.2 How well did group discussions work online? (Scale: slide control 0= not good; 100= very good)

Average result: 88.5

Comments on group discussion online

• Feeling that everyone is getting a little shorter – that’s good!
• I even found them more active online. Nevertheless, networking on the ground naturally has an added value. Everything that makes sense on the ground should be carried out locally (i.e. especially live mediation in all its variants)
• Discussions run more smoothly online
• personal attention, eye contact, posture, gestures are missing online
• Discussions are easier to conduct – possibly also out of habit – in direct contact with the person you are talking to.
• It did not have a particular advantage. Nevertheless, I was able to gain a lot of positive things from the whole thing. I would say 50:50

2.3 How well have mediation simulations from your perspective worked online? (Scale: slide control 0= not good; 100= very good)

Average result: 82.7

Comments on mediation simulations online

• Good focus on topic, less talk
• Was somehow more personal online, but depending on the situation also offline better for the real experience e.g. (what happens if someone runs out of the room, etc. Such things you experience physically better in onsite training)
• As a beginner I lack space, movement in space, body language, etc.
• You can react better spontaneously offline
• Here too, I find offline and online equally good. Perhaps the advantage of concentrating on one screen
• Better to observe and reflect behaviour of others- all on one screen

3) Self-assessment

3.1 How much do you agree with this statement: I feel able to do mediation independently.

(Scale: slider 0= absolutely not; 100= I feel fully capable)

Average result: 86.7

3.2 How much do you agree with this statement: I feel able to conduct ONLINE mediations independently.

(Scale: slider 0= absolutely not; 100= I feel fully capable)

Average result: 78,5

Comments:

• I know everything in theory but I still need practice to feel safe
• Depends on which setting
• I have already done online mediation
• Still feel like a beginner, guess that is normal
• Simulations are not real mediations – I have to practice that now

4) Comparison

Which experience was more valuable for you? (slider towards two pools: online training vs. face-to-face training)

Average result: 52

General comments

• Both (offline and online) good
• Online, I am less distracted by the group and therefore I could better concentrate on my role and emotions in it
• Both formats have advantages and disadvantages. The mixture of presence – and online training was successful!
• Online, you feel in a protected environment-
• Could concentrate better on me, online
• Missed Body language online
• In terms of content yes, but body language was missing. But since in my case online mediation will probably be the main thing in the future, I have few options with virtual teams.
• Offline: Better feeling for space and people, better ability to feel, practice body language, posture and presence in space as well as handling the flipchart
• “face to face” is more real
• Reaction of all better perceptible online (everybody on one screen
• Missed simply the networking, kitchentalk and so online
• No room for “between the lines” online
• online: clearer structure, who speaks has the lead
• Both formats have advantages and disadvantages. The mixture of presence – and online training was successful!

Conclusion

The limitations of the Corona pandemic represented both a major challenge and a historic opportunity for the training institutes. Overnight, the “everything stays as it was” option was off the table. When this happens in a mediation session, it can initially put the conflict parties into a kind of shock paralysis, from which a storm of creative, innovative ideas can be unleashed through successful empowerment. This is how a number of mediation training institutes unleashed their creative potential in the Corona crisis and converted their curricula to live online teaching in a real tour de force in a very short time. The survey of participants shows very impressively how well this has succeeded, mind you despite the lack of experience and uncertainty among both teachers and learners about the possibilities of the virtual classroom. The high percentages speak for themselves, but can nevertheless hardly reflect how much joy and inspiration the participants as “online pioneers” were at work and what close cohesion developed in both groups. It remains to be said: The present results are a strong indication that the essential competences of a mediation training can also be imparted by way of live online teaching; in addition, the competence for online mediation is imparted, which conversely is left out in a traditional face-to-face teaching. In the autumn courses, which have now started and are also marked by the pandemic, the digital transformation has already come a long way: The trainers are much more digitally savvy and have a whole range of interactive tools at their disposal to create exciting, action-oriented lessons in the virtual space. The participants bring more digital competence from their professional practice and explicitly attach importance to acquiring not only classical mediation competence but also the increasingly demanded competence of live online mediation, which has long since ceased to be left to a small circle of experts. Live online formats open up completely new possibilities for making both mediation training and mediation as a process more sustainable, cost-effective and international. People can meet in a virtual circle who would never have met in a physical space. Therefore, mediation training in the virtual classroom is by no means just an emergency solution due to the pandemic. Rather, it is an important supplement to analogue face-to-face teaching, which is crucial for the future viability of mediation and should not be missing from any contemporary training concept.