UHA and BOI Mentoring Teaching Approach

A Student Centered University

When it comes to applying the fundamental and simple teaching concepts described below, the mentoring approach to graduate education is unmatched.

Having too many students in the class, seriously limits the teacher's possibilities to address the real life-needs of each student. While an effort in this direction is still worthwhile, it is obvious that the one-on-one student/teacher relationship is the deepest and richest communication that can be offered.

Most of us understand the meaning of the term "Client Centered Therapy." However, let me briefly explain a little more:

This term was coined by one of the greatest minds and human beings of the 20th century, the psychologist, Carl Rogers. Rogers challenged the previously entrenched psychoanalytic approach to counseling that treated the client (or patient) as an object.

Carl Rogers proved, through his clinical work and scientific research, that this aspect of the psychoanalytic approach to counseling was unscientific, and that the true foundation of good counseling was a solid, empathic and humane relationship between client and counselor. Treating the patient as an object not only was ineffective as a therapeutic approach, but also damaging to the client.

When empathy is absent counseling is usually worthless. When empathy is present, counseling is usually successful. Any additional intervention that is performed during the counseling process can be helpful providing the foundation is well-established: a therapeutic
relationship with the client.

Teaching is not that different from therapy. The student is not a hard drive that needs to be loaded with information. Higher education is about creating the right conditions for an inner transformation. Such transformation relies on three fundamental factors:

1- Exposing the student to new, life transforming ideas.

2- Presenting these ideas, no matter how complex, in simple terms and with the right emphasis -- in that which is really valuable and practical.

3- The relationship teacher/student is also vital. A relationship capable of creating deep transformation in the student, is based on empathy and acceptance. Acceptance should be as close as possible to unconditional acceptance. The teacher may realize that such relationship has been established when he or she looks forward to the next class, and meet again with his or her student.

Transformational ideas have to be practical. And for practical I do not mean concrete. Abstract subjects can be at the same time extraordinarily practical -- applicable. It is not that strictly abstract ideas do not have merits but they are unlikely to change the life of anyone. Therefore, the emphasis at UHA is on practical applicable ideas and paradigms, that have the power to transform the life of the student and their future clients.

All of our teachers have training in counseling. When teaching one on one, if the student is going through a painful issue -- like a serious marital disagreement -- it is insensitive and inhumane for the teacher to simply focus on the class outline and ignore the student's emotional pain. Unaddressed, that pain will become the "elephant in the room" throughout the whole class. Alternatively, the teacher's availability to address the pain offers the student an opportunity for invaluable growth.

To be a good counselor, first we have to be good human beings -- as Carl Rogers demonstrated. Similarly, to be a good teacher, we have to be good human beings too. So, what makes a good human being? Capacity for listening empathically, compassion, respect, unconditional acceptance and regard for others. Many teachers are judgmental, but the best ones are not. Being a good teacher is not only about explaining complex things in simple terms and being a skillful communicator -- being a good teacher requires that and more. 

A good video can do a good job of communicating ideas quite skillfully, but no amount of video can replace the growth, learning and transformation that happens in the interaction and relationship with a compassionate, empathic, effective teacher.

A University for Busy People

We have students who are extremely busy people; including highly successful actors and professionals working in the movie industry, who barely have the time to study. However, the mentoring system always allows for an invaluable flexibility in scheduling -- something that is almost impossible to find in other schools. At UHA, students participating in the mentoring program, soon realize that the only limitation is to schedule the class at a time when both, teacher and student, can meet. There is not even a requirement to meet the same day or hour every week; these meetings can be adjusted on a weekly basis. If the student cannot attend a class that is pre-scheduled, he or she simply cancels the session 24 hours in advanced, and reschedules for a more convenient time later during the week.

Fortunately, all UHA and BOI mentoring internet classes are held through a two way interactive video-phone, or in person. This is an additional advantage of UHA's mentoring system. When we have classes with numerous students we are no alternative but to use webinar technology. Webinar technology, at this time, limits the participation of the student by requiring texting the teacher with questions or comments. Skype does not have that limitation of course.

Skype supports an excellent two way audio/video connection, approaching the richness of communication between two people conversing, personally, in the same room. Skype and other internet video phone applications provide extraordinary sound quality even without headphones -- better than most phone connections as well as full screen video. This two way audio/video quality also allows for good meta-communication. We have found that Skype, or similar applications, is possibly the most powerful one on one, teaching platform and counseling tool available today online.

Skype is an application that can be downloaded for FREE, and usage is also completely free of charge between two Skype users.
You can download it at:

http://www.skype.com

The only requirement is to have a reasonably fast internet connection. UHA has a fast download and upload connection that allows for high quality of sound and video, and we have found that most of our students' connections, in the United States, and abroad, have been adequate. Additionally Skype is a friendly, easy-to-learn software.

In the rare instance that our student doesn't wish to learn to use Skype, we provide the classes on the telephone. We have provided two year Masters Programs on the telephone with great success!

Skype (or phone) help our student to attend classes, get certified, or even obtain a Masters degree from the comfort of their homes -- anywhere in the world. Even students located in the Los Angeles County, have found that this approach saves them valuable time (and resources) that would otherwise be wasted commuting. Additionally these students enjoy the flexibility to take some of the classes in person and others through the internet.

The mentoring, one on one approach to graduate education, because of its great flexibility, is unsurpassable when it comes to apply the concepts described above. When the teacher has several, many, or sometimes hundreds of students in the class, the possibilities to address real-life situations and individual needs are VERY limited. It is through the mentoring relationship that conditions for deep transformation are truly optimized.