Workshop 1
Title : Design and delivery of a master of science degree program for cyberpsychology: Case illustration of obstacles and opportunities from Norfolk State University
Author : Scott Debb
Presenter : Scott Debb
Date and time : July 11th, 2023; 09:00- 12:00
Abstract : This workshop will focus on the approach taken by Norfolk State University (NSU) to design and deliver its master’s degree in cyberpsychology. This fully online program, housed at a public, urban, historically Black university in Virginia, USA, will be discussed from an administrative, curricular, and educational perspective. Emphasis will be placed on the steps required to bring a new graduate degree program to fruition (in Virginia, USA), the challenges both internally and externally with regards to getting approval and support to start such a program, the process of developing a 14-course/42 semester credit hour curriculum including both design and delivery obstacles, and what NSU has done to promote and recruit for the program. Emphasis will be given to the mechanisms embedded in the curriculum to ensure academic rigor and facilitate student research despite the overwhelming asynchronous nature of the program. The target audience for this workshop include a) university administrators looking to build novel academic degree programs where significant precedent for such a new program (such as a stand-alone cyberpsychology) does not already exist for a specific discipline, b) instructional designers who are involved in building online course and learning management system-specific elements of a fully online program, c) faculty who are considering how to build their own cyberpsychology program in the United States or otherwise, d) faculty teaching cyberpsychology courses at any level and tactics they can utilize to facilitate both student and instructor presence in the online classroom, and e) students interested in understanding how an online yet research-intensive program gets developed with non-traditional (and often non-psychology background) student needs in mind. The format for this workshop will include guided discussion with the audience, demonstration of course design and delivery components of the degree program, and small group discussion with the audience focusing on paths for a new program such as this to grow, prosper, and ultimately connect students with needs in the (global) workforce. The following learning objectives will be met by participation in this workshop: 1—Participants will learn the steps involved in bringing a new graduate degree program online (in Virginia, USA); 2—Participants will explore at least five curriculum design and delivery issues when developing a fully online program; 3—Participants will understand the administrative processes required to implement and begin to offer a new graduate degree program in cyberpsychology; 4—Participants will identify at least three best practices for teaching cyberpsychology curriculum in an asynchronous classroom environment; 5—Participants will be able to recognize at least three cultural or cross-cultural concerns to consider when building an interdisciplinary-focused graduate degree program; and 6—Participants will classify at least five methods of promoting and growing a graduate degree program in cyberpsychology.
Workshop 2
Title : How to become familiar with virtual reality by participating in an online course
Authors : Anne-Marie Etienne, Aurélie Wagener, Céline Stassart, Noël Schepers, Stéphane Bouchard, Céline Tonus and Michaël Schyns
Presenter : Anne-Marie Etienne
Date and time : July 11th, 2023; 09:00- 12:00
Abstract : Content of the workshop. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online courses open to everyone, hosted on online learning platforms such as Coursera, and FUN-MOOC. MOOCs promote access to education by offering free courses designed by recognized universities. They are also interesting for the initial training of students and for the continuing education of professionals since learners can access the courses according to a flexible schedule, at the pace that suits them, and in a secure manner. For example, if a concept is not well understood, alternative solutions are proposed, feedback on certain materials is possible, etc. Then they promote the creation of communities of learning and practice. And finally, they make it possible to publicize research work and develop international collaborations. At the University of Liège, we have decided to link a MOOC to the health psychology course, entitled “Acting for your health”. The university context and the format, a cohort of more than 500 students, is not optimal for doing applied exercises. The large group must be split into subgroups, and significant human resources must be available. Therefore, the very format of the MOOC (individual, online, secure for the student) makes it possible to reach a more significant number of students. The MOOC makes access to exercises fair: the examples of clinical vignettes are numerous and diversified; the student can come back to the situation, without judgment from others. The MOOC includes five modules that revolve around the notions necessary to set up a healthy behavior, such as practicing physical activity. Among these five modules, one is devoted entirely to virtual reality and how this tool can be a trigger for the establishment of health behavior. Currently, nearly 40,000 people have registered for this MOOC. The three main reasons that encourage people to participate in a MOOC are personal interest (interest in the subject, curiosity), professional (acquiring new skills), and educational (obtaining a certificate). This workshop aims to illustrate how and why we have positioned virtual reality within this MOOC centered on health behavior change. It allows us to introduce virtual reality, to students
Targeted audience. The workshop is intended for health professionals, novices, or experts in clinical health psychology, but also for teachers. It was designed in collaboration with clinical psychologists, researchers, computer scientists, and technopedagogues.
Approach. With the various educational devices offered in the MOOC, our approach is to coach students in clinical rationale. Practical exercises relating to reflective clinical work are offered based on clinical vignettes showing health behaviors and interventions of health professionals. The work is approached both from the angle of supervision to become familiar with the application of the posture of the practitioner and of clinical reasoning. For the virtual reality module, we have gone from simple notions (definition of VR; necessary equipment) to more complex notions (development of virtual environments dedicated to specific research questions) with the help of educational videos, interviews with experts, and exchanges between clinicians.
Learning objectives (list at least 4). The learning outcomes during this workshop will be (1) to consolidate your knowledge of what a MOOC is;(2) train in clinical reasoning using clinical cases treated by virtual reality; (3) to equip you to create your virtual environments in line with the needs of your patients and (4) to identify your obstacles and incentives to using virtual reality as a therapeutic tool. Finally, we will illustrate throughout the workshop the importance of working in multidisciplinarity and of regularly continuing your training because the field of possibilities is vast with this tool.
Workshop 3
Title : A Masterclass on how to use virtual reality for emotional regulation and exposure for the treatment of anxiety disorders
Authors : Stéphane Bouchard and Éric Malbos
Presenter : Stéphane Bouchard
Date and time : Note. This workshop is sponsored by C2Care. Registration in free (but mandatory) and space is limited to 125 people.July 11th, 2023; 09:00- 12:00
Abstract : The use of virtual reality (VR) for emotional regulation and the treatment of anxiety disorders has often been guided by creativity, clinical experience, hunches, or classical approaches to treatment mechanisms (e.g., habituation). This presentation will argue in favor of a strong focus on neuroscience, current theories of learning and emotions, and reliance on empirical studies. The workshop is organized in three sections. The presentation will begin with a brief review of the core features of effective psychotherapies for anxiety disorders (phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorders). The role of exposure and inhibitory learning will be described, along with nuances to distinguish between counterproductive therapeutic strategies that create more avoidance versus those that are effective. The limitations of standard exposure as used in traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the advantages of using VR exposure will be presented. The part of the workshop will expose treatment protocols illustrating how to use VR for each disorder. Clinical illustrations will be provided by the two workshop leaders. A few key studies will be described to highlight the pros and cons of using VR. The last 30 minutes of the workshop will be dedicated to underline the relative roles of presence and unwanted negative side effects induced by immersion in VR (cybersickness). The presenters will use dynamic examples to illustrate how to make the best use of VR in psychotherapy.
After this workshop, participants will be able to: 1) Outline the scientific results about exposure in VR for all anxiety disorders. 2) Identify the key ingredients relevant to use VR in the treatment of treat phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. 3) Know how to include VR in the traditional CBT treatment of anxiety disorders and to approach creatively the use of a variety of software. 4) Recognize and deal with cybersickness and take necessary clinical precautions. 5) Describe how to increase the sense of presence in order to make VR work more efficiently or to deal with low level of immersion. 6) Initiate a discussion about the emergence of new pr
oducts and start-ups claiming that VR can cure mental disorders.2
Note. This workshop is sponsored by C2Care. Registration in free (but mandatory) and space is limited to 125 people.
