Teaching Negotiation Online - Part 2 : Getting Started

This article is the second segment of a two-part series discussing teaching negotiation online. As higher education increasingly incorporates technology in the classroom and embraced online learning, the question arises of how the topic of negotiation can be taught via technology, and what must an instructor consider along the path from the traditional to the online classroom. In the previous article, Teaching Negotiation Online - Part 1: Challenges and Opportunities (SIGNAL 28(3), 20; http://ssrn.com/abstract=2409075), we discussed the challenges associated with teaching negotiation online (e.g., faculty ambivalence and translating the experiential learning model to a virtual format) as well as the opportunities (e.g., greater attention to multi-media uses in the classroom and facilitating cross-cultural collaboration). In the current article, we focus less on the context surrounding teaching negotiation online and more on the actual practice of teaching negotiation online. We hope to demystify the process for those contemplating using this course delivery format, as well as to offer new insights for instructors who are already using online learning technology to house all or part of their negotiation classroom. The article highlights a number of critical preliminary considerations, and then offers specific suggestions for getting started and fostering engagement in an online learning environment. While the focus of the article is on negotiation education, the considerations and guidance apply to other conflict and management topics as well. This article series follows up on a symposium and a workshop combination that the authors presented at the International Association for Conflict Management's 2013 conference in Tacoma, Washington