This online Mediation and Dispute Resolution program is offered in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Dispute Resolution™. Mediation is a formal process of negotiation which uses a third-party neutral who has limited or no authoritative decision-making power to facilitate communication among the people who are involved in the conflict or dispute. The mediator establishes the ground rules for the process, recognizes the needs and wants of each party and plays a pivotal role by assisting the people involved to focus on the real issues of the dispute. Through the use of specific skills, the mediator is able to settle disagreements among conflicted parties, even in cases where deep rooted tensions have not responded to initial attempts at negotiation. An outcome is reached that is mutually accepted and owned by the parties as a result of the mediation process.
With the evolution of this new career, states and courts are increasingly demanding that mediators be trained. This online training program will give you the educational background you need to break into this fast-growing field. Students will be required to take a Core Mediation course and will select two specialty courses from the following: Divorce and Child Custody Mediation, Workplace Mediation, Healthcare Mediation, Construction Mediation, Advanced Mediation Practice, and Arbitration.
The Mediation and Dispute Resolution program consists of the three courses. Each student will be required to take the Core Mediation course and then select two courses from the list of five electives. Each course is described briefly below:
CORE Mediation (Required)
The Core Mediation course provides the core skill sets necessary to begin a new career as a mediator and help disputants take charge of their own destiny. The course presents an overview of the mediation process, including the application of negotiation techniques, the critical issue of timing, the usage of caucuses, as well as other tools to deal with impasses in the process. Students will also become adept at communication by learning essential people skills, such as reflective listening and the handling of critical moments in mediation.
Students will select 2 courses from the following:
Divorce and Child Custody Mediation
Divorce and child custody mediation is perhaps the fastest growing field within the mediation profession. More separating couples are being directed to mediation than ever before, which is why the demand for mediators specifically trained in this area is strong. Students will get an overview of the field of family dispute resolution followed by an exploration of family systems theory and development. The course will present legal and financial concerns of divorce, including how to work with attorneys and how to help couples with asset division. Special issues such as domestic violence, mental health concerns, and child abuse are also covered. The course will also discuss the issues concerning children, including how divorce affects kids, how to negotiate parenting plans, and how to actually work with children and teens in mediation. Mediation skills specific to divorce mediation and an overview of non-divorce cases such as lesbian and gay relationship dissolutions, pre-nuptials, teen parent issues, and grandparents in mediation, conclude this course.
Workplace Mediation
The high costs of workplace conflict are driving companies and regulatory agencies such as the EEOC to use mediation and other conflict resolution practices in the workplace, making workplace mediation an emerging specialty within the field. This course begins with an overview of workplace conflict and the costs involved for companies, tips on how to handle difficult workplace behavior and a summary of informal and formal arbitration practices in the workplace. The actual process of planning workplace mediation and moving through the mediation from start to finish is covered. Students are then asked to participate in telephone role-play mediation with two other students to try their hand at mediation. The more common workplace mediation issues of civil rights, sexual harassment, and disability disputes will be presented, as well as special issues such as power and emotions along with cross-cultural and multi-party cases. The program concludes with a presentation of the emerging concepts of appreciative inquiry and its application to workplace disputes.
Health and Eldercare Mediation
Due to advances in medicine, heightened attention to diet, and desire to maintain an active lifestyle, people are now living longer than ever. Consequently, more people are availing themselves of medical services, and that care may provide a source of conflict, which is why healthcare mediation is increasingly necessary in lieu of litigation. This course begins with an overview of the growth of dispute resolution in the healthcare field, and students will identify the most common healthcare disputes, the steps of the facilitative mediation process and how it applies to healthcare settings, and essential communication skills for conflict resolution. Special issues such as elder mediation, end of life issues, medical errors and the use of apology, and cultural issues in healthcare conflict will be covered as well. The course discusses interdisciplinary collaboration with physicians, nurses, administrators, attorneys and others involved in healthcare disputes. The course concludes with common ethical dilemmas and standards of practice.
Construction and Real Estate Mediation
Construction and Real Estate dispute resolution are emerging specialties within the field of mediation. The high costs of litigation in both real estate and construction are driving companies and consumers to use alternatives such as mediation and other conflict resolution practices to resolve disputes. This course begins with an overview of common construction disputes and the costs involved for companies and consumers. An overview of common real estate disputes and outcomes is also discussed. The course covers the emerging concept of DART (Dispute Resolution Avoidance and Resolution Techniques) which are being used across the continent to manage conflict and resolve disputes. The process of construction mediation is discusses in stages including prevention and the model of partnering, negotiation, use of neutrals, non-binding and binding dispute resolution and litigation alternatives. Students will learn to develop conflict management plans and apply these techniques to case studies. Students are asked to participate in telephone role-play mediation with two other students to try their hand at mediation.
Arbitration
Arbitration is a more skilled application of dispute resolution wherein a third party renders an award to disputing parties. This class covers the history of arbitration and the most common applications, the discovery process, and pre-arbitration planning including interviews and documentation. Students will learn about the actual hearing process, how to conduct fair and impartial presentations of evidence, and how to work with attorneys present in the process. The course concludes with lectures on analysis of evidence, rendering of the award, and the actual writing of an arbitration agreement. Case studies will be used extensively to illustrate concepts central to arbitration.
Advanced Mediation Practice
Mediators must not only understand the substantive processes of their work, but the theories that inform their interventions and approaches to each unique case. This course covers reflective practice as a means to develop from student to artistry. This includes the process of creating formulas based on theoretical perspectives and a thorough conflict analysis of each case. The practice of mediation is ultimately focused on the interactions between the disputants and between the disputants and the mediator. The course covers more advanced skill sets of reflective listening and assertion communication as well as key elements and interventions of the interactive processes in mediation. Students learn more advanced skill sets to deal with difficult clients. The course concludes with case study applications of the knowledge learned in the course
Mediation and Dispute Resolution
GES 407 -- 180 hours
Course Overview/Description
This online Mediation and Dispute Resolution program is offered in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Dispute Resolution™. Mediation is a formal process of negotiation which uses a third-party neutral who has limited or no authoritative decision-making power to facilitate communication among the people who are involved in the conflict or dispute. The mediator establishes the ground rules for the process, recognizes the needs and wants of each party and plays a pivotal role by assisting the people involved to focus on the real issues of the dispute. Through the use of specific skills, the mediator is able to settle disagreements among conflicted parties, even in cases where deep rooted tensions have not responded to initial attempts at negotiation. An outcome is reached that is mutually accepted and owned by the parties as a result of the mediation process.
With the evolution of this new career, states and courts are increasingly demanding that mediators be trained. This online training program will give you the educational background you need to break into this fast-growing field. Students will be required to take a Core Mediation course and will select two specialty courses from the following: Divorce and Child Custody Mediation, Workplace Mediation, Healthcare Mediation, Construction Mediation, Advanced Mediation Practice, and Arbitration.
The Mediation and Dispute Resolution program consists of the three courses. Each student will be required to take the Core Mediation course and then select two courses from the list of five electives. Each course is described briefly below:
CORE Mediation (Required)
The Core Mediation course provides the core skill sets necessary to begin a new career as a mediator and help disputants take charge of their own destiny. The course presents an overview of the mediation process, including the application of negotiation techniques, the critical issue of timing, the usage of caucuses, as well as other tools to deal with impasses in the process. Students will also become adept at communication by learning essential people skills, such as reflective listening and the handling of critical moments in mediation.
Students will select 2 courses from the following:
Divorce and Child Custody Mediation
Divorce and child custody mediation is perhaps the fastest growing field within the mediation profession. More separating couples are being directed to mediation than ever before, which is why the demand for mediators specifically trained in this area is strong. Students will get an overview of the field of family dispute resolution followed by an exploration of family systems theory and development. The course will present legal and financial concerns of divorce, including how to work with attorneys and how to help couples with asset division. Special issues such as domestic violence, mental health concerns, and child abuse are also covered. The course will also discuss the issues concerning children, including how divorce affects kids, how to negotiate parenting plans, and how to actually work with children and teens in mediation. Mediation skills specific to divorce mediation and an overview of non-divorce cases such as lesbian and gay relationship dissolutions, pre-nuptials, teen parent issues, and grandparents in mediation, conclude this course.
Workplace Mediation
The high costs of workplace conflict are driving companies and regulatory agencies such as the EEOC to use mediation and other conflict resolution practices in the workplace, making workplace mediation an emerging specialty within the field. This course begins with an overview of workplace conflict and the costs involved for companies, tips on how to handle difficult workplace behavior and a summary of informal and formal arbitration practices in the workplace. The actual process of planning workplace mediation and moving through the mediation from start to finish is covered. Students are then asked to participate in telephone role-play mediation with two other students to try their hand at mediation. The more common workplace mediation issues of civil rights, sexual harassment, and disability disputes will be presented, as well as special issues such as power and emotions along with cross-cultural and multi-party cases. The program concludes with a presentation of the emerging concepts of appreciative inquiry and its application to workplace disputes.
Health and Eldercare Mediation
Due to advances in medicine, heightened attention to diet, and desire to maintain an active lifestyle, people are now living longer than ever. Consequently, more people are availing themselves of medical services, and that care may provide a source of conflict, which is why healthcare mediation is increasingly necessary in lieu of litigation. This course begins with an overview of the growth of dispute resolution in the healthcare field, and students will identify the most common healthcare disputes, the steps of the facilitative mediation process and how it applies to healthcare settings, and essential communication skills for conflict resolution. Special issues such as elder mediation, end of life issues, medical errors and the use of apology, and cultural issues in healthcare conflict will be covered as well. The course discusses interdisciplinary collaboration with physicians, nurses, administrators, attorneys and others involved in healthcare disputes. The course concludes with common ethical dilemmas and standards of practice.
Construction and Real Estate Mediation
Construction and Real Estate dispute resolution are emerging specialties within the field of mediation. The high costs of litigation in both real estate and construction are driving companies and consumers to use alternatives such as mediation and other conflict resolution practices to resolve disputes. This course begins with an overview of common construction disputes and the costs involved for companies and consumers. An overview of common real estate disputes and outcomes is also discussed. The course covers the emerging concept of DART (Dispute Resolution Avoidance and Resolution Techniques) which are being used across the continent to manage conflict and resolve disputes. The process of construction mediation is discusses in stages including prevention and the model of partnering, negotiation, use of neutrals, non-binding and binding dispute resolution and litigation alternatives. Students will learn to develop conflict management plans and apply these techniques to case studies. Students are asked to participate in telephone role-play mediation with two other students to try their hand at mediation.
Arbitration
Arbitration is a more skilled application of dispute resolution wherein a third party renders an award to disputing parties. This class covers the history of arbitration and the most common applications, the discovery process, and pre-arbitration planning including interviews and documentation. Students will learn about the actual hearing process, how to conduct fair and impartial presentations of evidence, and how to work with attorneys present in the process. The course concludes with lectures on analysis of evidence, rendering of the award, and the actual writing of an arbitration agreement. Case studies will be used extensively to illustrate concepts central to arbitration.
Advanced Mediation Practice
Mediators must not only understand the substantive processes of their work, but the theories that inform their interventions and approaches to each unique case. This course covers reflective practice as a means to develop from student to artistry. This includes the process of creating formulas based on theoretical perspectives and a thorough conflict analysis of each case. The practice of mediation is ultimately focused on the interactions between the disputants and between the disputants and the mediator. The course covers more advanced skill sets of reflective listening and assertion communication as well as key elements and interventions of the interactive processes in mediation. Students learn more advanced skill sets to deal with difficult clients. The course concludes with case study applications of the knowledge learned in the course
