Youth Work Matters: Online Professional Development for Youth Workers

As the field of youth development becomes more recognized as a profession, it is imperative that youth workers are trained in foundational youth development research and practice. However, accessibility and cost can limit participation in face-to-face workshops and conferences. Online, cohort-based courses are a viable method to offer professional development for youth workers. This program article provides an overview of the online course, Youth Work Matters, which has provided training to youth workers for over 10 years. The authors demonstrate that professional development for youth workers in an online setting will increase access to learning opportunities. This article also describes key components for an online, non-credit course for participants to gain knowledge, apply new concepts and participate in learning communities.


Introduction
Youth Workers are individuals who work with or on behalf of youth to facilitate their personal, social, and educational development (Pittman, 2004). The field of Youth Development is becoming more recognized as a profession, which gives the field the dilemma of how to effectively train and support all youth workers, regardless of location (Brion-Meisels, Savitz-Romer & Vasudevan, 2016). Therefore, youth workers need access to professional development Journal of Youth Development | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ | Vol. 15 Issue 1 DOI 10.5195/jyd.2020.820 Youth Work Matters: Online Professional Development 71 grounded in theory and empirical research to ensure they effectively promote the positive development of youth in programs (Vance, 2012).
Youth workers participating in professional development are a foundational element of highquality youth organizations (Borden, Craig, & Villarruel, 2004). When youth workers gain knowledge and skills rooted in youth development practice, they are better able to offer highquality programming (Mahoney & Warner, 2014). However, when youth workers have limited exposure to theory and research, implementing evidence-based practices is difficult (Garst, Weston, Bowers, & Quinn, 2019).
When developing educational opportunities for youth workers, the course must be grounded in theory, practice, and formal opportunities to reflect on their experience (Denissen Cunnien, 2017). Positive youth development theory is foundational across the field of youth work and provides a set of competencies that guide effective practice (Brion-Meisels et al., 2016).
Foundational topics youth workers should learn, practice and have skills in include the following:  young people in their socio-environmental context;  the field of youth work philosophy, current best practices and evaluation;  intentional program design; and  how to apply positive youth development practice (Baizerman & VeLure Roholt, 2016).

Online Professional Development
Opportunities for youth workers to increase their knowledge and skills are often delivered in person at workshops and conferences. However, the use of technology in education is influencing new learning preferences for all professionals due to the expanded growth of the internet and increase in accessibility (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). Online professional development provides an ideal platform for limiting barriers to participation, developing knowledge and skills, and fostering a learning community (Baizerman & VeLure Roholt, 2016).
Conferences and workshops often disrupt personal and work commitments when travel is involved. Although learning in an online environment may be unfamiliar for some, the benefits of minimizing disruptions to schedules, incurring no travel costs, and gaining a virtual community to share best practices are quickly realized (Borden et al., 2004). Online courses provide the ability to learn at any time and place and with limited financial costs (Briegel, 2017). Teaching practices grounded in adult learning theory provide opportunities for self-direction and integration of personal experience, while incorporating discussion and sharing with others (Knowles, 1980). As adults seek professional training online, the development and teaching methods of adult learning theory must be adapted to meet the online environment. This includes the learners' motivation to complete the course (Vu, Cao, Vu, & Cepero, 2014), giving learners control of their interactions with technology tools, and prompting reflection of their learning with the other participants (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones, 2010). A cohortbased model provides opportunities for the participants to learn content while sharing their expertise and applying concepts with other participants (Garst et al., 2019).
This program article provides an overview of the online course, Youth Work Matters, which has provided training to youth workers for over 10 years. In 2009, for-credit courses in formal education were common; however, a non-credit online professional development course was unique and innovative, and scholarship in this area continues to be limited (Vu et al., 2014).
This article demonstrates that professional development for youth workers in an online setting will increase learners' access to learning opportunities so they can gain knowledge, apply new concepts, and participate in online learning communities.

Course Description
The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development provides research-based education, training, and professional development for youth workers. The Youth Work Matters curriculum has a long history of providing foundational research and theory on positive youth development practice. 1 The content focuses on three key areas of working with youth from preteen through the teenage years: (a) the field of youth development, (b) the young people, and (c) the youth worker role. Using the experiential learning model, the participants have opportunities to learn, think critically about their work, and apply concepts to youth programs (Kolb, 1984).

Components of Online Course
The online Youth Work Matters course uses engagement strategies that promote adult learning and meet the goal of increasing youth workers' knowledge in positive youth development theory and practices. Participant evaluations and current research have informed changes and adaptations through regular course review and edits. The course components that drive learner success include the following:  Facilitators as guides. Course facilitators are introduced as "guides," not teachers.
This communicates to the adult learners that their wealth of knowledge and experience will add value to the course (Knowles, 1980). Participants are encouraged to share their experiences with others and apply new information directly to their work. Course facilitators also provide support to learners who are new to an online learning experience to eliminate technology-related barriers to participation.
 Preparing the adult learner. Non-credit adult learners need to commit to the time needed to fully participate and gain knowledge in this learning platform (Vu et al., 2014) Participants are advised to designate specific time in their schedule to devote to course work, just as they would if leaving the office for a face-to-face conference or workshop.
The importance of this time commitment is communicated through promotional materials, the email confirming a learner's registration, and introductory notes at the start of the course. A sample calendar that demonstrates specific time blocked off on various days of the week is provided. The facilitators also guide a discussion during the first webinar to discuss the importance of setting aside time for coursework.
 Interactive and collaborative learning tools. Technology tools are utilized to engage the participants in convenient, active learning with the online global learning community (Baizerman & VeLure Roholt, 2016). During the first week, participants introduce themselves and set their own goals for learning in the course discussion board. After reading the posts of others, participants are encouraged to interact with comments and questions, which develops a sense of community. Then, as new content is introduced, opportunities for interaction continue in live, interactive, web-based presentations and additional content-based discussion boards.
 Application to work. Participants will be more likely to apply the foundational theories to their practice if given the opportunity to intentionally apply what they learn (Garst et al., 2019). Opportunities for participants to apply positive youth development practices are woven throughout the course. This includes reflection questions in pre-recorded presentations, sharing ideas and receiving feedback in discussion boards, and access to additional online tools and handouts that support programs.

Impact of Online Course
Facilitators utilize two evaluations for the course: an evaluation following each module and an overall evaluation at the completion of the course. Module evaluations assess the participant satisfaction with the design and the amount of time they spent learning activities. Participants complete the overall course evaluation as they reach the end of course material. Those evaluations provide evidence that support online professional development for youth workers and are used to demonstrate impact in this article.
The data in Figure 1 demonstrate course impact in the areas of participants' increased knowledge, application to their work, and feeling a part of a learning community. Between 2010 and 2019 there were 291 youth workers who completed this course and there has been a 52.6% (n = 153) return rate in the overall course evaluation.

Discussion
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that adult youth workers can learn positive youth development principles, reflect on their work, and apply concepts to their youth programs through online, professional development, non-credit courses. Youth Work Matters online course has been successful in engaging participants and increasing their knowledge for over 10 years.
The unique aspect of the online Youth Work Matters course is that it is a non-credit professional development opportunity for all youth workers. The authors suggest additional online courses for youth workers could replicate this format. Content covered in a module of Youth Work Matters that would provide deeper learning in a topic-focused course include quality programs, program design, and youth-adult partnerships.
While the evaluation data on this course demonstrates that learning online is beneficial for youth workers, the authors suggest two challenges to consider for replication. The second consideration is facilitating comfort in an online educational setting. Some adult learners find the online course challenging and report a preference for face-to-face training in the final course evaluation. However, as trends move towards technology-focused education, online professional development is a platform youth workers need to feel comfortable with to stay current with trends and research while networking with others who work with youth (Baizerman & VeLure Roholt, 2016). In order to move youth workers towards higher comfort in online professional development, facilitators must offer technology support, provide space for synchronous interaction among participants, and give clear course directions.

Conclusion
Online, cohort-based courses are a viable method to offer professional development. Youth workers appreciate the convenience as well as the interactions with other professionals from a variety of organizations and locations. While Youth Work Matters focuses on positive youth development theory, other content may be offered online to expand professional development opportunities for youth workers.