At-Risk brings learners into a virtual practice environment, where they assume the role of a university faculty member who is concerned about five of his students. The goal of the course is to identify the three students who are at-risk and refer them to the counseling center. During the course, they are exposed to three stages of the gatekeeper training experience:
- The potential indicators of mental distress
- Best practices for broaching the topic of mental illness with a student
- Best practices for referring students exhibiting such symptoms to counseling
Click here to download a detailed product overview (PDF).
1. Identification
Learners view information about changes in the academic performance, behavior in class, and appearance of each student to decide whether to engage them in a simulated conversation.
2. Simulated Conversation
Learners control the simulated conversations by choosing what statements to make and what questions to ask. The virtual students respond with their unique emotions and memory to the specific tactics the learner employs. During the conversation, learners receive feedback from a virtual coach on their conduct.
The symptoms exhibited by the virtual students correlate to the most common and severe mental illnesses among young adults, including paranoia, schizophrenia, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, thoughts of suicide, and panic disorder.
3. Analysis & Feedback
After each conversation, learners are debriefed on the student, which includes a review of the symptoms in class and in the conversation, analysis of the conversation, and advice on how to refer other students with similar symptoms.
4. Completion
Once users identify and refer the three at-risk students, they are asked to complete a 2-minute online survey. Learners are then provided with a printable summary of gatekeeper best practices, information about their campus counseling center, and a printable certificate of completion.
