On Feb. 10, the Florida State University Institute for Family Violence Studies, the College of Social Work, the College of Communication and Information and the Office of Distance Learning teamed up to open a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on domestic violence, named Understanding Domestic Violence as a Social Service Professional.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the United States. The National Network to End Domestic Violence, a not-for-profit comprised of state domestic violence alliances, claims that there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide in a single day.

Combatting these statistics and common misconceptions, the online program serves to educate the community about the signs and effects of domestic abuse and to help better equip social service workers for handling abuse situations.

“I think it’s going to be a really useful professional tool for responders to domestic violence” says Dr. Susann Rudasill, director of the Office of Distance Learning.

Karen Oehme, director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies at FSU, said their aim was to “make high quality, easily accessible, free training that would be available to everybody.”

The program can be completed for continuing education credits by clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors.

While created as an educational course for Florida social service professionals, it is also free and open to the public, so everyone is able and encouraged to take advantage of the resources.

Oehme is “hoping that people find it as a valuable resource… its so important for everyone to have this information about domestic violence.” Rudasill agrees about the importance of an understanding of domestic violence, “no matter what line of work you’re in.”

The course, available through OpenEducation by Blackboard, takes about three to four hours to complete and involves eight “modules” that cover material such as Florida abuse laws, common myths, victim blaming and resources for helping victims. In addition to readings, users will also experience more engaging instructional tools like videos and reflection questions.

Oehme is grateful for the “incredible resources” at FSU, and said, “I’m really proud that we’ve used some of the resources to combat a public health crisis.”

If you, or someone you know is experiencing abuse of any kind, contact FSU professionals at the Victim Advocate Program or the University Counseling Center. 

Original article: http://www.fsunews.com/story/news/2016/02/23/fsu-offers-online-course-domestic-violence/80828500/