When setting out to do distance supervision, one of the first hurdles, and probably the most daunting to most supervisees and anyone not already doing distance consultation, is how to do the required “observation” of your supervisee. It is often the most time-consuming and frustrating requirement for supervisees. If you are doing BCaBA supervision, there is also the clear requirement as well to meet in a way that provides “two-way interactions involving real time visual and auditory contact”; although this isn’t clearly required for supervision towards certification, I would highly recommend it, and I’ll discuss options for this in the next post.

With respect to observation of supervisees, you have several options:

1. Have supervisees record video and send it to you to watch and provide feedback on prior to or during your meeting.
2. Have supervisees record video and watch it together during your meeting.
3. Observe the supervisee live through a webcam.

My opinion on which of these options is the “best” is heavily based on having been doing this type of supervision since it involved couriering VHS tapes and talking on the phone, so keep that in mind! I think which of these works best is going to depend on both the supervision arrangement you have and your own personal preferences. I’ll give you my thoughts on each here.

In all cases, I would require that supervisees self-evaluate their video/session prior to you giving feedback. Here’s an example of one of the self-evaluation forms that I use. Note that this requirement does mean your supervisees are going to spend a fair bit of time not only taking video, but also reviewing and evaluating it, and then uploading it.

Watching video separate from a supervision meeting is my own preference in almost all cases. This allows me as a supervisor to focus and take notes as I am watching, go back and take some data in the moment if I want to, and spend more time thinking about what the issues are before supervision, as I consider the supervisee’s self-evaluation and my own observations. I feel more focused and with a clear agenda prior to meeting my supervisee. The logistics of doing this are pretty simple–your supervisee just sends you the video electronically (more on options for this in a later post), you watch it and provide written feedback/notes, and then you meet to discuss the video, other cases, etc.

Watching video during supervision is an option I would consider for a couple specific needs. To me, this method would have benefits in group supervision in particular, as it would allow for case-sharing and peer feedback in an efficient way. I also sometimes use this option in combination with watching video ahead of time, to show specific segments that I want to point out particular points about, such as identifying when to reinforce a specific approximation when shaping. The logistics of watching video during a meeting require a meeting option that allows you to share your desktop.

“Live” supervision through webcam is an option that I have never personally done. I would see it as primarily being of benefit if you have a supervision situation in which you want to directly coach someone while they are engaged in their job, such as during a teaching session. It also has the obvious benefit of not taking the same amount of preparation time as recording and self-evaluating video does—which I would also see as a drawback in that supervisees will not get the same powerful teaching experience of watching themselves at work and self-evaluating that. Logistically, I would think you would need a fairly high quality webcam, and preferably a Bluetooth headset so that your supervisee could hear your coaching comments without them being blasted out of the computer speakers. At least, that’s how I would do it—if anyone reading this has done this or has further thoughts, please comment!

Finally, a note about preparing and submitting video. After struggling with the issue of file types, sizes of files for upload, editing video, etc. for many years and with a wide range of technical prowess of my supervisees, I have become a definite promoter of the Flip video camera. It’s quick, unbelievably easy to use (my 5 year old loves it!), and can be used with a small tripod to be attached virtually anywhere. It also comes with built-in software and a online video sharing site as an option for uploading. Note that whether your supervisees use the Flip or another camera, you’ll want them to convert the file to a small/lower resolution file size or it will take them many frustrating hours (I’ve had issues with it taking overnight even) to upload clips.

Well, I hope these ideas have been helpful to someone! Next time I’ll post about options for conducting meetings, and in a post to follow, I’ll review some options for record-keeping and file organization.