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Social & Emotional Learning:

Optimizing Learning Environments with Life Skills

 

Instructor Name:

Dr. Karen Lea

Phone:

509-891-7219

Office Hours:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday – Friday

Email:

karen_lea@virtualeduc.com

Address:

Virtual Education Software

 

23403 E Mission Avenue, Suite 220F

 

Liberty Lake, WA 99019

Technical Support:

support@virtualeduc.com

 

Social & Emotional Learning: Optimizing Learning Environments with Life Skills. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is teaching life skills that are foundational to motivation in the classroom and classroom management. Students who have strong social and emotional skillsets will be more successful in the classroom and in life in general. In this course, students will first examine what social-emotional learning is, including the research foundational to SEL. Then students will examine the five SEL competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—and explore how each of these can be developed first in the classrooms and then in the schools to create optimal learning environments. While examining the five SEL competencies, students will also investigate how these skill sets can affect families and communities.

 

This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on your home or school computer.  Technical support information can be found in the Help section of your course.

 

Course Materials (Online)

Title:

Social & Emotional Learning: Optimizing Learning Environments with Life Skills

Publisher:

Virtual Education Software, inc. 2022, Revised 2026

Instructor:

Dr. Karen Lea

 

Academic Integrity Statement

The structure and format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals enrolled in a distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the following standards of academic conduct.

 

Academic Work

Academic work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they are one’s own work is unacceptable.

 

Students are required to view/read each screen in each exercise of each chapter. Screens, exercises and chapter content may not be skipped. Students are also required to access and read all content in each course handout. A participant who fails to complete the entire course in the manner intended and as outlined, may have their grade reduced or fail the course. It is the student's responsibility to contact the facilitator, instructor-of-record, or VESi registrar if there is any question as to the manner in which this course is to be completed.

 

Aiding Honesty in Others

The individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.

 

Violation of these academic standards will result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit for the course.

 

Level of Application

This course is designed as a course for teachers and administrators who desire to integrate social and emotional learning into the classroom and the school to optimize learning for all students.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

As a result of taking this course, participants will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

  1. Explain the core competencies of SEL.
  2. Analyze the context and value of SEL.
  3. Integrate teaching and use of self-awareness knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  4. Integrate teaching and use of self-management knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  5. Integrate teaching and use of social awareness knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  6. Integrate teaching and use of relationship skills knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  7. Integrate teaching and use of responsible decision-making knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  8. Communicate SEL competencies and strategies to parents and caretakers.

 

Course Description

Social-emotional learning (SEL) comprises life skills that are foundational to motivation in the classroom and classroom management. Students who have strong social and emotional skill sets will be more successful in the classroom and in life. In this course, students will first examine what SEL is, including the research foundational to SEL. Then students will examine the five SEL competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—and how each of these can be developed first in the classrooms and then in the schools to optimize learning environments. While examining the five SEL competencies, students will also investigate how these skill sets can affect families and communities.

Chapter 1: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)/Life Skills

The first chapter will focus on defining social-emotional learning in a broader sense and look at how SEL leads to optimal learning. We will focus on the objectives of being able to:

  1. Explain the core competencies of SEL.
  2. Analyze the context and value of SEL.

Chapter 2: Self-Awareness & Self-Management

In this chapter we will focus on self-awareness and self-management. We will look at methods and materials so you can integrate them and be successful in teaching these competencies to your students. Your objectives for this chapter are to be able to:

  1. Integrate teaching and use of self-awareness knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  2. Integrate teaching and use of self-management knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.

Chapter 3: Social Awareness & Relationship Skills

In this chapter we will focus on social awareness and relationship skills. We will look at methods and materials so you can integrate them and be successful in teaching your students these competencies. Your objectives for this chapter are to be able to:

  1. Integrate teaching and use of social awareness knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.
  2. Integrate teaching and use of relationship skills knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.

Chapter 4: Responsible Decision-Making

In this chapter we will focus on responsible decision-making. We will look at methods and materials so you can integrate and be successful in teaching your students these competencies. Your objectives for this chapter are to be able to:

  1. Integrate teaching and use of responsible decision-making knowledge and skills in and outside the classroom.

 

Student Expectations

As a student you will be expected to:

·         Students are required to view/read each screen in each exercise of each chapter.  Screens, exercises and chapter content may not be skipped. Students are also required to access and read all content in each course handout.

·         Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented. You must obtain an overall score of 70% or higher, with no individual exam score below 50%, and successfully complete ALL writing assignments to pass this course. *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

·         Complete a review of any section on which your examination score was below 50%.

·         Retake any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

·         Complete all course journal article and essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing assignment.

·         Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.

 

Examinations

At the end of each course section, you will be expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not the highest score. After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow further access. The average from your exam scores will be printed on your certificate. However, this is not your final grade since your required writing assignments have not been reviewed. Exceptionally written or poorly written required writing assignments, or violation of the academic integrity policy in the course syllabus, will affect your grade. As this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may review course information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.

 

Writing Assignments

All assignments are reviewed and may impact your final grade. Exceptionally or poorly written assignments, or violation of the Academic Integrity Policy (see course syllabus for policy), will affect your grade. Fifty percent of your grade is determined by your writing assignments, and your overall exam score determines the other fifty percent. Refer to the Essay Grading Guidelines, which were sent as an attachment with your original course link. You should also refer to the Course Syllabus Addendum, which was sent as an attachment with your original course link, to determine if you have any writing assignments in addition to the Critical Thinking Questions (CTQ) and Journal Article Summations (JAS). If you do, the Essay Grading Guidelines will also apply.

 

Your writing assignments must meet the minimum word count and are not to include the question or your final citations as part of your word count. In other words, the question and citations are not to be used as a means to meet the minimum word count.

 

Critical Thinking Questions

There are four CTQs that you are required to complete. You will need to write a minimum of 500 words (maximum 1,000) per essay. You should explain how the information that you gained from the course will be applied and clearly convey a strong understanding of the course content as it relates to each CTQ. To view the questions, click on REQUIRED ESSAY and choose the CTQ that you are ready to complete; this will bring up a screen where you may enter your essay. Prior to course submission, you may go back at any point to edit your essay, but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits.

 

You must click SAVE before you write another essay or move on to another part of the course.

 

Journal Article Summations

You are required to write, in your own words, a summary on a total of three peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles (one article per JAS), written by an author with a Ph.D., Ed.D., or similar, on the topic outlined within each JAS section in the “Required Essays” portion of the course (blogs, abstracts, news articles, or similar are not acceptable). Your article choice must relate specifically to the discussion topic listed in each individual JAS. You will choose a total of three relevant articles (one article per JAS) and write a thorough summary of the information presented in each article (you must write a minimum of 200 words with a 400 word maximum per JAS). Be sure to provide the URL or the journal name, volume, date, and any other critical information to allow the facilitator to access and review each article.

 

To write your summary, click on REQUIRED ESSAYS and choose the JAS that you would like to complete. A writing program will automatically launch where you can write your summary. When you are ready to stop, click SAVE. Prior to course submission you may go back at any point to edit your summaries but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits. For more information on the features of this assignment, please consult the HELP menu.

 

You must click SAVE before you write another summary or move on to another part of the course.

 

Instructor Description

Karen Lea holds a Ph.D. in education, has TEFL certification, and has been Project Management Professional certified. Dr. Lea has 15 years’ experience teaching at the K–12 level and another 17 years’ experience teaching education and leadership courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She has decades of experience with developing online course content and assessment and with teaching online. Dr. Lea has been professionally published over 15 times and has served on more than a dozen panels and boards, including serving on the NCATE (CAEP) Board of Examiners.

 

Contacting the Instructor

You may contact the instructor by emailing karen_lea@virtualeduc.com or by calling 509-891-7219 Monday through Friday. Calls made during office hours will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to 10 minutes per student, per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other issues that involve the operation of the course.

 

Technical Questions

If you have questions or problems related to the operation of this course, please try everything twice. If the problem persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section of your course.

 

If you need personal assistance then email support@virtualeduc.com or call 509-891-7219. When contacting technical support, please know your course version number (it is located at the bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.

Minimum Computer Requirements

Please refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility of your operating system.

 

Refer to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be Submitted, and how to submit your completed information. The addendum will also note any additional course assignments that you may be required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.

 

Bibliography (Suggested Reading)

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Elbertson, N. A., Jennings, P. A., & Brackett, M. A. (2025). The role of educators in school-based social and emotional learning. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy, 6, Article 100134. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233925000580

Estroff, S. D. (n.d.). The age-by-age guide to teaching kids time management. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/parent-child/teach-kids-to-manage-time.html

Eurich, T. (2018). What self-awareness really is (and how to cultivate it). Harvard Business Review. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it

Fly Five. (2022). How to talk to parents about SEL. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.flyfive.org/how-to-talk-to-parents-about-sel/

Friday Institute. (n.d.). Responsible decision-making. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/responsible-decision-making

Friedman, K., & Garcia, E. (n.d.). Want to build an equitable classroom? Start with social-emotional learning (SEL). Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://studentbehaviorblog.org/want-to-build-an-equitable-classroom-start-with-social-emotional-learning-sel/

Fuxman, S. (2024, August 8). A multi-tiered approach to promoting SEL. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/mtss-approach-sel/

Garey, J. (2025). Mindfulness in the classroom. https://childmind.org/article/mindfulness-in-the-classroom/

Getting Smart. (2020). Data-driven SEL: How it can help meet your students’ needs. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/05/data-driven-sel-how-it-can-help-meet-your-students-needs/

Godwin, A. (2008). How to solve your people problems. Harvest House.

Greater Good in Education. (n.d.a). SEL for students: Ethical decision-making and social responsibility. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://ggie.berkeley.edu/student-well-being/sel-for-students-ethical-decision-making-and-social-responsibility/

Greater Good in Education. (n.d.b). SEL for students: Social awareness and relationship skills. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://ggie.berkeley.edu/student-well-being/sel-for-students-social-awareness-and-relationship-skills/

Henley-Dafoe, R. (2024). Harnessing the power of social awareness. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/everyday-resilience/202404/harnessing-the-power-of-social-awareness

Hanley-Dafoe, R. (2025). Building self-awareness: Why it's more than looking inward. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/everyday-resilience/202506/building-self-awareness-why-its-more-than-looking-inward

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Pitman, M. (2025, March 21). Modeling emotional regulation to support students’ growth. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/guiding-students-regulate-emotions-modeling/

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Positive Action. (2023b). Teaching self-awareness to students: 5 effective activities. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/teaching-self-awareness-to-students

Positive Action. (2023c). Teaching self-management skills: 5 strategies to create an effective plan. Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/teaching-self-management-skills

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