The term "online dispute resolution" (ODR) is the product of an observation made in the mid-1990's about the nature of "new" disputes being created through the use of ICT -Information and Communication Technology. The observation was direct and powerful - by using ICT, particularly in the e-commerce realm, we were creating a cyber-environment (the Internet) and cyber-transactions that were different from the transactions we were used to in the "real" world, and we were creating conflict that is different in nature than the conflict we create in the physical world. Over the years there has grown a divide between the technology used to assist dispute resolution in an ecommerce context, and the integration of technology into what Daniel Rainey calls “retail” ADR practice. In this class we will talk about e-commerce, but we will spend most of our time talking about and experimenting with the integration of technology into more traditional practices. There certainly are still disputes created and resolved online - true ODR in the mid-1990's sense - but ICT has progressed so far and has become integral to human communication in so many ways, it is now possible to argue that the application of technology to dispute resolution is simply the direction in which ADR, as a field, has evolved in the early 21st Century.

Even if one takes the position that all ADR is now influenced by the use of technology, there are many questions about how and when to apply ODR technology to disputes. Do the rules of offline ADR apply to the use of ODR technology? How does technology change the "at the table" equation? Can dispute resolution efforts be effective when parties are not faceto-face? How can offline neutrals best translate their skills to the online environment? What role, if any, can ODR technology play in peacebuilding or transformative mediation? All of these questions will be a part of the dialogue of this course.

Course content will consist of online and offline material. Readings, links, and Power Point lectures with audio will be posted online, and there will be two discussions, based on fundamental questions related to ODR. Weekly during the course, class members meet with the instructor synchronously in online phone or web video conferences.

The cost of this course is only $150. Please contact NVMS at 703-865-7272 to sign up today!  Space is limited.