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Online Undergraduate Education in Rural South Carolina

This article discusses the challenges and solutions for providing online education to rural communities in South Carolina.

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Online Undergraduate Education in Rural South Carolina

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  1. Online Undergraduate Education in Rural South Carolina Margaret S. Martin Frances W. Lee November 16, 2003

  2. MUSC/CHP • Medical University of South Carolina • One of three major research institutions in the state • Six academic colleges and an academic teaching hospital • College of Health Professions • Only senior-level allied health academic institution

  3. SC demographics • Population fairly evenly distributed between urban & rural communities • High rate of population growth • Ethnically & racially diverse (67% white; 30% black; 2.4% Hispanic/Latino) Source: US Bureau of the Census, 2000

  4. SC demographics • Educational levels (some college, no degree – 19.3%; associate – 6.7%; bachelor’s – 13.5%; graduate – 6.9%) • Access to higher education • Limited to major metropolitan and suburban regions • Disjointed infrastructure for Internet service access Source: US Bureau of the Census, 2000

  5. Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHS) • Bachelor’s degree designed to prepare: • Allied health professionals for leadership positions and career mobility • Health professionals to influence the challenging health care environment

  6. Bachelor of Health SciencesCurriculum Format All courses are Internet-based and require • Participation in scheduled chat sessions • Five to eight hours per week/per course engaged in reading, studying, communicating and completing assignments and assessments Majority of Internet courses require • Introductory weekend session in Charleston • Provides chance to interact with fellow students and faculty and establish course expectations

  7. Typical WebCT course

  8. MUSC grant team • Elizabeth B. Ricciardone • Principal Investigator • Kathy J. Gatten • Fran W. Lee • Margaret S. Martin • Mary P. Mauldin • Lilless M. Shilling • Felicia Wright

  9. Background • In 2002 the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) received a three-year grant from The Duke Endowment (TDE) to develop and deliver online academic and continuing education courses to health professionals in rural communities of South Carolina.

  10. Project goal • The ALLIANCEnet project will build a community of online learners who participate in academic and continuing education.

  11. Project objectives1 of 5 • Design and expand a collaborative network model linking the Medical University of South Carolina with four partner hospitals located in rural South Carolina;

  12. Project objectives2 of 5 • Convert traditional Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHS) academic courses to web-based courses;

  13. Project objectives3 of 5 • Design and develop a web-based advising system for the BHS program;

  14. Project objectives4 of 5 • Design and develop, in cooperation with the South Carolina HospitalAssociation (SCHA) and the Upstate Area Health Education Center (AHEC), 24 web-based continuing education modules for employees in four rural hospitals; and

  15. Project objectives5 of 5 • Provide continuous (24/7) technical support for ALLIANCEnet participants.

  16. Co-sponsors • Medical University of South Carolina • The Duke Endowment • South Carolina Hospital Association • Upstate Area Health Education Center • Rural communities

  17. Hospital partners • Abbeville County Memorial Hospital Abbeville County • Cannon Memorial Hospital Pickens County • Clarendon Memorial Hospital Clarendon County • Edgefield County Hospital Edgefield County

  18. Implementation planYear 1 • Establish continuing education advisory group • Conduct focus group and needs assessment • Acquire and install hardware and software • Train faculty and staff on WebMentor software • Convert two traditional courses to online format • Establish BHS advisory group • Design online advising system for BHS • Design, develop, pilot test four CE modules • Design and develop evaluation plan • Implement first-year project evaluation

  19. Implementation planYear 2 • Use advisory groups for course development • Convert two more traditional courses to online • Design, develop, offer, evaluate 10 web-based CE modules • Market academic and CE programs to hospitals • Implement second-year project evaluation • Disseminate findings through publications and presentations

  20. Implementation planYear 3 • Use advisory groups for course development • Convert two remaining traditional courses to online • Design, develop, offer, evaluate 10 remaining web-based CE modules • Market academic and CE programs to hospitals • Implement third-year project evaluation • Write comprehensive summary paper • Disseminate findings through publications and presentations

  21. Collaboration strategies • Identify co-sponsors and roles of the network partners • Schedule regular meetings and communications strategies among co-sponsors and partners • Telephone and fax • Email • Face-to-face meetings • Individual and groups • List serve for posting information • ALLIANCEnet link on BHS homepage

  22. Co-sponsorsFacilitating Sponsors • Medical University of South Carolina • The Duke Endowment • Roles are to implement and fund project objectives • Identify specific co-sponsors and their roles and contributions to the network

  23. Co-sponsorSouth Carolina Hospital Association • Private, not-for-profit organization • 100 member hospitals/health systems • 900 personal members • www.scha.org • Mission • To facilitate the continuous improvement of South Carolina's health status by representing and advocating, leading change, mediating problems, and providing a forum for ideas.

  24. Co-sponsorSouth Carolina Hospital Association • Role • Provide online mechanism (CareLearning) for continuing education courses • Process • Met to negotiate agreement of roles and resource allocation

  25. CareLearning • Comprehensive online training services for health professionals • Management system to track enrollment, registration, course completion, and test scores • State hospital associations offer courses to member organizations • www.carelearning.com

  26. Co-sponsorUpstate Area Health Education Center • One of four regional AHECs serving South Carolina • Covers 11 counties in the NW corner of the state, bordering NC/GA • Funding source is state and federal • Mission • To improve the quality and accessibility of health care for communities in South Carolina through a system of community-academic partnerships whose central purpose is the recruitment, education, and retention of primary health care providers.

  27. Co-sponsorUpstate Area Health Education Center • Role • Provider of continuing education units • Advisory (serve on CE Advisory Committee) • Marketing • Selection criteria • Three of the four partnership hospitals fall within its geographic service area • Process • Met to determine their role in the project • Upstate AHEC will receive an educational product for their target audiences to support their mission

  28. Co-sponsorRural Communities • Comprised of partner hospitals and health care workforce in SC • Selection criteria • Rural and <60 beds • No TDE funding prior year & TDE approved • Financially viable (good investment) • Educational and technology needs unmet • Willing to participate • Process • Met with each hospital’s representative to confirm interests and needs

  29. ALLIANCEnetCE Advisory Committee • Invited co-sponsors and partners to attend centrally located face-to-face-meeting • Interacted, exchanged expectations • Identified e-learning equipment needs • Discussed policy issues • Conducted a focus group • Reviewed needs assessments • Identified topics for CE courses • Projected course delivery timeline • Developed strategies for ongoing interaction

  30. Current status • Ongoing collaborations with partner hospitals • Completion of needs assessments • Attended software training for CE course development • Designing/pilot testing online CE courses • Completed initial redesign of BHS courses to online • Developed evaluation plan • Completed initial assessment • Submitted annual report to The Duke Endowment

  31. Collaborative network lessons learned Year 1 outcomes • Collaboration with multiple community partners is challenging • Partners develop rapport and support network regardless of geographic boundaries • Ability to conceptualize and present the project to their organization • Developing the infrastructure to support the project is critical, including policies, procedures, roles, and expectations that are mutually beneficial

  32. Online teaching lessons learnedYear 1 outcomes • Specific skills and attitudes required • For both teachers and learners • Teachers become facilitators of learning • Online learning is challenging • Expectations and perceptions vary greatly • Students develop rapport and support network regardless of geographic boundaries • Requires ability to conceptualize the instructional design of the entire course

  33. Online teaching lessons learnedYear 1 outcomes (continued) • Consider usability issues for effective courses • Internet Service Provider • Simple path and structure • Pilot test everything • Requires new approach to teaching/learning process • How do you create opportunities for interaction? • Course design and development is very time intensive

  34. Future collaborations • Provide additional information to partner hospitals and their employees • Ease and benefit of online learning • Undergraduate/CE program options • Provide tools, support access to create online community • Coordinate designing/marketing courses with SCHA • Ongoing evaluation/reporting with MUSC/TDE • Disseminate project outcomes through regional and national presentations/publications • Adapt/apply model throughout SC and beyond

  35. Questions and Answers

  36. Contact information • Elizabeth B. Ricciardone, MHS • Associate Professor and Director of Training and Foundation Relations • Director, Bachelor of Health Sciences Program • College of Health Professions • Medical University of South Carolina • ricciare@musc.edu • 843-792-9027

  37. Presenters Medical University Of South Carolina • Frances Lee • Margaret Martin • Slide background and logo designed by Kathy Gatten

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