Ophthalmic Business Management: Instructional Design Package

1. Ophthalmic Business Management:Instructional Design Package Jeff Steele EDUC 533 Dr. Pyatt

2. Description • Ophthalmic Business Management is a course in the Vision Care Technology (VCT) program at Spokane Community College • The VCT program was created in 1976 and is only 1 of 3 programs of its kind in the entire US! • The course is designed to provide entry-level skills in the fields of optometry, ophthalmology, or opticianry

3. Rationale • The class has not been revised in over a decade! • The computer program model (dos-based) being taught is virtually obsolete in the modern world • The book the course was designed around is obsolete and no longer in print • Students are unprepared when they go to clinical rotations or secure jobs in the field after graduation, based on feedback from office managers and human resource managers in the field

4. Model: ASSURE • Analyze learners: (VCT students vary in all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. All, however, will have completed 2 successful quarters)State objectives: (Objectives will be provided at the beginning of each PowerPoint presentation)Select instructional methods, media, and materials: (PowerPoint, videos, games, worksheets, and discussion)Utilize media and materials Require learner participation: (Classroom environment will be interactive- combining lecture participation and group participation)Evaluate and revise

5. Rationale for ASSURE: • Incorporates Gagne’s, “Events of instruction” to assure effective use of media instruction: (1) Gaining attention (reception) (Class general begins w/ a “thought of the day”, in which a quote or passage is given that the students will write down their thoughts to share them with the class)(2) Informing learners of the objective (expectancy) (Objectives are given at the front of every presentation) (3) Stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval) (A review of previously learned material, applicable to current lesson) (4) Presenting the stimulus (selective perception) (Give definitions necessary to proceed w/ presentation)(5) Providing learning guidance (semantic encoding) (Provide examples/demonstrations)(6) Eliciting performance (responding) (Students to provide real-world examples applicable to presentation topic)(7) Providing feedback (reinforcement) (Address student examples as correct or incorrect)(8) Assessing performance (retrieval) (Provide a score (quiz) and remediation)(9) Enhancing retention and transfer (generalization). (Students to develop their own management model/plan)

6. Instructional Goals • Course Description: • This course covers public relations duties, patient handling and control, patient scheduling, telephone and mail procedures, professional grooming and complete optometric financial systems. A basic knowledge of the hiring process, including resumes, cover letters and interviews, will also be explored. • Rationale: • This course gives not only general procedures that can be applied to any office, but also gives special optometric office organization procedures. All clinical sites require students to have basic office procedure skills to serve patients in the reception area, on the telephone, and to keep a smooth patient flow throughout the office.

7. Course Objectives • Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Identify professional characteristics of a technician, including appearance and the handling of patient records as a manager. • Demonstrate the use of a number of appointment systems and compare their efficiencies • List the housekeeping jobs necessary to run an ophthalmic office • Describe what communication is necessary in the office • List the steps in opening and closing an office • Know the steps in preparing a bank deposit and reconcile a bank statement • Know how to tactfully and professional handle telephone communication, including emergencies • Process and organize in-going and out-going mail • Explain purpose of staff meetings • Understand basic accounts receivable and accounts payable procedures • Discuss fees and collection options • Explain the importance of organizing and maintaining an inventory system • Demonstrate computer proficiency, as it relates to the ophthalmic office • Understand the relationship between the optometric office and the insurance carrier • Understand the ways to increase efficiency and profit in an optometric office, including wave scheduling and patient recall • Discuss the importance and purpose of the office brochure • Discuss professional ethics • Understand the basics of the resume, cover letter and interview

8. Subordinate Skills & Entry Behaviors Analysis • Students will need sufficient understanding of technician duties in order to understand the technician’s role in front office management • Students will need discipline necessary to keep a detailed daily journal of their clinical experiences • Students will need to be familiar with HIPPA regulations (patient privacy rules) • Students will need both research and presentation skills • Students will need a high level of intrapersonal skills, as they will be working with both staff and patients in a office setting during business hours • Students will need to be both self-motivated and self-disciplined, as they instructor will not be with them at all times when in the clinical setting

9. Learner and Context Analysis • Like many community colleges, SCC (and the VCT program) has a very diverse student base: • Students range in age from 18-60+ • Students come from different ethnic, and cultural backgrounds • Students come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds • Each student brings their own unique work and life experiences to the classroom setting • Students will have to understand that each office is unique and front office management will have to be adapted to fit the needs of the office and the personnel available

10. Learning Environment • 1. Classes will be taught by Vision Care Technology instructor and, if possible, guest lecturers from the field (such as front office staff or office manager) • 2. Lessons will be integrated into other classes and lesson plans, where applicable, such as recording patient information and case histories (i.e. how to enter them into the software and manage their files, etc.) • 3. Lesson plan will be taught in a traditional classroom setting and in the computer lab, where each student has access to their own computer station. In addition, demonstrations will be provided in a traditional classroom setting, where data entry is applicable to that particular lesson • 4. Field

11. Performance Objectives • Students will demonstrate, in a clinical environment, skills and knowledge necessary to front office management • These skills will be demonstrated in work sheet and role-playing simulations prior to attending clinical rotations • Based on their clinical experiences, students will develop their own front office management philosophy (via a written report) and share it with the class

12. Assessment Instruments • In the classroom setting: • Quizzes • Group discussions and presentation • Worksheets for various activities (example: reconciling a bank statement or preparing a bank deposit) • In the clinical setting: • Daily journal • Observer checklist and evaluation sheet • Instructor questioning on site visits • Flow chart

13. Instructional Needs • New technologies must be identified (via site visits, advisory board recommendations, questionnaires, clinical feedback, and discussions with doctors, technicians, office managers, and students): • What are the windows-based programs currently being used in the field to manage patients and medical data? • What are the common job descriptions for front office personnel? • What are current bookkeeping techniques and the tools used to manage them? • What are the current insurance and billing techniques and parameters? • How is patient information (i.e. “patient file”) being managed? • What literature is available that is most relevant to this field’s needs? • Creation of new lesson plans, lectures, and assessments in accordance with the above

14. Non-Instructional Needs • Secure those new technologies: • VCT budget allocations • Field donations • Monetary • Hardware/software • Funding for teacher training • Time to collaborate with adjunct faculty • Funding for supplemental reading material/activities

15. Formative Evaluations • As formative evaluation views the curriculum as a “work in progress”, the Ophthalmic Business course in the VCT program will be assessed in the following manners: • One-to-one evaluations with learners • Small group evaluations • Field Trials

16. One-on-one • Criteria: The participants must possess a basic knowledge of front office management, as determined by maintaining a minimum grade of 2.0, or 78% in the course • Selecting learners: All participants enrolled in the program will participate in the class quizzes • Data collection: Weekly quizzes will be looked at individually as well as in the form of a class average • Procedures: Classes will begin w/ a pre-assessment exercise, usually in the form of a group discussion or brainstorming session, followed by a lecture, demonstration (if applicable) and finally a short assessment • Assessments and questionnaires: Given weekly or when a new topic is introduced. • Data interpretation: Based on pre-assessments, group discussions, role-playing exercises, and quizzes, instructor can gauge to see if the level and pace are adequate • Outcomes: Students should be able to perform tasks (either demonstrated in the field or in role-playing exercises) and meet the minimum 78% (cumulative) on their assessments

17. Small Group Evaluations • Criteria and data: The participants must demonstrate comprehension of tasks by participating in role-playing and class discussion exercises • Selecting learners: All students enrolled in the VCT program will be required to participate in role-playing exercises, class discussions, and brainstorming sessions • Procedures: Classes will begin w/ a pre-assessment exercise, usually in the form of a questionnaire, class discussion, or brainstorming exercise • Assessments and questionnaires: Pre-assessment questionnaires and role-playing exercises • Data summary and Analysis: Based on instructor observation of class discussions, role-playing exercises, and brainstorming sessions • Outcomes: Students should show proficiency and knowledge through group participation exercises, as observed by the instructor

18. Field Testing • Location: Students will be required to perform in the field, as determined by the instructor, for a 6 week period. The clinical rotations are a requirement for this course, as well as the VCT program as a whole • Criteria and Data: Students will participate in the daily operations of an optometric or ophthalmic office, under supervision of instructor and/or field supervisor. • Selecting Learners: All students will experience 6 weeks of field work • Procedures: Daily office management duties, as determined by the individual clinic site • Data summary and interpretation: Student performance will be assessed by both the instructor, and the clinical site personnel, as tasks are attempted • Outcomes: Students should show entry-level proficiencies in a variety of front office management tasks

19. Summative Evaluations • As the nature of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and experience necessary for entry-level front office management, field trials are the most effective way to evaluate the effectiveness of the course.

20. Field Trial Phase • Field trials will be used as summative assessments for both individual student performance, as well as the Ophthalmic Business class as a whole. • Planning: Clinical rotations in a variety of vision care offices, will allow both students and the course to be assessed by independent parties. • Preparing: Class role-playing exercise, designed to simulate real-world situations, will be used to prepare students. • Implementation/Data collection and analysis: A clinical assessment form will accompany each student to each field site. The form will provide the site with areas/skills that students should be proficient in and allow them to make a summative evaluation “after-the-fact”, based on their time in that clinic. Those individual forms, collectively used, will also provide the instructor with an overall assessment of the program. In addition, a survey will be sent to each site that will ask them to assess the program’s effectiveness by assessing the students that have visited that site as a whole. • Reporting Findings: Results of individual performances (both in class and in the field), as well as the field surveys, will be presented to the advisory board and accreditation body to assess if any curriculum revisions will be necessary.