2.12.b. Description of the distance education or executive degree programs
With changing demographics and increasing work demands on the population, distance-learning degree programs offered by the School provide an important option, especially to working adults who wish to obtain an advanced degree. In addition, the School serves the public health education needs of a wide geographic region including all of Minnesota and the surrounding states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin that do not have schools of public health. Distance-learning enables the School to provide high-quality coursework to public health practitioners in remote areas, even to the corners of the globe where educational opportunities are, at best, limited.
Model or methods: The School’s distance education programs are Internet-based in combination with summer intensive courses. Teaching methodologies are well grounded and course demands are equal to those of in-classroom courses.
All of the School’s distance-based degree programs have a summer intensive component (through the Public Health Institute: http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute) varying in credits required. The Institute offers an intensive on-campus experience that, over its five-year history, has matured to become a true forum for public health response to emerging public health issues. Sessions devoted to culturally responsive public health practice immersion and the latest research on avian influenza exemplify the Institute’s unique role as a forum for public health response.
Administrative support for distance-learning degree programs is equal to that of other programs. Three staff (2.8 FTE) members serve as coordinators of the programs under the Public Health Practice major and a major coordinator has responsibilities for each of the M.C.H. and M.H.A. distance options. These staff members participate in School governance and program oversight at a level equal to that of coordinators of the School’s other programs.
Distance-learning programs are monitored for academic rigor using the same standards as the School’s other programs. In their earliest phase, the distance-learning programs were subjected to extensive monitoring and comparisons to ensure their equivalence with classroom-based programs. In addition, all new programs must go to the University Regents for approval, and those programs with more than 50 percent online coursework must go to the Higher Education Council for review prior to start.
For both distance and on-campus formats:
Courses and faculty are evaluated under the same guidelines;
Students complete evaluations of programs and individual courses;
Faculty are reviewed annually;
Students are evaluated using the same measures;
Programs are evaluated using the same criteria.
Programs at the School coded as distance programs include:
The Executive Program in Public Health Practice (EPHP) is a flexible curriculum that students may tailor to their careers and practice. The program is aimed at professionals with significant work experience in health or human services, and who also hold an advanced degree, such as an M.S., M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., Pharm.D. or Ph.D. Courses are available on campus or through a combination of courses online and by attending class at an annual Public Health Institute. (http://www.sph.umn.edu/education/exec/home.html)
The Veterinary Public Health (VPH) program allows students to combine their veterinary studies with a public health degree, giving them the credentials to address key issues related to food safety, emerging infectious diseases and public health. Courses are available on campus or through a combination of courses online and by attending class at an annual Public Health Institute.
(http://www.sph.umn.edu/education/vph/home.html)
The M.H.A-Rochester Part-Time Option for Working Professionalsis a distance extension of the existing part-time M.H.A. Program, developed in 1999 for Twin Cities-area health professionals. The M.H.A.-Rochester option was approved by the Board of Regents in July 2006, with development funded by the state’s Rochester Higher Education Development Committee, to serve health professionals working in southeastern Minnesota, including the large number of Mayo Clinic professionals. The M.H.A.-Rochester program combines face-to-face classes taught by School faculty who travel to Rochester (approximately 45 percent of the curriculum) with online and Public Health Institute courses (http://www.hsr.umn.edu/mha/mha_programs.htm)
The online M.P.H. degree in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) provides an opportunity for mid-career professionals with advanced degrees who have five or more years of MCH work experience or individuals without an advanced degree who have eight to 10 years of work experience in MCH to earn an M.P.H. through a combination of online courses and class attendance at an annual Public Health Institute. The program is designed especially for working professionals whose goal is to advance to leadership roles within MCH or related fields. The program focuses on the principles that drive the field related to social justice and concern for vulnerable populations. Graduates develop expertise in the development of evidence-based advocacy, rigorous public health assessment, accessible and appropriate health education and effective and innovative programs that promote health and well-being. Please see http://www.sph.umn.edu/education/mch/curriculum/online.html
for more information.
2.12.c. This criterion is met.
Strengths
The School has established high-quality distance education programs to meet the needs of students in remote areas and/or who wish to pursue a degree program or coursework while continuing to work.
Distance learning programs must be approved by the University Regents. Those that require more than 50 percent online coursework must go to the Higher Education Council prior to start.
Distance and on-campus formats are evaluated using equivalent measures.
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