8/15/001 Information Technology - Assisted Education and Communication at HSPH: The Role of Distance Learning Distance Learning Working Group at HSPH John

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Information Technology - Assisted Education and Communication at HSPH:The Role of Distance Learning

Distance Learning Working Group at HSPH

John Spengler, Chair Nancy KaneDon Bialek Taso Markatos Paul Campbell Michael Reich Deane Eastwood Marcello Pagano Wafaie Fawzi David Shore David Harrington Alix SmullinRobin Herman Winnie Yip

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Dean’s Challenge to the Working Group

•Why pursue distance learning?

•What level of resources should be committed?

•What strategies should be advanced?

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Rationale for DL at HSPH

HSPH Education and Communication Mission includes:

•Students attending School

•Practicing public health professionals

•Many other health-related professionals

•Alumni

•Media

•Political Leaders

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Educational Objectives include:

•Improving teaching and teaching facilities

•Expand connections to alumni

•Enroll more minority students and students from developing world

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Communication Objectives include:

•Influencing national and international policy

•Creating media-based prevention programs

•Expanding discussion and debate

•Broadening participation in community-based public health practice

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Competition is Hard at Work:

•Johns Hopkins offers degrees and executive training

•London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has ~400 DL students from 66 countries

•University of North Carolina is leading an attempt to form a DL consortium for public health education through APHA

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Current Capacity at HSPH

HSPH lags behind KSG, GSD, HMS, HBS, and HLS in its capacity for DL course and seminar production as well as facilitation of two-way instructional communication

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Current Capacity at HSPH

Available equipment and technical expertise in underutilized:

•Only 100 web accounts have been authored on the HSPH server.

•CourseInfo 3.0 by Blackboard.com is available with training and assistance but only 63 out of ~300 courses used the system in the 1999/2000 academic year (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/courses).

•Real Networks’ Basic Server is available for short audio/video transmissions. Only 100 streams per week, but substantial upgrades are needed to videostream a full class and course. Visit http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/video for demonstrations.

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HSPH Faculty Interest in IT•Increase teaching effectiveness in the classroom

•Interest high in currently available tools (e.g., “Blackboard” course organizer)

•Available systems under-utilized:33% use Blackboard for courses>20% use Internet communications10% use teleconferencing

•Reservations about expanding to on-line teaching

•Cautious about joint ventures with commercial companies

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Choosing Our DL Future at HSPH

Advance Technical Training for Alumni

DL Programs

Matriculating Courses

Supporting HSPH collaborating centers

Special outreach programs

Continuing Professional EdCollaborations with World Bank et al.

MPH Track 2

Other degree programs

Production and Broadcasting Capacity: •satellite uplinks •conferencing

Classroom Upgrades: •recording •IT connections

Basic Services: •course web support

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Guide to HSPH DL Strategies

•Possible DL Programs

•Required HSPH Infrastructure

•Strategies/Recommendations for an IT/DL transition

•Issues to be Resolved

•Recommendations: Conclusions or Beginnings

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HSPH DL Activities Compatible with Mission

•Track 2: –MPH with distance learning component

•Training Centers: –international partnerships targeting region-specific needs

•Professional Outreach–rural public health agencies–alumni–CPPE certificate program

•Enhanced HSPH courses/programs–matriculation of required courses–visiting lecturers/virtual field trips

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Track 2: MPH-DL Component•4-Week Session at HSPH during the Summer or Intercession:

–to introduce a course/week–meet faculty and TA’s–associate with fellow students

•Continue courses over a year with:–chat lines, e-mail–net meetings, web cameras–CD or web server providing course content

•Hold several teleconferences and/or web-camera meetings throughout course to track performance orally and with test and reports

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•Continue courses over a year with collaborative tools, such as:–chat lines, e-mail–net meetings, web cameras–CD or web server providing course content


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•Continue courses over a year with:–chat lines, e-mail–net meetings, web cameras–CD or web server providing course content


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Milestones for Track 2 MPH

•Gain approval of MPH director and faculty.

•Identify faculty committed to developing DL course components

•Digitally record lectures 2000-2001

•Assign in-house advance TA/web masters or hire others (eCollege/Blackboard) to develop customized course materials

•Advertise program for limited involvement (~50) starting summer 2001

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International Centers-Supported with DL Content &

Communication Technology

•Establish international centers in cooperation with prominent universities.

•Develop training curriculum

•Establish IT communication capacity

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Possible HSPH Centers

Athens Center for Environmental & Occupational Health

Tanzania Center for Maternal & Child Health

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Possible HSPH Center

Hong Kong Center for Human Development

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Professional Outreach Initiatives

Level 1: Advanced professional training for alumni ranging from web site research news to short tutorials

Level 2: Continuing professional education structured around certificate programs

Level 3: Partnerships with public agencies to enhance training and delivery of services

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Level 2: Center for Continuing Professional Education activities and a Certificate Program

•Capture-Release model using DL to enhance the learning experience

•Certificate Program–cluster of course-related to key

competence–DL to assist with home/office

learning and testing

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Level 2: Center for Continuing Professional Education activities and a Certificate Program

•Capture-Release model using DL to enhance the learning experience

•Certificate Programs–cluster of course-related to key

competence–DL to assist with home/office

learning and testing

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Level 3: Reaching Underserved Public Health Related Communities

•Rural and city health programs needing public health training

•Educational content to school-based health nurses

•Health home training for public housing authorities, tribal nations, housing inspectors, and other social service professionals

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Advancing the DL Transition

•Upgrading School facilities and staff

•Collaboration with other schools

•Access to the Provost’s Fund for Innovation

•Administrative leadership to facilitate innovative academic programs

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Upgrade School Facilities:

•Outfit all auditoriums and large classrooms (including Landmark) with built-in computers and projection system (fix lighting)

•Auditoriums need to be upgraded to include projection system, better lighting, and laptop plug-ins at each seat

•Install video-conferencing capabilities in every classroom and multipoint conferencing throughout HSPH buildings.

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Upgrade the School DL Staff

•1 Instructional Technologist

•1 Video-Production/Teleconferencing Technologist as required to support production and dissemination of DL courses

•2 FTE Junior Technical Staff

•Provide advanced training for faculty and teaching assistants providing web-based and teleconferencing support to courses

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Collaborate with Others:

•Participate in the new University Consortium on DL

•Obtain access to streaming video production facility

•Ensure that the University will provide HSPH with Internet II access

•Establish electronic publishing partnerships with the private sector and/or Harvard University Press

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Collaborate with Others:

•Participate in the new University Consortium on DL

•Obtain access to streaming video production facility

•Ensure that the University will provide HSPH with Internet II access

•Establish electronic publishing partnerships with the private sector and/or Harvard University Press

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Access to the Provost’ Funds for Innovation:

•$6-7 million is available to cost-share IT innovation in teaching and training through the office of the Provost

•The School should provide matching funds to encourage innovating faculty

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Administrative Leadership:

•Embrace a DL transition strategy

•Appoint DL/IT Program Coordinator to liaison with faculty and other schools

•Commit to fundraising and financial support

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DL Strategy for HSPH

Near Term (months):

•Use summer programs and CCPE revenues to develop DL moduals for: –matriculating students

–certification program-online “anytime” courses

•Commit to infrastructure and tech support upgrade program over 3-5 years

•Partner with publishing company for electronic text

•Cost share Provost’s DL innovation proposals from School

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Mid Term (next academic year)

•Appoint DL/IT Program Coordinator

•Gain faculty and committee clearances for DL courses

•With faculty ad hoc advisory group decide if the HSPH will undertake a MPH DL program or not

•Establish a working group on international training and research centers

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Long Term

•Develop full DL ready courses for selected academic program

•Establish international training centers–collaborating with institutions–with World Bank international centers

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Expense Estimates for DL

Infrastructure1: $500,000 over 3-5 years$50,000 annual maintenance,

replacement, improvements

Technical Staff2: $250,000 per year

DL Course Production3: $25,000 to $50,000 per course

Interactive Textbook4: $100,000 to $250,000

Cost-Sharing Innovative $450,000 over 3 yearsProposals5: (3 x $150,000)

Communication Costs6: Internet Services/year, $100,000$100/hr x 1000 hrs/year of fullconferencing services

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Revenue Estimates for DL

Matriculating Courses1:300 Students x $100/course $30,000/year

Continuing Professional Education (CCPE)2:500 participants x $500/course $250,000/year

MPH Track 2 Program3:200 students x $10,000/year $2,000,000/year

Advanced Professional Part-Time Degrees4:100 students x $10,000/year $1,000,000/year

Professional Briefings Free

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Challenges to Our DL Future

•Partnerships with the private sector or other organizations

•Quality control of course content and degree granting

•Content ownership

•Faculty motivation

•Marketing of IT-assisted courses

•Upgrading technical facilities

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Challenges to our DL Future







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CONCLUSION OR BEGINNING?

•The School will be at a disadvantage if it does not provide IT-assisted learning for current programs.

•Upgraded IT capabilities facilitate advancing DL.

•The School’s near-term DL target audience is the working professional. CCPE should aggressively pursue that market generating spin-off products for alumni, matriculating students and other programs.

•The School’s long-term DL target is the international MPH and MS student with the goal of providing IT-assisted education through collaborating centers.

Documents

8/15/001 Information Technology - Assisted Education and Communication at HSPH: The Role of Distance Learning Distance Learning Working Group at HSPH John