Comparability in E-learning: An overview of a fully online undergraduate program in Health Education at Texas Womana€?s University

摘要

To meet the increasing demand for E-learning across the globe, more and more a€?brick and mortara€? universities are migrating to the virtual classroom in record numbers. While much has been written about the comparability of coursework offered online vs. face-to-face, there is a paucity of research documenting outcomes relative to health education. Furthermore, studies investigating the comparability and quality of entire online programs in health education are lacking. Since 2001, The Department of Health Studies at Texas Womana€?s University (TWU) has offered non-traditional students the opportunity to complete their bachelora€?s degree in Community Health and gain entry-level skills in health education online. Yearly program evaluations from 2002-2007 and a comparability study conducted in 2004 for TWUa€?s report on Institutional Effectiveness, showed that academic outcomes (i.e. project grades), studentsa€? program satisfaction scores, and internship preceptor evaluations between face-to-face vs. online students were not significantly different. As this program has demonstrated over the last 6 years, the internet can be an effective tool in the development and preparation of health educators. An overview of the program, quality measures, and suggestions for developing quality online programs in health education are provided.