Mindful awareness training in online and face-to-face learning environments: A comparative analysis

摘要

Abstract: Today's fast-paced work environments emphasize the importance of focus, clarity, creativity, compassion, and courage as critical managerial competencies (George, 2014). TIME magazine's 2014 article, The Mindfulness Revolution, points to the growing need for leaders to possess the ability to understand the increasing time pressures facing workers in this digital world (Pickert, 2014). Ways need to be found to help the workforce at all levels to maintain focus while sorting through multiple sources of information to make creative and innovative decisions. Health administration programs that develop students' mindfulness competencies of observation and awareness are providing their graduates with a competitive edge in terms of managing and leading during turbulent times, not only by encouraging mindfulness skills, but also by assisting the student experience with the potential of increased focus and less stress. This two-fold benefit of mindfulness for healthcare administration students is a theme throughout this paper. This paper provides a preliminary empirical examination of whether learners practicing mindful awareness in similar health management courses in two different programs become more mindful in terms of observant of present moment experience, and the tendency to respond to experiences without self-censorship and judgment. One program delivered the courses online and the other in person. Both used the same mindfulness activity to help students, with mixed results.