title: Development and alumni assessment of an interdisciplinary PhD program offered through a blended learning environment.
abstract: There is a growing need for doctoral-prepared allied health professionals in health care practice, research, and teaching. This paper describes the development and evolution of the PhD Program in Health Related Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, which was designed to meet the demand for flexible learning environments by working allied health professionals. The program, now on its 14th year, offers interdisciplinary education in allied health fields through a blended learning environment that includes online and on-site education. An alumni assessment of the program was conducted in 2006 and 2008 to understand how well the program trained its graduates and how well the program responded to the needs of students. Six primary areas were reviewed: 1) extent to which program goals were achieved, 2) general skills and knowledge development for the student, 3) adequacy of the advising function of the program, 4) specific skill development for the student, 5) adequacy of instructional technology, and 6) impressions of the overall program. Findings from the alumni assessment led to changes in curriculum, enhanced use of distance education teaching, additional instructor training on distance-based multimedia technologies, and enhanced student-faculty interaction. Assessment of this program identified key areas, such as technology support, student-student interaction, and student-instructor interaction, which should be emphasized in the development or redesign of allied health educational programs offered in blended learning formats.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Care Quality, Department of Health Policy, School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University, Washington DC 20037, USA. debora.goetz-goldberg@gwumc.edu
authors.forename: Debora Goetz
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Dolores G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.forename: J James
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cotter
mesh_terms: D016390:Allied Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D020375:Education, Distance; D004500:Education, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005246:Feedback; D006801:Humans; D058025:Interdisciplinary Studies; D007858:Learning; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014768:Virginia