Using distance learning to prepare supported employment professionals

Journal of Rehabilitation, July-Sept, 1998 by Wendy M. Wood, Kay Miller, David W. Test

Recruitment of Students

Flyers announcing the courses are mailed twice a year (at the end of each semester) to all supported employment vendors and local Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities authorities in the state. In addition, course information is disseminated at each of the partner-sites, as well as via a number of organizational newsletters/mailing lists (e.g., Autism Society of North Carolina, Exceptional Children's Assistance Center, The Arc, Association of Rehabilitation Facilities and Association of Psychosocial Community Support Programs). Potential students are also encouraged to apply for stipends available through the project to defray the cost of tuition. Another incentive for students is the development of the UNC Charlotte Graduate Certificate in Supported Employment and Transition, which recognizes students who successfully complete the three-course sequence and an additional course in transition services or an independent study course in supported employment.

Distance Education Program Evaluation

The North Carolina Supported Employment Cooperative Preparation Program includes an evaluation component to assess and monitor project effectiveness. Evaluation of project effectiveness focuses on questions related to student satisfaction with the courses and the distance education format, degree of increase in training competencies, degree of increase in use of supported employment methods (e.g., systematic instruction, facilitating natural supports, etc.), and outcomes, such as placements of individuals into employment positions. Demographic and numeric data track enrollment and the nature of who is participating in the distance education courses across sites and semesters. Data collection to monitor project effectiveness is addressed through objective tests, supplemental course evaluations, portfolio assessment, and pre- and post-training measures. The following sections report the findings from evaluation efforts related to student enrollment, student population, and satisfaction with the supported employment courses via a distance education format.

Student Enrollment and Student Population

Recruitment and enrollment are central concerns in a distance education program because of the challenges of "getting the word out" across geographic locations, registration issues across multiple university campuses, the willingness of students to participate in coursework taught in a remote location away from direct contact with the instructor, and finally, maintaining and/or increasing enrollment with a satisfied customer base. Individuals who are targeted as participants in the original proposal included supported employment specialists, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors, case managers, and vocational evaluators. Information disseminated which was critical to the project's achievement of its enrollment objective included the (a) availability of courses, (b) availability of stipends to offset tuition, (c) schedule and location of the courses, and (d) overall nature of the course content.