Lessons Learned: A Successful Distance Learning Collaborative between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense

Military Medicine, May 2005 by Beason, Charlotte F

Clinical Supervision

Clinical supervision posed the greatest challenge for the distance learning program. VA and GSN administrators and faculty members were committed to there being no difference in the quality of instruction between the on-site and distance programs. To that end, extensive development and planning went into preparation for clinical supervision. Clinical standards were identified by faculty members and communicated to both students and preceptors. Students completed extensive case studies, and lead preceptors met with individual preceptors and students on a regular basis.

Lessons Learned

Student Issues

The major determinant of successful completion proved to be the student's commitment to acquiring new clinical skills. Those who had not engaged in an active clinical practice before class admission were as likely to finish the program successfully as were their clinically active counterparts, although some said with harder work. Students spoke of their difficulty in returning to a novice role and dealing with unfamiliar content and practice patterns. Some experienced significant life events and elected to drop out of the program; more found that their studies and their classmates offered support as they experienced these events. Two graduating students were diagnosed and treated for life-threatening illnesses during their studies, and one received her doctoral degree from a local university while maintaining an outstanding grade point average in the distance learning program.

As the program progressed, it became apparent that computer literacy was a criterion for student success. Computer literacy subsequently became a requirement for admission. The majority of individuals in the first class, all of whom were highly successful clinicians, became frustrated when required to use computer skills that went beyond those typically required in the practice setting. Students were expected to prepare PowerPoint presentations, to initiate data searches, and to access documents from the USU World Wide Web site. Therefore, subsequent classes were informed of the computer skills they would need for their studies and were encouraged to complete VA-sponsored classes or tutorials before beginning the program. Although future distance learners can reasonably be expected to be more at ease with computer use, it should be remembered that a somewhat different skill set is required for academic presentations and completion of course work. Requiring preparatory classes or tutorials can reduce stress and enable participants to fully engage in class activities sooner and with less difficulty.

Program Innovations

In distance education, those designing and implementing curricula should be prepared to critique and grow with new technology. The faculty made increasing use of World Wide Web-based materials to support and enhance instruction while reducing administrative costs. Students used chat rooms to work on joint projects, took part in Internet-based instruction, and initiated their own video or audio conferences. Materials that were first express-mailed to class sites were later posted on the World Wide Web. Testing also moved from hard copies mailed to each site to World Wide Web-based applications accessed through password-protected sites.