Nutrition and health professionals typically meet the need for professional development training by attending workshops and seminars in-person within the state or through national conferences. While self-study is available through journal readings and other learn-at-home courses, opportunities for continuing professional education can be much more widely available if we utilize electronic technology. CyberSeminar, an interactive set of continuing education modules that is available worldwide at any time via the Internet, is being developed to address this need. This model uses two programs developed by the UMass Computer Science Department: MANIC, a system for streaming multimedia presentations, and OWL, an electronic homework system for questioning and feedback. The approach also builds on the Nutrition Department's previous experience with online nutrition education. A one-hour CyberSeminar, "Food Safety Trends and Training Tools", has been developed to include short segments of lecture with audio and slides, integrated with interactive questions and feedback. A continuing education questionnaire and evaluation survey follow the presentation. The seminar was pilot tested among Massachusetts dietitians, students and interns, via in-person and on-line formats. The CyberSeminar will be illustrated; potential problems, areas of interest, and reaction to learning by this approach will be discussed. This project was supported in part through the UMass President's Office Instructional Technology Grant, in cooperation with partners from UMass Lowell and Worcester campuses.
Learning Objectives: After the session, participants will recognize novel approaches to meet professional development goals using technology
Keywords: Distance Education, World Wide Web
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.