The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #51302

Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, School of Public Health, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, 312-996-5381, bjn@uic.edu

Web-based education presents both the unprecedented opportunity to reach historically inaccessible groups and to reform pedagogy through exciting new educational methodologies and also the threat of introducing costly, market-driven programs which drain the academy's resources while serving as a poor substitute for on-site instruction. This session will critically examine the broader contextual forces that are shaping the development of distance education. Presenters will reflect upon ways to ensure the outcome serves our students, the community, public health and social justice. Speakers include:

(1) Janice A. Newson (Associate Professor of Sociology, York University, Toronto, Canada), providing an analysis of recent "moments" in higher education that have set the context for the way distance education is being promoted and adopted;

(2) Lisa D. Moore (Assistant Professor, San Francisco State University Department of Health Education) and Maria Chavez (Harm Reduction Training Institute), describing their experiences using web-based instruction to actively engage students in reflective thinking, discussion, and community service in a class on reduction of drug-related harms. The class represents a community-academic collaboration;

(3) Babette J. Neuberger (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Illinois-Chicago School of Public Health), discussing the situational pressures, contradictions and opportunities presented by online education from the perspective of an administrator who has been involved with online programming since its inception at a state-funded, Research 1 institution.

Spirit of 1848 presider/moderator: Cheryl Merzel

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• describe the economic, political and social contexts within higher education that are shaping the implementation of distance education; 2.identify techniques to engender critical thinking and accountable education for activism through web-based instruction; and
• describe opportunities presented by web-based instruction for community-academic collaboration.

Keywords: Distance Education, Social Justice

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.