An evaluation of a national online emergency preparedness course

This paper presents the results of a study to evaluate Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness online program for competency based, basic emergency preparedness training for employees of local health departments nationwide. The first portion of

the course was an online program, designed to provide the basic knowledge required for public health preparedness. The second phase involved the provision of a downloadable template which the learner could use to guide learning and then subsequently demonstrate the core emergency preparedness competencies at the public health agency. An

evaluation of pre and post test findings since 2005 indicates a significant increase (t=-46.7818, p<0.001) in their knowledge of basic emergency preparedness. Based on a 15-item evaluation questionnaire out of 100 points, there was a 13.7 point increase on their scores. Likewise, the collected registration data from more than 6,500 public

health workers provides a snapshot of where this online user base resides and what their job roles have been. The authors also assert that the ability to better comprehend this audience's knowledge base is crucial for determining how future online training efforts should be designed and conducted.