226799 Impact of Online Learning on Emergency Response: An Evaluation of an Online Course

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 : 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Thomas Chandler, PhD , National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Yoon Soo Park, MS , National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Karen L. Levin, RN, MPH, CHES , National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University, New York, NY
David M. Abramson, PhD MPH , National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University, New York, NY
Stephen S. Morse, PhD , Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY
The National Center for Disaster Preparedness has been conducting an ongoing evaluation of its online Public Health Basic Emergency Preparedness course, which has been completed by more than 15,000 public health workers in all 50 U.S. states since 2002. This study explores the following questions: In what capacities are public health workers who have taken this course involved in disaster response? Has this course helped public health workers to be more effective in actual disaster situations? In order to answer these questions, an online survey will be distributed in March, 2010 to all previous course participants. In particular, we seek to examine what the prevalence is of participants who encountered a disaster response as part of their job, the types of disasters they may have encountered, and where these disaster responses have occurred. Ultimately, it is our goal to decipher whether performance on the online course, as based on the difference in pre and post test scores, significantly predicts learner performance in actual disaster settings. An analysis conducted through multiple regression and contingency tables will be presented.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
describe how course participants have incorporated public health competencies into their disaster response efforts discuss two benefits of distance based learning for competency based learning describe a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of an online training program

Keywords: Community Research, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee a distance learning program and am involved in research on distance learning and emergency preparedness.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.