H1N1 spreading in colleges and universities

I'm glad that I'm not a college student this year. According to this CNN report, H1N1 (swine flu) appears to have infected over 2,600 students at Washington State University. Sounds like people should stay at home and take their courses online. Distance learning is now very effective thanks to major advances in communications technologies.

The school is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the local health department by "treating all patients with influenza-like symptoms as if they have H1N1."

As H1N1 spreads to more colleges this fall and winter, I wonder how this will impact academic performance. Wouldn't you love to have an excuse for those lousy grades? I was sick during finals. I missed too many classes. I was quarantined.

International Virtual Medical School or IVIMEDS

Have you heard of the International Virtual Medical School or IVIMEDS? Sounds like an interesting concept, doesn't it?

The International Virtual Medical School - IVIMEDS - is a worldwide partnership of leading edge medical schools and institutions, setting new standards in medical education and blending high quality e-learning and face-to-face learning in the training of health care professionals.

The IVIMEDS Principles include:

• The use of world class learning materials accessed and shared among leading international medical schools and institutions.
• Flexibility in choice of content and learning strategies and the ability to customise content to meet specific needs of teachers, doctors and students wherever they are located.
• Technical interoperability and standards maximising the scope for international collaboration and flexibility of delivery methods

IVIMEDS is an international not-for-profit partnership of medical schools and institutions working to develop the full potential of e-learning in medical education. In partnership with its members IVIMEDS aims to provide an effective means of developing and sharing a range of quality digital learning resources and value-added educational services across the continuum of education. Primary development efforts are focussed on the undergraduate medical curriculum, though strategic opportunities for developments at postgraduate and continuing professional development level are being explored.

E-learning technologies are changing the landscape of medical education. Students today have access to such a wide range of multimedia, simulators, and other innovative tools that can significantly enhance their education. I envy modern-day medical students (and even college students for that matter). I didn't use a tablet PC to write notes using different colored pens when I was a student. I didn't have access to rich multimedia simulations.

Distance Learning and the Internet

When I think back to my days at MIT, I remember so many students used to skip classes. Or, they would fall asleep during the lecture. The same was true for certain courses at medical school. So if you're not going to go to class, can you really learn the material?

The answer seems to be yes, and this has been shown in numerous examples of successful distance learning programs. Now that you can get a degree online from a reputable, accredited university, we can see that distance learning works. Also, there are so many different forms of continuing education (especially in the healthcare industry) that are delivered via various distance learning modalities: e.g., Internet, teleconference, webcast, etc. As Internet bandwidth increases, distance learning and e-Learning capabilities continue to grow.

Online MBA at a "Top Tier" B-School

Is it possible to get an online MBA through a "top tier" b-school in the USA? I suppose it depends on how you define "top tier."

BusinessWeek has a list of top 30 full-time business schools. Within that list, Indiana University (Kelley) is the only school that offers a true online program. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) is also on that list of top 30, but the online program they offer is very selective and you have to live within specific cities to participate in that program.

Thunderbird is considered a "second tier" school by BusinessWeek. They offer an online MBA. Arizona State (Carey) and Babson are other "second tier" schools that offer an online MBA degree.

There are many other schools that are ranked on BusinessWeek (either for their Executive MBA or their part-time MBA). Some of them also offer online programs. Schools that come to mind include: Drexel (LeBow); the University of Florida (Warrington); Villanova; U Mass Amherst (Isenberg); and several others.

I find that the phrase "online MBA" or "distance learning MBA" can be leading because some programs still require a considerable time on campus. Therefore, it's important to clarify and to differentiate which programs are 100% online. I often meet physicians and medical students who are interested in online MBA programs. Most of them are interested in the didactic learning and less motivated by the social networking aspects of b-school. I suppose it really depends on your reasons for pursuing an MBA and your overall career goals.

Distance MBA Programs

If you're thinking about a distance MBA program (or online MBA), then you may want to read this interesting article by Dr. Frank de Langen, Open University of the Netherlands and Global Distance MBA. Some of the issues that he addresses may seem very simple and obvious, but if you read through his article, you'll soon find that there are many things that lie beneath the surface of an online MBA program. Some distance learning MBA programs still require live classroom time. Others are 100% online.

You won't have the networking opportunities if you go through a distance MBA program. Most feel that the networking experience is one of the most valuable things about B school. However, if you can't afford to stop working and you need a ton of flexibility, then a distance MBA might be the right fit for you. However, make sure you know what you're pursuing and why you plan to go to B school. It's a significant investment of time, money, and energy.

Master of Science in Health Communication

Interested in health communications? Medical writing?

Well, two major schools in the Boston area are offering a Master of Science in Health Communication

Tufts and Boston University

The program at BU is an online multidisciplinary program consisting of 10 courses. The program at Tufts is offered by Tufts University Medical School in collaboration with Emerson College.