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Distance education: strategies for maintaining relationships
1Centre for Indigenious Health, Education and Research, University of Queensland, Australia. peter.hill@mailbox.uq.edu.au
Pacific Health Dialog
|October 9, 2001
Summary
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) fosters strong relationships and community for Indigenous health students, significantly reducing attrition. This approach is key to student retention in distance education settings.
Area of Science:
- Indigenous Health Education
- Distance Learning Strategies
- Health Sciences Curriculum
Background:
- Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the Bachelor of Applied Health Science (BAppHSc) course.
- Low student retention often linked to personal rather than academic issues.
- The importance of community and support in educational programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss differences between educational centers for Indigenous students.
- To examine strategies for maintaining student relationships in distance education.
- To explore the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Indigenous health programs.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a BAppHSc course in rural Queensland with campuses in Torres Strait and Cairns.
- Utilized Problem-Based Learning (PBL) sessions, fixed resource sessions, video-conferencing, and digital/text materials.
- Concentrated face-to-face contact into intensive blocks and weekly sessions.
Main Results:
- A low attrition rate was observed, attributed to the strong sense of community and support generated by the course.
- The BAppHSc course successfully completed its first semester with 9 Torres Strait students and 3 Cairns students.
- The PBL approach was identified as a key element in building student relationships.
Conclusions:
- Maintaining a sense of relationship is crucial for student retention in distance education for Indigenous health science programs.
- The PBL model demonstrates success in fostering community and support, leading to low attrition rates.
- Future directions include expanding the model to other remote areas, incorporating multiple technologies, and inter-institutional collaboration in the Pacific.