Going the distance: the evolution of VCU's Executive Distance Learning Program over 12 years

Area of Science:

• Health Administration Education
• Online Distance Learning

Background:

• Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) online distance learning Executive Program has a twelve-year history.
• VCU's program is one of the oldest online health administration and business programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify critical success factors for online distance learning.
• Examine significant changes in distance learning over time.
• Provide lessons learned from extensive experience in online education.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a twelve-year history of an online Executive Program.
• Discussion of key program dimensions: curriculum, instructional design, technology, strategy, pedagogy, faculty, and students.

Main Results:

• Identification of crucial factors contributing to the success of online distance learning programs.
• Observation of substantial evolution in distance learning methodologies and infrastructure over twelve years.

Conclusions:

• The VCU Executive Program offers valuable insights into effective online health administration education.
• Key challenges remain for current and future distance learning programs in health administration.