Online course delivery modes and design methods in the radiologic sciences

To determine the current status of online education in the radiologic sciences and to explore learning management systems, course design methods, and online educational tools used in the radiologic sciences.

A random sample of 373 educators from Joint Review Committee-accredited radiography, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine technology educational programs was invited to participate in this study with an online survey.

The majority of the programs responding to the survey do not offer online core courses. However, the institutions that do provide online core radiologic courses reported limited use of online tools for course delivery. BlackBoard was reported as the most commonly used learning management system. No significant relationships were identified in reference to self-reported instructor information technology self-efficacy and the instructors' age, years of teaching in higher education, years of teaching online, or use of asynchronous and synchronous technologies. Survey results did demonstrate a significant relationship between the type of institution and the use of synchronous technologies, suggesting that university-based programs were more likely to use this technology.

Although the results suggest that online distance education is still not prevalent in radiologic science education, the past 3 years have seen a substantial increase in online course activity. This increase emphasizes the importance of adequate educator instruction and continuing education in the use of interactive technologies for online content delivery. Most educators report receiving 1 to 4 hours of training prior to online course implementation, but additional postimplementation training is necessary to improve the success of online delivery and further integrate interactive learning activities into an online format.

The traditional classroom setting is still the primary course offering for radiologic science programs. PowerPoint remains the primary content delivery tool, suggesting a need for educators to incorporate tools that promote student interactions and interactive learning. Although the results did not reveal a significant relationship between assessed factors, the small correlations identified suggest that the younger instructors have a higher information technology self-efficacy. In addition, survey results suggest that instructors responding to this survey received limited training in reference to online course methods and design both before and after implementing an online course. Although educators may not have a choice regarding the system adopted by their university or college, they should seek additional training regarding the best tools available for online course delivery methods.