WesternU VP Co-Authors Educational Research Study
Do distance-learning programs affect a student’s grade point average? No,
says a vice president at Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU)
in a recent magazine article, but off-campus education can have an impact
on student satisfaction.
Richard Pumerantz, MBA, vice president of development and major gifts at
WesternU, co-authored “”Planning for Instructional Technology: What You
Thought You Knew Could Lead You Astray,”” in the July/August issue of
Change. It advised collegiate educators to exercise caution when
considering the role of instructional technology (IT) in the future of
their campus, asserting that student satisfaction rates can suffer when
the “”human factor”” is removed from the educational setting.
“”The study has a very practical application at WesternU,”” Pumerantz
said. “”The findings have helped us be more attuned to the specific issues
that information technology raises in health professions education.””
The primary data for the study came from a comparison of outcomes between
an IT-based physician assistant program track and a traditional classroom-
based physician assistant program track. Both tracks were offered through
WesternU, with students in the traditional one attending classes at the
University’s main campus in Pomona and students in the IT-based one
participating in those classes via video-conferencing technology at the
WesternU Regional Center at Chico.
Results from the study showed no significant difference between the
program tracks in grade point average, perceived quality of student life,
the ability of the institution to help graduates get better jobs and the
expected return on investment in the program. However, there were large
differences of opinion between the two student groups in terms of
satisfaction, with those in the traditional classroom setting getting much
more enjoyment from the learning process.
Pumerantz said that several changes have been made to the manner in which
WesternU utilizes distance-learning technologies because of the results of
the study.
“”Video conferencing has now been eliminated as the primary form of
delivering our first-year physician assistant curriculum, and the seats
that were available in Chico have been consolidated with those on our main
campus in Pomona,”” he said. “”Our regional center at Chico is now limited
to clinical education for the physician assistant program.””
Because of the consolidation, there are now 98 seats available–up from 60-
-for first-year students in the physican assistant program on WesternU’s
main campus in Pomona.
Change is an award-winning bimonthly magazine under the editorial
leadership of the American Association for Higher Education, a Washington,
D.C.-based group that promotes the changes higher education must make to
ensure its effectiveness.