ELearning! Magazine

Established in 1922, the National Institute of Public Health (el Institute Nacional de Salud Publics or INSP) in Mexico is one of Latin America's principal centers for public health research and education. Offering continuing certification to healthcare professionals, and masters and doctoral programs for public health students, the Institute graduates practitioners who advance the health and wellbeing of the diverse Latin population. The Institute also conducts extensive research on disease prevention and control.

THE CHALLENGE

Many students and healthcare workers interested in public health education were unable to enroll in lull-time programs due to professional or family commitments. For other applicants, the cost of moving to Cuernavaca was not affordable. "Prospective applicants began asking if we had a virtual education programwe could offer them," said LauraMagana Valladares, the Academic Dean of INSP. "We immediately began to consider developing an Internetbased educational program.We wanted tomake our resources accessible to all students, including those located in rural areas that have the greatest need for quality education."Magana had been involved inWeb-based learning programs since their inception. Knowing that dropout rates for e-education are typicallymuch higher than those of traditional classroomenvironments. Magana wanted to create an exceptional distance learning programthat would keep students highly involved.

THE SOLUTION

At INSP,Magana assembled a task team to identify and examine the different models used by universities with successful elearning programs. "After thorough research, we knew that combining synchronous and asynchronous educational approaches would provide the greatest contact with our students," explained Magana. "We needed a solution that would give us the ability to create a real-time online curriculum." The task tearn discovered WebEx at Emory and Tulane Universities. "We evaluated several other solutions, but they didn't provide the complete capabilities thatWebEx offered," reported Magana, The Institute choseWebEx because it enabled real-time classes and also provided strong voice, video, and application sharing capabilities. Magana added, "WebEx was also very easy to use and offered interactive features that would keep our students engaged."

INSP usedWebEx Training Center to develop five virtual education programs that include more than 50 interactive online courses. "WebEx helps us deliver on our mission to provide a high-touch, accessible e-learning environment,"Magana continued. Instructors use theWebEx desktop sharing capability to present documents, student work, and PowerPoint slides in real time.WebEx whiteboard and pointer features enable them to illustrate examples onthe- fly and emphasize particular points as they speak. Private and public chats between students and teachers further simulate the in-person classroom environment. Magana noted, "Because phone calls are very expensive inMexico, we use WebEx Voice over IP, so it's affordable for everyone to access our online courses." To personalize instruction, INSP assigns one dedicated tutor for every 12-15 students participating in an online course.As the professor teaches—up to 35 students at a time—the tutors observe the sessions. By watching the students' interaction, the tutors decide if further instruction is necessary and easily arrange smallerWebEx sessions to supplement and reinforce thematerial. In addition, INSP records allWebEx sessions, enabling students to review them at their own convenience. Magana continued, "We've integratedWebEx with Blackboard's e-education solution to streamline coursemanagement.A WebEx portal transparently links to Blackboard and to our public Web site where students can register for and download recorded sessions."

Since INSP implemented WebEx, it has discoveredmultiple applications for the solution. "WebEx has become instrumental in addressing the specific needs of our State organizations," explainedMagana. The Ministry of Health and other similar organizations now send INSP a list of courses for which they require training, and the Institute develops specialWebEx courses for them. In addition, the Institute recently began setting up meetings with worldwide researchers usingWebEx. "We use WebEx to facilitate global communications for 150 healthcare professionals conducting research with colleagues in Latin America and Europe," saidMagana. Internally, INSP now usesWebEx to conduct a wide range of meetings, including those between its various campuses.

THE BENEFITS

WebExmade it possible for INSP to develop a high-quality eeducation programthat not only expanded the Institute's student reach, but also enabled the creation of a high-touch learning environment. "Since we launched the programlast year,more than 1000 students have already completed our online courses.And we are now offering a complete two-yearmasters program, geared towards high-level healthcare administrators, through WebEx," remarkedMagana. The ultimate indication of the program's success: dropout rates are equal to those of in-person classes. "We continue to survey our students who say they are completely satisfied with the program. Thanks toWebEx, they feel engaged and part of a student body, even if it is virtual," she reported.

THE FUTURE

As a result of the overwhelming success of the new programs and activities made possible throughWebEx,Magana intends to continue expanding the distance learning curriculum. In addition,Magana plans to investigate otherWebEx services and capabilities. She says," We already haveWebEx Meeting Center and Event Center.We're looking forward to putting them to use."

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To learn more aboutWebEx Solutions, visit: www.Webex.com.

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