Journal article
Assessing Online Education and Accreditation for Healthcare Management Programs
The Journal of health administration education, Vol.32(4), pp.427-467
17 Dec 2015
Abstract
Without question, it is hard to be in the college program-accreditation business (Carey, 2012). Lydia Middleton, former President and CEO of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), summarized in her blog (2012) that, among the many conversations about online programs, past perceptions were that online programs were proprietary competitors taking market share from face-to-face programs in local markets. To the credit of AUPHA's Board of Directors, there is no barrier to membership based on mode of delivery, and the goal of the organization is to "drive excellence and innovation in healthcare management education wherever it may be occurring" (Middleton, 2012). However, up until January 2015, fully online degree programs were not eligible for CAHME accreditation because of a criterion that a program must include a minimum of 120 hours of face-to-face, in-person instruction. Even now, this 120-hour requirement has only been replaced with alternative options such as synchronous virtual sessions, face-to-face internships, or practica that have as yet not been clearly defined. This paper represents a comprehensive review and analysis of empirical studies, literature review, interviews, and investigation of contemporary experiences of accrediting organizations that should help create a framework for assessing quality and outcomes of fully online programs. It responds to the Association of University Programs in Health Administration and the AUPHA Foundation request to "present a comprehensive and unbiased investigation and report of current best practices and challenges with regard to establishing processes to assess and accredit healthcare administration programs that use an online environment in the teaching/learning process."
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Details
- Title
- Assessing Online Education and Accreditation for Healthcare Management Programs
- Creators
- Linda MastStephen Gambescia
- Publication Details
- The Journal of health administration education, Vol.32(4), pp.427-467
- Publisher
- Association of University Programs in Health Administration
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Health Administration
- Identifiers
- 991020542450404721