The threefold mission of the College of Health and Nursing Sciences’ Division of Special Programs includes coordinating technology-based, distance-education initiatives within the College; developing continuing professional education programs serving health care practitioners in a wide region; and fostering educational partnerships with agencies in the health community.
In 1993, the College established the first distance-learning undergraduate degree program at the University of Delaware. The baccalaureate for the registered nurse major is targeted at working registered nurses who have previously earned an associate’s degree or diploma in nursing. Through this program, 350 matriculated nursing students from as far away as Texas, Nevada, and Florida are working toward bachelor’s degrees at the University of Delaware. Courses are offered in both videotape and World Wide Web formats, with exams administered at local work sites and community colleges. Support services for this program are provided by the Division of Special Programs.
According to Madeline Lambrecht, director of special programs, the departments of Nutrition and Dietetics, Health and Exercise Sciences, and Medical Technology are also taking advantage of the services provided by the Division of Special Programs since the College’s consolidation in 1997. Each department is now offering a growing roster of courses in distance-learning formats and exploring new technology-related initiatives. The division works in tandem with the University’s divisions of Continuing Education and Information Technologies to coordinate marketing, enrollment, and delivery for these programs.
Recently, the Division of Special Programs has responded to a need for training in cognitive therapy among primary care professionals. In April 1998, the division co-sponsored a tri-state conference on the subject along with the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and the UD Department of Psychology. Working with Assistant Professor of Nursing Christine Reilly, the division has received a grant to deliver a certificate program in cognitive therapy in a distance-learning format that will reach health care practitioners nationwide.
The division has also made use of the University’s satellite communications technology and interactive television network to coordinate programs for Delaware ranging from the annual teleconference sponsored by the Hospice Foundation of America to a statewide town meeting for the Delaware Perinatal Board. Through such means, the division helps meet the need of health care practitioners for continuing professional growth and development.