Judy Gust is considered a pioneer in online education. Her involvement began with her representation of faculty on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities e-learning task force, which has now evolved into Minnesota Online.
She has continued her involvement by being the faculty representative, as well as on the Executive Board, of the Minnesota Online Council.
Gust also started an online program, Health Information Technology at Rochester Community and Technical College , after being approached by Mayo Clinic to offer such a program. It is a very successful program, having increased its enrollment by more than 100 students since its inception in 1999.
Gust just returned from Nashville where she presented about student recruitment and retention at the national conference of the American Health Information Management Association Assembly on Education. In October she will go to Charlotte, North Caroline, and address the League of Innovations on the topic, entitled “Guide to Sanity: Secrets of a Crazed Online Program Director.”
“I’m proud to be able to represent Rochester Community and Technical College and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system at these national conferences, and I’m proud of our Minnesota faculty who have made us leaders in online education,” said Gust.
Gust says there were several benefits of online education that persuaded her to offer the Health Information Technology program entirely online.
“Meeting employer/employee education needs, accessibility for students, and the ability to reach rural areas that do not have access to the Health Information Technology program or that type of education,” said Gust. “For me personally, it was exciting to pursue new delivery methods of my courses.”
Gust says the benefits that persuaded her to have the Health Information Technology program go online are usually the same for what persuades students to attain a degree via online delivery.
“Online learning is attractive for students because of its accessibility, flexibility, and the match of this type of delivery to the maturity of the adult learner,” she said.
Gust adds that online education has given the opportunity for the adult working population to upgrade or continue their education.
“It serves life-long learning well. It also makes unique program offerings accessible to learners no matter where they live,” said Gust.
In regards to starting her own program, Gust says it was a no-brainer, citing Rochester ’s location and its niche in the healthcare industry.
“ Rochester is really a rural area as a far as the healthcare industry is concerned. Our employment of students definitely depends on Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center . To ensure sustained healthy enrollment in our program, I felt it was critical to move the program to online delivery,” she said.
Gust said she believes that online education is serving its role well, adding that “courses and programs need to be offered at the highest quality possible.”
“Online education should not be simply independent study courses. They need to be a quality, critical thinking, and professional offering. I feel that peer review of our courses and programs is critical,” she said.
Her own Health Information Technology program is accredited by the North Central Accreditation’s Higher Learning Commission as a quality online program, in addition to being accredited by CAHIM, the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. CAHIM is the accrediting organization for degree-granting programs in health informatics and information management. When a program is accredited by CAHIIM, it means that it has voluntarily undergone a rigorous review process and has been determined to meet or exceed the standards set by the sponsoring professional organization—the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)—in cooperation with the Commission. CAHIIM accreditation is a way to recognize and publicize best practices for HIM Education Programs.
In addition to being accredited, Gust says her department is continuing to share and compare ideas. She said she finds most students wanting additional social interaction through their online education. She places a lot of emphasis on interactivity through her advising, providing a virtual Health Information Technology club, virtual Health Information Technology Resource Room, and e-mentors with industry professionals for her students.
“These activities allow me to get to know my students on a more human and personal level, and I personally need that kind of interaction to remind me that teaching changes lives, and that I really do get my inspiration from my students,” she said.
Gust believes that online education will continue to grow, however, she adds that technology to support it needs to get better and affordability issues need to be addressed.
“Many students can only access dial-up connections and those connects are simply too slow for the technology my program is currently using,” she said.
The growth of Gust’s Health Information Technology program has taken a lot of her time. Her workload increased substantially and she would find herself in her office or at home working for 12-13 hours and still falling behind. So, this past year, she put limits on her time, started exercising, and made a point to work on campus and have lunch with her colleagues. She says she is feeling much better both physically and emotionally.
“My best advice to other program directors is to focus on the program as a whole, trust your students to give you energy and inspiration, and most of all, keep everything in perspective. Priorities still need to be your health, family, and your dearest friends,” said Gust.