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Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership
For information on technology used please go to: mama.uchsc.edu/rli/pub/info.cfm

South Central Public Health Leadership Institute
The South Central Public Health Leadership Institute presents an annual satellite broadcast as part of the scholars' curriculum. The Alabama Department of Public Health, one of our partners, provides the hardware and technical expertise for the uplink. Dr. Shoshanna Sofaer presented our first Program on September 9, 1998, entitled "An Expanded View of Public Health". Since then we have presented programs entitled: Sustaining Healthy Communities: Promising Practices from the Field, Leading Change: It's More than Vision and Communication, and Essential Public Health Services: Fact or Fantasy for Achieving Health Objectives. Videotapes may be obtained by calling Michael Smith, Alabama Dept. of Public Health at 334/206-5631.

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Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute
The TriState Public Health Leadership Institute uses modern technology (computers, faxes, telephones, satellites) to increase opportunities for applicant outreach and scholar learning. Using technology is particularly helpful to this program because of the great geographic distance between applicants, scholars, steering committee members and TriState PHLI staff. Applicants to the program pledge a commitmemt to obtaining the equipment and skills necessary to participate in the distance based learning components of the curriculum. Marketing and outreach to potential scholars is being accomplished by traditional methods, including mailing flyers, brochures, and printed applications. In addition, however, recruitment efforts are also being conducted through the internet. Information about the Institute and a scholar application are posted on the TriState PHLI webpage.

Modern technology has also been used as a tool for scholar learning. A mixture of technologies are employed both for real time and asynchronous interaction with scholars. Included in the mixture are: e-mail exchanges, telephone conferences, and online computer forum discussions (Satellite video conferences are being considered). Ongoing interaction between the PHLI staff and the scholars occurs by e-mail. A listserv distribution list allows quick dissemination of information and materials to the scholars. Four telephone conference calls scheduled throughout the year, provide an opportunity for an expert guest to share information or a case study with the scholars and for the scholars to have time for a brief discussion of the material. Four (4) online computer discussions, posted through the webpage, are used for longer in-depth discussions of particular issues. Each scholar must listen to a brief audiotape of the guest facilitator and interact with the facilitator and other scholars in a two week written asynchronous discussion. Other online discussion groups have also been established for each small scholar team (learning teams) and for each state. These groups allow scholars an on-going forum for discussion of projects, assignments and ideas.

While using modern technology has some benefits, it is not without its downsides. Challenges have included: individuals overestimating their level of skill with computers, varying levels of commitment to distance learning in each state, constantly changing e- mail accounts, varying levels of interest in communicating through the computer and inexperience of staff and faculty at using the various technologies as tools for learning.