Distance Learning

Distance education

The COPH strives, as part of its mission, to provide education to the public health workforce of Nebraska and the surrounding region.  Additionally, the College recognizes that offering distance education is important in order to make its programs more accessible to students in more remote areas.

While the COPH does not have a distance education program separate from its regular curriculum, it does offer:

Certificate of Public Health Courses and MPH Core Courses – The core courses of the MPH program are offered in synchronous (live class time) delivery via either live video-streaming, IP Video (two-way), or both.

MPH Concentration Courses – MPH concentration courses may be offered via distance depending upon concentration.  The Community Health Education, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics concentration courses of the MPH program are offered via either live video-streaming, IP Video, or both.

Doctoral Courses – Students should consult their individual departments.

Elective Courses – The MPH Program does not guarantee offering elective courses via a distance education modality.  Students participating in the MPH Program from a distance are advised to discuss elective options with their academic advisors.

• Elective courses: With academic advisor approval, any University of Nebraska approved graduate course related to public health may serve as an elective.

Distance Delivery Modalities

1. IP (Internet Protocol) Videoconferencing
   This modality is a real time video/audio class or meeting between two or more users or between two or more locations.  Videoconferencing for educational applications (classes) are full motion video and complete audio in real time. Video and audio are transmitted through the network with little loss of quality.   The University of Nebraska distance learning system connects the four main campuses and several University facilities throughout the state. Primary locations are the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University Nebraska at Kearney, and the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff.
2. Live Video Streaming
   Audio and video is streamed live in real time to students anywhere who have a broadband Internet connection and a computer system with Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Real Player, or QuickTime installed.  Students receive access to the video stream and will hear and see the class just like being there in person. The video and audio are both one-way. Interaction between the instructor and students occurs by telephone connection via a phone bridge or by web conferencing.  The live video stream ends when the class concludes and is not saved.
3. Archived Video Streaming and Echo360
   The class is digitally recorded for retrieval at a later time. Classroom sessions are archived in two ways. (1) Archived streaming video is made available within 24 hours and is uploaded by the instructor to a folder in the Blackboard course. The archived streams saved on ITS Video Service’s server can be accessed through the Codian VCR immediately following the conclusion of the class or event via a web browser. Students who want to access archived streams need to have a high-speed Internet connection, Internet Explorer, and either Windows Media Player or QuickTime. The video stream will be one-way. (2) Echo360 technology records the classroom session together with the Powerpoint slides or any materials projected on the screen through the classroom computer system. Echo360 content is automatically uploaded to the Blackboard course after the class ends. Students can easily navigate the recordings of the class using thumbnails of particular points in the lecture. It is important to note that in most courses the archived video stream is meant to enhance the student's class time and for the student to use for review. It is not meant to substitute for attendance in class.
4. Blackboard
   Blackboard is a web-based course management system designed to allow students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online or use online materials and activities to complement face-to-face teaching. Blackboard enables instructors to provide students with course materials, discussion boards, virtual chat, online quizzes, an academic resource center, and more. The degree to which Blackboard is used in a course varies. For example, instructors may supplement an on-campus class by putting their syllabus and handouts on their course sites. In contrast, other courses may be conducted entirely through Blackboard, without any on-campus sessions.