UNMC’s uBEATS leads the way as a health science resource

The uBEATS program – UNMC’s free online science and health science resource for middle and high school students – is reaching new levels in its growth.   

uBEATS, UNMC and UNO Building Excellence in Academics Through STEM, now offers a more expansive and rigorously endorsed program than ever, while students are enrolling in record numbers nationwide and completing increasingly higher numbers of modules.

The significant growth since uBEATS’ launch in 2020 underscores the demand and responsiveness for high-quality resources for teachers and students in health sciences and STEM, said Peggy Moore, director of the UNMC Office of Interactive E-Learning.

“We are excited that uBEATS represents UNMC across the state and nationally,” Moore said, “addressing the breadth of needs and early exploration that is critical to our future health careers workforce.”

Among the program’s notable milestones:

• Student enrollments tripled last school year compared to the 2020-21 school year, growing to a high of 30,439. On top of that, students completed more than 11,000 uBEATS modules.
• uBEATS now offers digital badges to students who finalize certain progressions of modules to verify their completion. It’s a way to offer students “micro-credentialing” – a growing standard for offering a resume-quality stamp of approval for their achievement. Over the last school year, uBEATS awarded 270 digital badges.
• The program now is nationally endorsed and a member of the National Consortium for Health Science Education. To gain the endorsement, uBEATS staff aligned each of its 90-plus e-learning modules to the national health science standards, then gained verification by the NCHSE. Now, the uBEATS modules have a high stamp of approval, along with the national promotion that comes with it.

uBEATS was formed out of the growing need for health science and STEM education at the primary school level, offering educators and students an entry into health science education. It offers free digital content geared to grades 6-12 in such areas as careers, pharmacology and public health, with upcoming modules on behavioral health and medical terminology.

Learn more about the uBEATS program online.

It all results from a collaboration among UNMC E-Learning, the UNMC High School Alliance and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Within UNMC, the program also partners with faculty, its Rural Health Programs and the Nebraska Area Health Education Centers.

Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, envisioned and spearheaded uBEATS as UNMC’s senior vice chancellor for academic affairs beginning in 2017.

He offered congratulations on the program’s milestones: To Moore, her team and the high school teachers who participate in the program; to Heidi Kaschke, program manager of the UNMC High School Alliance; and to partners from the UNO College of Education who make the program accessible to teachers and students.

Dr. Davies also thanked donors and the University of Nebraska Foundation for supporting the creation and ongoing development of the program over the years.

Across the country, 48 states now utilize uBEATS.

“It is wonderful to see the growth of the uBEATS program to now impacting thousands of students across Nebraska and the nation,” Dr. Davies said. “With the short supply of science-trained middle and high school teachers, and with the great need for high quality and vetted health-related STEM teaching materials, uBEATS is helping to fill a major void.”

Deanna Ingram, uBEATS curriculum specialist, said the program is fostering a vibrant community among educators. As the offerings expand, she said, educators across Nebraska and the nation are coming together, collaborating and learning from one another.

Said Ingram, “Our partnerships with the National Consortium for Health Science Education and the Nebraska Department of Education have been instrumental in providing platforms for these connections, enabling educators to share insights and best practices in science and health science education.”

Now, Ingram said, uBEATS is shifting even more of its focus toward career exploration in the health sciences. The goal is to offer students more of a pathway toward a place at an academic medical center such as UNMC.

The program’s exposure is one more way for UNMC to address the shortage of health science professionals across Nebraska, in rural communities, and in underserved urban areas, Ingram said.

If anyone has questions or would like to know more, e-mail the uBEATS program.

Zuzi Greiner, uBEATS instructional technologist, said the programs’ “Careers in Health Care” modules have quickly become the most accessed content within uBEATS.

“By introducing students to a wide range of careers they may not have previously considered, we are fulfilling our mission as a pathway program,” Greiner said. “These modules provide invaluable exposure and inspire the next generation of health care professionals.”