CASE STUDY:

Creighton University, School of Pharmacy

Creighton University, a Jesuit university located in Omaha, Nebraska, prides itself in its rich 100 year history, and dedication to offering a personal educational experience for all students.

Fueled by the shortage of pharmacists in the United States, particularly in rural areas, Creighton launched the first accredited, web-based Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree in the United States.

The online courses initially included text or audio recordings of the didactic course content, leaving many online students to feel at a disadvantage over the students attending class on campus. Creighton added Apreso in 2006, hoping to enrich its students’ learning experiences and to offer them an easily accessible, on-demand version of the classroom lecture – including video of their professor.

“Contrary to current literature on the use of video for distance education courses, the pharmacy students almost unanimously indicated they want to see video of the instructor. Our students said they felt more connected to the course and instructor and that Apreso helped them maintain focus on the material being discussed,” said Tracy Chapman, executive director for eLearning and technology at Creighton University.

By extending a high-quality alternative to traditional pharmacology programs to busy and geographically remote students, Creighton effectively increased the number of students graduating from their program by almost 50% each year.

 “Using Apreso, students all over the country are fulfilling their dreams of becoming pharmacists without disrupting their lives or transplanting their families to attend school.”  “The impact of our degree on demand program has been wildly successful and beneficial to wide array of students.  We even had a military reservist complete her courses from Iraq,” said Chapman.

“We collected data to compare student performance after deploying Apreso,” continued Chapman.  “From this evaluation we concluded that Apreso had a positive effect on both comprehension and student satisfaction.”

Aside from the educational advantages of using Apreso, Creighton University experienced several unexpected benefits such as the capture of student organization meetings, various presentations, and guest speakers.  Creighton University found these benefits to be extremely economical, as broadcasting the above required very little preparation and virtually no additional cost.

After the tremendous success that came from deploying Apreso for use in their School of Pharmacy and Health Professions for the PharmD degree, the University has decided to add Apreso technology to its physical and occupational therapy courses this coming fall.

EXECUTIVE MESSAGE:

ApresOasis Steals the Show at EduComm 2007

As a platinum sponsor at EduComm 2007 in Anaheim last month, Apreso played a prominent role in the show, making lecture capture a front page topic at the annual event.

Apreso captured the conference sessions for the EduComm Higher Ed track. Check out Gallaudet University’s Earl Parks and Linguistics Professor Deborah Chen Pichler session entitled Capturing Classroom Interactions and Lectures: Supporting Curricular Goals and Student Learning to see how they’re using lecture replay to enhance the learning experience of their students! 

You can also relive the keynote address by Alan Kay of the Viewpoints Research Institute on Children and Powerful Ideas.

Delivering laughter, fun and the latest in lecture capture, the ApresOasis at EduComm 2007 was the first dedicated relaxation room for higher education attendees at an EduComm event.  

Educators mingled as they enjoyed free beverages and learned about the student benefits of lecture capture.  More than 60 adventurous educators made their own Apreso rich media postcards to send to colleagues unable to attend the event.   On Wednesday evening, invite-only cocktail party attracted 150 Apresojito-sipping attendees who dressed potatoes with cheese, broccoli and lobster at the Mashed Potato bar. The undisputed hit of the event were three Nintendo Wii game stations where attendees could play a round of golf and test their pitching speed at baseball.

We’d like to thank everyone who visited the ApresOasis and look forward to seeing you next year at EduComm 2008 in Las Vegas!

Click a thumbnail below for a larger view: 

MEET THE TEAM:

Brian Spadetti

Full name: Brian Spadetti
Title: Support Engineer
Years at Anystream: 1 ½ years
Birthdate: June 27
College: George Mason University

Relevant Experience:

After living at the beach for the summer, I worked as a Navy contractor for a few years doing IT and network operations.  I was lucky enough to work with Linux and UNIX platforms - skills Anystream was looking for when they hired me for technical support!

If computers were never invented what would you be doing now?

I would be a tennis instructor because I played in semi-pro tournaments for over three years and taught tennis at my local club for four years.

What was your childhood career aspiration?

Be part of the A-team TV show because Mr. T was the coolest.

If you could go back in time and use Apreso in only one class, what class would it be? Why?

Literature class! Half discussions we had I didn't understand…and didn't want to understand!

Favorite part of your job?

I get to geek out with latest gadgets and technologies – like testing video on the iPod!

Favorite Smell?

The new car smell.

Favorite Food?

Spaghetti (hint hint…see my last name)

KNOW AND TELL:

Creighton University

1:  the number of Creighton students who completed their pharmacy degree from Iraq this past year.

Who Knew?: According to the 2005 US Census estimate, Omaha’s population rose to 424,988 after annexing a smaller city called Elkhorn.

“Omaha” means “Dwellers on the Bluff”

182:  The number of massages given at the Spa at the ApresOasis over the EduComm three-day event.

The new Nashville? Several musical acts have either originated or are currently located in Omaha, including Manheim Steamroller, Bright Eyes, Azure Ray and 311.