An innovative virtual learning partnership between Vermont Technical College’s Respiratory Therapy Programand Vermont Interactive Technologies(formerly known as Vermont Interactive Television, and commonly referred to as VIT) will be featured at theUnited States Distance Learning Association’s(USDLA) 25th annual national conference in St. Louis in May.
‘This program has resulted in a unique and highly successful distance learning recipe that blends synchronous and asynchronous learning with just the right measurement of in-person classes, virtual classes via video, and online content,’ said Tara Lidstone, executive director of VIT, Vermont’s largest public videoconferencing network. Last year, VIT received the USDLA Best Practices award and was also recognized internationally as a Computerworld Laureate.
Students in the Respiratory Therapy Program learn to treat patients of all ages, from premature infants to the elderly. Health conditions that require respiratory care include asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, infant respiratory distress syndrome, and conditions brought on by shock, trauma, or postoperative complications.
TheRespiratory Therapy Programis based on the Willistoncampus and reaches out to students throughout the Northeast Kingdom. Lectures are delivered from VIT studios inWillistonand Newport. Students at the remote site can attend all classes and labs within their community. All students must travel to hospitals in Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire for their hands-on experiences. In 2011, the national professional journal‘Respiratory Times’ featured the program’s innovative, blended learning model.
‘Our unique distance learning program is truly a ‘win-win,’‘ said Faye Tolar, Vermont Tech’s program director for respiratory therapy. ‘We have provided many Vermonters with employment in areas where unemployment is very high, and we have provided rural hospitals with respiratory therapists. The program has been able to meet the needs of patients throughout Vermont, especially in and around Burlington, and hospitals in neighboring cities in New York and New Hampshire.’
Vermont Technical College. 3.30.2012.