Re: Federal Legislation and Maintaining Standards
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: Federal Legislation and Maintaining Standards
Date:
12/15/2000
Text:
Jim,
ABC and NCOPE do not offer courses as you put it. They credential the
offerings of organizations putting on educational programs. Both the ABC and
NCOPE systems provide adequate flexibility to accommodate the desire of an
organization to conduct such an effort.
AAOP currently provides a variety of such distance learning opportunities.
While I have not personally investigated the details, I am sure they are
receiving PCE from ABC for such offerings or they would have few if any takers
and would not continue to offer them.
A joint task force of ABC and NCOPE specifically looked into the issue of
distance learning several years ago and as I said, assured themselves that the
system accommodate the possibility. In this effort I personally learned that
while the possibility looks quite beguiling at first glance, it is extremely
expensive and complex to organize. It also puts great demands on the
participant.
These facts aside from any resistance to change are probably enough to slow
the introduction of distance learning offerings into P&O education. The schools
are bedeviled with a lack of resources already. For the administration to make
the investment, and for the faculty to divert scarce time from what they are
presently doing to create an offering that might well not be subscribed to
doesn't look too attractive.
On the other hand, there probably will be an increasing number of distance
learning opportunities for fulfilling the requirement for prerequisites, the
general coursework that must be taken in advance of the specialized P&O courses.
More and more accredited institutions are doing this, and I expect that it is in
this area that we will see the real growth of distance learning.
Charles H. Pritham, CPO, FAAOP
ABC and NCOPE do not offer courses as you put it. They credential the
offerings of organizations putting on educational programs. Both the ABC and
NCOPE systems provide adequate flexibility to accommodate the desire of an
organization to conduct such an effort.
AAOP currently provides a variety of such distance learning opportunities.
While I have not personally investigated the details, I am sure they are
receiving PCE from ABC for such offerings or they would have few if any takers
and would not continue to offer them.
A joint task force of ABC and NCOPE specifically looked into the issue of
distance learning several years ago and as I said, assured themselves that the
system accommodate the possibility. In this effort I personally learned that
while the possibility looks quite beguiling at first glance, it is extremely
expensive and complex to organize. It also puts great demands on the
participant.
These facts aside from any resistance to change are probably enough to slow
the introduction of distance learning offerings into P&O education. The schools
are bedeviled with a lack of resources already. For the administration to make
the investment, and for the faculty to divert scarce time from what they are
presently doing to create an offering that might well not be subscribed to
doesn't look too attractive.
On the other hand, there probably will be an increasing number of distance
learning opportunities for fulfilling the requirement for prerequisites, the
general coursework that must be taken in advance of the specialized P&O courses.
More and more accredited institutions are doing this, and I expect that it is in
this area that we will see the real growth of distance learning.
Charles H. Pritham, CPO, FAAOP
Citation
“Re: Federal Legislation and Maintaining Standards,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 5, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/215464.
