John J Rindy, BS, CIE, Department of Health Professions, Youngstown State University, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555, 330-717-2847, johnrindy@hotmail.com

As colleges and universities across the nation consider the inclusion of coursework in weapons of mass destruction in their workforce preparedness curriculum, questions arise regarding appropriate faculty, course content and objectives, as well as course design. One tool for preparing the public health workforce for WMD and mass casualty events is a hybrid course format employing interactive distance learning and Internet streaming sessions. In partnering with professionals around the world, specific expertise can be brought to the classroom, under the guidance of the course instructor. In this format, students attend traditional lectures through distance or on-campus sessions, while intermittently attending on-line sessions from their home or office. The key to constructing such coursework is the professional involvement of experts whose backgrounds are appropriate for each topic or section of the course. This method of teaching has been shown to maintain high student interest, involvement and comprehension. Attendees of this presentation will be provided with the basic framework for conducting hybrid sessions in weapons of mass destruction at the undergraduate or graduate level. Criteria for selecting topic guests for Internet streaming will be provided, as well as recommended course topics that have been shown to enhance student comprehension. An example of a successful hybrid course will be presented, along with basic student demographic information and data on student performance and feedback. This basic framework is adaptable to fully on-line coursework or to other related topics including incident command, mass trauma management, bioterrorism, emergency and disaster planning and community preparedness.

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