Interview with Joy Colle Administrative Director of the Au.D., Distance Learning Program. University of Florida
AO/Beck: Good Morning Joy -- nice to speak with you.
Colle: Hi Doug. Good to speak with you too.
AO/Beck: Joy, it is a pleasure for me to get together with, and to interview you. I will have to place my bias on the table here and state for the record that I might be a little prejudiced, as I earned my doctorate from the University of Florida at Gainesville Au.D. program. I am indeed honored to have this opportunity to get an update on one of the finest audiology programs in the world.
Colle: Thanks Doug.
AO/Beck: Joy, let's start with your history. How long have you been at the University?
Colle: I have served as Administrative Director of the Au.D. Distance Learning Program since May, 2001. Before that, I earned my undergraduate degree and my master's in audiology here at the University of Florida. I received my master's in 1989, and I worked as a clinical audiologist in a several settings: ENT office, University of Florida Dept. of Communicative Disorders, and also as a Compensation and Pension evaluator at the VA. In January 2001, I enrolled in the University of Florida professional MBA program, and I anticipate that I'll finish the MBA in the spring of 2003.
AO/Beck: So you're one of those people addicted to education!
Colle: Well, yes. I really love the programs here, they are accessible and they are designed for working people, so it really has been a good fit.
AO/Beck: Joy, why do you think so many audiologists and physicians go on to get their MBAs?
Colle: I really didn't know it was a trend. But, I think that if you're going to have a successful practice, one that really thrives, the business and management aspects are probably just as important as the clinical aspects. I don't think an MBA is necessary to have a great clinical practice, and there are lots of easier ways to acquire the necessary business knowledge and skills to build a successful practice. We wouldn't have very many audiology practices if you needed a graduate degree in business and a clinical doctorate for success! Some business knowledge is critical but, audiologists have to focus on audiology. At the same time, it is very important that audiologists understand not just how to manage their own practices, but how the business of the hearing industry affects our profession. The University of Florida Au.D. program offers a business class in the distance learning AuD curriculum because we believe that for this movement toward professional autonomy to be successful, understanding the business aspects of the profession is essential.
AO/Beck: How large is the Au.D. Distance Education enrollment and faculty at the University of Florida?
Colle: Currently, we have 280 students enrolled for the Fall, 2002 distance ed program. We have 7 faculty members here on campus, and we have two adjunct professors who also teach for the program.
AO/Beck: How many sites are there for the distance ed program?
Colle: We have 18 sites. In the eastern states we have Hartford, CT, Wilmington, DE, Greensboro and Charlotte in NC, In the south we have Memphis, Tulsa, Lafayette, Dallas, Atlanta, Boca Raton and Gainesville. Then we have in the north Minneapolis. Cincinnati and Cleveland in OH, and Chicago. In the western part of the country we have Denver, Los Angeles, and we recently opened a site in Seattle. We are continuously monitoring our requests for new sites, and we will add/remove sites as demand dictates.
AO/Beck: When I first enrolled, going back 4 years ago, everyone took the same 9 classes. Is that still true?
Colle: Yes. That is essentially the same, but the courses have changed slightly. I'll review those in a moment. It's important to remember that the professionals going through the Au.D. distance education program are already practicing and competent clinicians, they all have their master's degrees, and they are all licensed to practice. In that respect, they have similar backgrounds, and they have similar skills, not identical, but similar. Therefore, we designed a curriculum that has a wide and deep offering across the many frontiers which impact professional practice at this time. The courses we currently offer are Principles of Amplification, Occupational and Environmental Hearing Conservation, Balance Disorders - Evaluation and Treatment, Audiologic Rehabilitation and Auditory Processing, Counseling, Business and Professional Issues in Hearing Healthcare, Cochlear Implants and Assistive Technologies, Applied Electrophysiology, and Audiologic Assessment in a Medical Setting.
AO/Beck: How many people have graduated from the University of Florida distance education program as of October, 2002?
Colle: 480 have already graduated and we are excited that we will graduate the 500th person from the Distance Learning program in December , 2002.
AO/Beck: Joy, I know you offered a recent pilot program for the graduates and students of the Au.D. program. Can you tell me a little about that?
Colle: Sure Doug. We've had lots of Au.D. graduates who expressed the desire to have ongoing course offerings through the University. So for the first time, over the summer 2002, we offered 2 CEU classes for audiologists. We had about 45 participants in total, and the feedback was quite good. So we'll fine tune the program and offer this again in the future.
AO/Beck: Joy, what can you tell about the final course offerings? In other words, back in the early days, we used to talk about the distance education programs as being the transition programs, and that perhaps after some 5 years, they would cease enrollment. Is that still the plan?
Colle: Great question Doug. Actually, our program is going very well, and as of this moment we are still in a growth phase. In fact, our enrollment is up ten percent from last year. So to answer your question, we will continue for as long as the demand exists. Of course, eventually the pool of eligible audiologist will shrink and the AuD degree program won't be viable. It is difficult to forecast an end date, but I say we'll be here for at least 3 more years.
Right now, we are moving forward with plans for comprehensive improvements in the quality of the program delivery. We expect that by summer 2003 we will have a new state of the art course management system online. Our program was a groundbreaker in the era of distance education, but technology is constantly changing and it is time for us to enter a new stage in the life of the program and integrate new technologies into our course delivery scheme. We're looking at new multi media course content, like virtual clinic simulations. People always ask me about the end of the program, but I have to stay focused on growth and improvement.
AO/Beck: Joy, would you please list the audiology faculty members, their degrees, their positions, and the name of the classes they teach within the Au.D. program?
Colle: Sure Doug.
Alice E. Holmes, Ph.D. is the AuD Distance Learning Graduate Coordinator. She teaches Cochlear Implants and Assistive Technology.
Carl Crandell, Ph.D. teaches both Principles of Amplification and Counseling.
Scott Griffiths, Ph.D. teaches Balance Disorders.
Ken Gerhardt, Ph.D. is an Associate Dean of the Graduate School, and he teaches Occupational and Environmental Hearing Conservation.
Patricia B. Kricos, Ph.D. teaches the AR component of Audiologic Rehabilitation & APD class
Jay Hall, Ph.D. teaches Applied Electrophysiology.
F. J. Kemker, Ph.D. teaches Audiologic Assessment in a Medical Setting
Robert Traynor, Ed.D. (Adjunct Professor) teaches Business & Professional Issues in Hearing Health Care
Debbie Moncrieff, Ph.D. (Adjunct Professor) teaches the Auditory Processing component of the Audiologic Rehabilitation & APD.
Additionally, we have over 50 well known subject matter experts who present via VHS video tape for our program.
AO/Beck: Joy, for people who would like to find out more about the program, the costs and the logisitics, what's the best way to learn more?
Colle: The program is a joint effort between the University of Florida College of Health Professions Department of Communicative Disorders and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Communication Science and Disorders. The departmental websites are:
www.csd.ufl.edu
www.hp.ufl.edu/cd
We work in conjunction with a University of Florida Partner, Intelicus. Interested people will find this website most helpful:
www.intelicus.com/aud/default.htm
Anyone interested in the program can contact me (jcolle@csd.ufl.edu) or the Graduate Coordinator (aholmes@hp.ufl.edu) or they may reach an Intelicus admissions representative at 1-800-431-6687.
AO/Beck: Joy, it sounds like the program is stronger than ever and growing. I am proud to be an alumnus and I thank you for your time and the update.
Colle: It really has been fun Doug - thanks for the opportunity.
