Online Education: If You Build it…Will They Come?

We’re half way thru 2013!  It is hard to believe Inquisit has offered online education programs for over 12 years.

Distance education has emerged as a viable alternative for providing educational opportunities for working health professionals [1]. Flexibility in scheduling, elimination of travel expenses, and improved access to the Internet are attracting adult learners who might not otherwise be engaged in lifelong learning activities.

After September 11, 2001, participation in Inquisit’s live, in-person, classroom programs began a very swift decline.  But, we were ready. We had our Learning Management System built, tested, and populated with 5 excellent opening day courses.

We built it and yes… we waited for all of you to come. We turned on the lights so you can attend at night as in this famous scene:

Shoeless Joe Jackson: What's with the lights?
Ray Kinsella: Oh, all the stadiums have them now. Even Wrigley Field.
Shoeless Joe Jackson: Makes it harder to see the ball.
Ray Kinsella: Yeah, well, the owners found that more people can attend night games.
Shoeless Joe Jackson: [Shakes his head] Owners.

Our 5 course starting line-up is now a full season of over 130 courses. The game tickets are $0-$10 per seat. The materials are all-star caliber. In cyberspace, there is always more room at our stadium.

Many of you have already attended our Learning-On-Demand ballpark: 1,993 learners in 2010, 3,623 participants in 2011 and 3,012 valued customers in 2012. You found the programs you wanted. You participated at the time best for your own schedule. You earned your needed CE. You improved your knowledge. And, all for a low affordable rate. 

Online education offers a convenient, self-paced alternative to classroom-based courses, and is far more engaging than correspondence courses. It is often more economical than either of these traditional options as well. Online education is ideal for busy professionals who need to obtain continuing education units.  Anywhere you’ve got a computer and an Internet connection, (even in a field in Iowa) you can work on your CEUs. The advantage of getting your continuing education units online is that you can do the work whenever you have some free time, imagine the possibilities. Perhaps you are a morning person but cannot seem to find a class that meets your schedule. What if your schedule is so hectic that it seems impossible to find time to attend a traditional classroom based lecture?  Sometimes your busy life makes traditional brick and mortar style learning too difficult to schedule. This is where online learning excels.

Most education-trend watchers agree that online education will continue to expand. Technology continues to improve, along with fasted connections and wireless access. People everywhere are becoming more comfortable with and dependent on technology to pass information back and forth. Hardware and software with better interactivity are expected to make the virtual classroom experience more "real."  Online activities are expected to become a bigger part of the continuing education movement. So, give it a try now!

For those who haven’t made it to our Learning-On-Demand ballpark. Come on in! Give us a try!  No, it isn’t heaven and it isn’t Iowa.  But, it is a one stop e-commerce site for quality, convenient and cost effective continuing education for health care professionals on all teams. www.inquisit.org/lod

But, that’s not all! Every great arena has “other” attractions for the loyal fan.  Inquisit is no different. While you are perusing our on-demand line up, step into our Now Featuring Box for monthly offerings.  Inquisit’s website has Resources Centers, Valuable Partners,  a complete season schedule, and of course, the Continuing Education (CE) accreditations you need and want.

“You know we just don't recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they're happening. Back then I thought, well, there'll be other days. I didn't realize that that was the only day. “

-Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham

Go the distance with Inquisit.

I welcome your responses, comments and any questions or requests for additional information because “We built it. Please come!”

Register with www.inquisit.org and be the first to correctly guess this movie reference to be rewarded with Inquisit IQCards for free education.

1Ryan D, Waterston R. Transforming continuing education materials for on-line learning. J Telemed Telecare. 2000.  Aug; 6(Suppl.2):S64–6. [PubMed]

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

Forrest Gump quotes are uncomplicated, basic and true. They are almost Zen-like in their simplicity.

I love Forrest Gump. It is one of my top ten favorite modern movies. The story is so pure in its message – that if you live your life with no ill-will to anyone, no matter how simple you may be, you can have a profound effect on the world. Embracing the philosophy that each individual on this earth is important.

Never has a movie line been as true as “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”  Life does hand us surprises every day.

But, I believe there are some areas where you know, at least in part, what you will get. For instance, you never know what great topics we are offering at Inquisit until you visit www.inquisit.org and peruse our programs. But, what you do know is you will always get quality, cost effective, convenient, and accredited continuing education. We want to find the best education fit for you… like peas and carrots.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Forrest is on his power lawnmower. Forrest says, “And cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin’ it so much, I cut that grass for free.” That says to me that if you love what you do, it is not work. The Inquisit team loves what we do and to us, developing and delivering education to you is not work.  But, gazillionaries we are not.  However, our services are very cost-competitive and delivered in such a manner as to result in a very low per-person cost.

Our busy days can become overwhelming and when frustration builds “sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks.”  Inquisit can help ease those days with CE on-demand. Inquisit's Learning-On-Demand service is exactly as it states: take the programs you want, exactly when you want them. With this option, you can choose from more than 70 specialty programs and you can get continuing education credits at your own pace. To make this service even more appealing, every Learning-On-Demand program is available for $10 or less per person. Learning-On-Demand is an immediate solution for your continuing educational needs.

So…Run, Forrest! Run to www.inquisit.org. We have what you’re looking for.

And that's all I have to say about that!

I welcome your responses, comments and any questions or requests for additional information on the educational activities we present at Inquisit.