University of Florida College of Pharmacy Elluminates Master’s Program

Recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top colleges in the United States, the University of Florida College of Pharmacy has been using Elluminate technology in its Online Master of Science in Pharmacy Program since the program began 5 years ago. Our online master of science in pharmacy program now has nearly 200 students and 75 alumni across the country.The online MSPharm program is a great opportunity for pharmacy-industry professionals to set themselves apart by gaining expertise in drug regulation, compliance, patient safety, risk management, and more, opening doors to a variety of expanded career options. And because this is a part-time program, students take one class at a time live, online in Elluminate, allowing working professionals a format that fits into their busy schedules.Without Elluminate, the UF MSPharm degree, which began in 1923, could not be offered in a distance education format. When the college sought to expand the residential program to an online format, the faculty decided frequent class meetings in a virtual classroom were essential. Elluminate has made it possible to create a culture of collaborative learning that bonds students as academic colleagues despite the thousands of miles that physically separate them.In addition to being an ideal learning platform, Elluminate is very easy to learn to use as moderators and instructors. When we launched the online program, some faculty had virtually no computer skills but were able to quickly develop user skills and expand their curriculum because of the functionality Elluminate offers. Additionally, the ease of using Elluminate has led them to learn other computer applications that previously had been too intimidating to attempt.How do we use Elluminate at the UF College of Pharmacy? To view a video we developed, visit http://tinyurl.com/ufvideo. You can also view a sample Elluminate class at http://media.cop.ufl.edu/e-example/.Often, students share with me how Elluminate has led to greater participation in class. One student told me,Most applicants are surprised to learn our classes are held live at set days and times. And occasionally we are asked, “You mean we have to attend class?” Active inclass participation is essential to our teaching philosophy, and students who want to avoid that would not fit well in our program.According to 2010 program alumnus Harold Newton, Elluminate made this program doable. “Most online classes are essentially self-learning in a vacuum,” explained Newton. “But with Elluminate, classes are live and interactive. It is as close to attending class on campus as you can get without actually being there physically.”Newton cited the ability to “check out” a classroom for student-led study groups as one of the program’s best attributes. “My cohorts consisted of pharmacy professionals across the country,” he said. “We were everywhere, from Maine to California, yet Elluminate’s functionality allowed us to interact just like we were all in the same room.”“Collaboration has been the cornerstone of my education, and Elluminate provided a venue where students and faculty can interact ‘live’ from any time zone,” added Newton. “If you believe the expression ‘technology is making the world flat,’ then Elluminate has made the world a little flatter.”The University of Florida (UF) is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university. The state’s oldest and most comprehensive university, UF is among the nation’s most academically diverse public universities. UF has a long history of established programs in international education, research, and service. It is one of only 17 public, land-grant universities that belong to the Association of American Universities.The UF MSPharm program has a longstanding tradition of excellence dating back to 1923. Since its inception, the program has stood for excellence, leading the way in academic innovation. In 2005, the program was expanded to include distance education. Classes for the online MSPharm program are held live, online, in highly interactive virtual classrooms at set days and times. Students take one three-credit, 7-week class at a time, meeting twice weekly during evening hours, often including Sundays.Elluminate, Inc. provides proven, best-in-class web, audio, video, and social networking solutions that support twenty-first century teaching, learning, and collaboration. The company serves more than 1 billion annual web-collaboration minutes to over 7 million teachers and students located in 170 different countries.Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Pleasanton, California, Elluminate is the trusted choice of prominent academic institutions and corporations, including ADP, Apple Computer, California State University, Florida Virtual School, Georgetown University, K12 Inc., London Knowledge Lab, Los Angeles Unified School District, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Novell, Queen's University, Royal Veterinary College, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems, and many more.

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