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MADISON AREA TECHNICAL
COLLEGE OFFERS OPTOMETRIC TECHNICIAN PROGRAM ONLINE
First Technician Program Offered Online in the US Driven by employer demand
to make training available to more people, Madison Area Technical College
(MATC) has created the first online Optometric Technician Program. According
to the American Optometric Association (AOA) News, "insufficient
training is probably the single most common complaint among optometric
office personnel from the front desk to pre-testing to the dispensary."
MATC began offering its first online Optometric Technician courses this
fall and will offer additional courses in the spring semester.
Managed health care
has and will continue to influence the delivery of eye care services in
the U.S. While the fees for managed care health plans will continue to
rise, the fees for doctors and clinics will remain discounted. This has
prompted a trend throughout the medical profession in which optometrists
schedule more appointments each day and delegate more duties to paraprofessional
personnel. MATCÕs online program will provide greater access to the training
needed by these workers.
To participate in
the program, students must have earned a high school diploma or GED and
must be employed or affiliated with an eyecare office that provides them
access to the equipment needed for most courses. The curriculum includes
written and video materials in addition to work with a professional mentor
in the workplace. Professional mentors are provided with a Mentor Guide
Book that provides procedural checklists and information on proctoring
exams and setting up instructional laboratory assignments.
"One of my employees
is currently taking an online course from MATC's Optometric Technician
Program," states Dr. Timothy Pease, a Doctor of Optometry based in
Green Bay, Wisconsin. "We are encouraging our employees to seek additional
training, and this option is a great resource. The Mentor Guide Book has
provided the necessary resources to assist me in this process. The reality
is that this course is fun for the entire office to participate in, and
it encourages the learning process of our entire team. I would recommend
the course to any office that wants to stay on the leading edge of ophthalmic
technology."
The first two online
courses, Optical Dispensing 1 and Ocular Anatomy, are 17-week courses
that began in late August. Activities include online discussions, assignments,
virtual tutorials, coffeehouse chats, guest instructors and professional
mentors. The program began as a CD-ROM project and evolved into an online
project once organizers realized that online students could access video
recordings and that a professional mentor could provide assistance in
procedural work in the lab and could proctor tests as needed.
"This is convenient
for our students. Many of them enroll part-time due to outside commitments
with family and work," states MATC Optometric Technician Program
Director Lynn Konkel. "We provide one of the few Optometric Technician
programs in the country and are the only college to begin providing the
curriculum online. WeÕre filling a need evidenced by inquiries weÕve received
from potential students as far away as Georgia."
MATC worked with Leadership
Online, a Milwaukee-based firm, to re-design the classroom-based course
content for the Web. Development began in March 2000 with most of the
work happening this summer. In addition to developing the text that appears
online, photographs, video footage and graphics were developed to supplement
the curriculum. This online program requires home or work access to the
Internet and a computer capable of playing multimedia. The computer needs
system memory of 16-32 MB of RAM or more and a processor fast enough to
play video files. QuickTime, needed to run the video files, can be downloaded
free of charge over the Internet.
According to Konkel,
space is very limited for these courses as they are available on a first-come,
first-served basis. Students can enroll in the Internet-based program
by completing the Student Information Form located on the Optometric Technician
Program homepage available under Programs at the MATC's Website. After
completion, a student can submit their application with the click of a
button. Additional information is available by contacting Lynn Konkel
at 608-246-6557 or by email
.
MATC is one of the
largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System's 16 colleges. It provides
a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult
basic education and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as
customized employee training. MATC provides training in more than 100
career programs. It awards associate degrees, vocational diplomas and
certificates, and offers non-degree courses. The college serves all or
parts of 12 counties located in southcentral Wisconsin and offers instruction
through five campuses and various other locations throughout the district.
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Last
Modified: November 21, 2000
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