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Date of Report:
08/2008
Source:
Northwest AETC
A cliché? Perhaps. Nonetheless, this quote is a calming admonition to any who are embarking on a new journey, especially one which has no clear course. As we all know, the Ryan White program is set to "sundown" on September 30th, 2009, and it remains unclear what will stand in its stead. However, as we near these crossroads and prepare for an uncertain future, we can certainly take heart through acknowledging the tremendous progress we have made as a leading force in the evolving field of clinical training.
Twenty years ago, most of us received (or facilitated) trainings confined by the walls of the physical classroom, and limited by the endless "click, click" of the slide carousel or "flip, flip" of the overhead transparency. In 1988, the personal computer was not yet a standard fixture in the teaching/learning environment. Moreover, email and cyberspace was still nudging its way into our collective consciousness. Sobering to consider how the world has changed!
At the Northwest AETC, while we will always place primary importance on the value of the face-to-face training, we have grown to welcome and embrace the evolving world of teaching technologies. Our region enjoys some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world.
However, with great beauty comes great challenge; long distances and physical barriers (land, sea, mountains, and air)! Consequently, by necessity we have learned to be "early adopters" of evolving internet and distance learning technologies, and continually endeavor to explore the possibilities they reveal in bridging the gaps between teacher and learner. So much so that twenty years after our inception, we have created the new position of Information Technology Transfer Specialist (ITTS), in order to translate new technologies from the realm of the "possible" to real-life needs of the local performance site (LPS) training environment. In addition, we continue to expand our use of internet-based learning through the hivwebstudy.org interactive clinical training website. Most importantly, we have opened ourselves to the great potential of innovative and evolving technologies, such as audience response systems, which expand our repertoire of teaching modalities that best meet the needs of the adult learner.
In realms of prevention, clinical care, and socio-cultural context, HIV disease and AIDS have evolved nearly as rapidly as the virus we strive to tame and control. Given these realities, it is not a stretch to expect change and evolution as constants in the world of HIV clinical training.
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