Evaluating a hybrid web-based basic genetics course for health professionals

Summary Health professionals, particularly nurses, continue to struggle with the expanding role of genetics information in the care of their patients. This paper describes an evaluation study of the effectiveness of a hybrid basic genetics course for healthcare professionals combining web-based learning with traditional face-to-face instructional techniques. A multidisciplinary group from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created “Basic Genetics Education for Healthcare Providers” (BGEHCP). This program combined 7 web-based self-education modules with monthly traditional face-to-face lectures by genetics experts. The course was pilot tested by 186 healthcare providers from various disciplines with 69% (n = 129) of the class registrants enrolling in a pre–post evaluation trial. Outcome measures included critical thinking knowledge items and a Web-based Learning Environment Inventory (WEBLEI). Results indicated a significant (p