Comparing Traditional and Distance Formats of a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Course

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover if an online course in psychiatric rehabilitation is as successful as a traditional on-campus course in terms of content delivery and learning outcomes.

Method: A traditional on-campus (n = 25) and an online (n = 17) course were compared at pretest and posttest on a measure entitled ”Psychiatric Vocational Rehabilitation Knowledge and Skills Inventory.” A 4 (Skill) × 3 (Time) within-subjects analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to assess changes in the skills of process, potential, partnership, and career advancement over time.

Results: The results were that scores for both formats significantly increased from Time 1 to Time 2, but one format did not perform significantly better than another. The Psychiatric Vocational Rehabilitation Knowledge and Skills Inventory was found to be a reliable measure.

Conclusion: The study underscores the value of a dedicated psychiatric rehabilitation course in rehabilitation graduate education.