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The problem was that they would be able to come one day a week, but could not come the rest of the week. We are currently using Wednesdays. But we are also looking at either Tuesdays or Thursdays as we assess the results. The idea was to reach out to that population. The Johnson Wood Foundation was very enthusiastic about the project.

IMS Global: Did you have experience with online courses prior to developing the nursing program?

FW: We had online courses, but not in nursing. Our experience there was minimal. What we do have at the college is a terrific support system. We are partners with SunGard Higher Education and through that partnership, we have a full-time instructional designer who works closely with the faculty in developing this program. It's really the trinity of partners-Ocean County Community College, SunGard Higher Education, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-that made this program possible.

We offer, like many colleges in the USA, a full array of courses online in practically every discipline. The one thing we still don't have online yet is science labs. We do have courses where you can take the didactic part online, but you have to come to campus for the lab. We're looking at online labs as a pilot as well.

IMS Global: What were some of your initial expectations of the online nursing program? What surprised you?

FW: Well, one of the things that surprised me was how well the students adapted to online learning. We were concerned about whether they could absorb the amount of information normally presented to traditional students. We weren't naïve about distance education because we'd done a lot of it, but we'd never done it in nursing and, as you know, nursing is one of the most demanding academic programs.

IMS Global: What were some of the challenges in developing this program?

FW: The main challenge, I think, was simply designing a program from the ground up and being able to do it within three years. We were charged with designing courses that represented best practices and good instructional design. And so there was a tremendous amount of work on the part of the faculty, the dean, the director of nursing education, and our SunGard partner to bring this program to fruition.

IMS Global: How about the faculty? Were they reluctant to offer this program online?

FW: No. In fact, as I mentioned, there are the two faculty who originally conceived of the idea. They joined in wholeheartedly in the project and really were the inspiration for it. Like all faculty, there are some who are more interested in distance education than others. Not every faculty member participates. But we do have a core faculty who are actively engaged in it, teaching the nursing courses as well as the nutrition course, which is one of the required courses as well.

IMS Global: I would imagine that having an instructional designer available to help them has also facilitated development of the program.