Kira Werstein, along with colleagues in the kinesiology department, developed the digital health master's degree as part of the Degrees of the Future initiative, but the program goes to the heart of the land-grant mission.
"When we see things changing as experts in the field, at Iowa State we have to be leaders and prepare people to go out in the world and disseminate that knowledge," said the kinesiology teaching professor.
The online program was the first of the university's Degrees of the Future approved by the Iowa Board of Regents. Digital health -- which combines health and technology to enhance the delivery, management and monitoring of health care -- encompasses areas of people's lives as varied as telehealth, wearable technology, mobile health apps and data analytics in health care. The first students enrolled last fall to learn about an industry valued at about $350 billion globally in 2022.
The 30-credit, coursework-only master's program is delivered asynchronously, accommodating learners across the globe, primarily working professionals. Students have enrolled from across the country and as far away as Egypt and with undergraduate degrees in engineering, computer science, business and health care. The first graduates are expected this summer.
"Technologies can be used to increase access for people who don't have health care," Werstein said. "Digital technology makes health care more efficient in a time when we have a worker shortage. It serves more people, it can decrease cost and makes us more efficient.
"One thing we are working hard on is making connections with industry partners so students have the opportunity to work with them for their capstone projects."
Werstein said digital health allows individuals to be treated for specific needs with fewer broad recommendations. Customizing care helps people find an effective program and stick with it, she said.
Building a new program
Werstein hired two assistant teaching professors -- Michelle Rusch and Kristen Metcalf -- in the kinesiology department and the trio designed the program's courses. They enlisted guest lecturers and collaborated with department faculty to complete the curriculum. Courses range from foundations of digital health to analytics and artificial intelligence for health strategies. Werstein ensured no significant overlap or duplicate efforts with other programs at Iowa State.
"We reviewed programs globally and went to related departments on campus, but the focus of integrating digital health tools within health systems to improve health outcomes broadly sets it apart," she said. "We are first in the state to offer a digital health degree."
With the curriculum, students may choose populations and the different types of interventions they want to learn about specific to their career paths, she said. For example, one student wants to help prevent chronic and contagious diseases in Egypt.
Each faculty member has an area of expertise. Rusch, an ISU alum, develops virtual reality and augmented reality applications to address cognitive and visual impairments in health care. Metcalf uses wearable technology to promote physical activity and health, and Werstein uses telehealth with health coaching to promote behavior change in individuals.
Instructional designers at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching partnered with the instructors on course design to ensure an effective online learning environment for students. Instructors create and curate the course content while designers focus on usability, interactivity and an easy-to-navigate course structure.
"The instructors work one-on-one with our instructional designers to design their course and get it on Canvas. They use a template that lays out an organizational system with a variety of learning opportunities using elements like videos and quizzes," said Susan Wohlsdorf-Arendt, Iowa State Online director.
Growth and branding
Enrollment doubled from the fall to spring semester, and Werstein credits the marketing and branding efforts of Iowa State Online as a piece of the growth.
"We worked with the same company that developed the 'Cyclone in the Making' campaign for undergraduate students to develop a new campaign for adult learners, who we are targeting with these online efforts," Arendt said. "It is within the university brand, but it is for those adult learners looking to take that next step."
During three webinars Werstein and others shared information and took questions from potential students. The webinars are posted to YouTube and shared on department, college and university social media platforms with other information about the program. The digital health instructors recently launched a professional blog.
"We are trying to share information about digital health to help people realize it's about a lot more than just wearable devices," Werstein said.
Arendt said webinars are a common practice in the online learning space, but newer at the universitywide level for Iowa State. The digital health program was the first that Iowa State Online worked with from start to launch, providing learning opportunities and some strong results.
"An hour after one of the webinars was complete, one of the participants applied for the program," Arendt said.
Iowa State Online staff distributed a survey to the digital health students after the fall semester to get their input on enrollment and course design. That, combined with course evaluations, will help Werstein and her team improve the program.
