The Evolution of a Northwestern Education
Posted on Sept. 11, 2009
What is it that makes Northwestern Health Sciences University stand out as a leading health care educational institution? Many Northwestern students say that they chose Northwestern because of the integration of three academic programs; some say because of the location; others because of the welcoming environment and sense of community; and still others because of the outstanding faculty. No matter what reason students have for choosing Northwestern, the University strives to improve the programs and curriculum to best serve students. Throughout the years, Northwestern has adapted to educational trends and made changes to the curriculum to create an effective learning environment.
Northwestern hasn’t always been the three-program institution that it is today. The University started as a chiropractic college in 1941. In 1990 the Minnesota Institute of Acupuncture and Herbal Studies (MIAHS) was founded; in 1999 MIAHS merged with Northwestern to create the current University, and is now the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM). The program has established itself in the Twin Cities area as a premier provider of education and clinical services in acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The first School of Massage Therapy class at Northwestern was in 2000. Throughout the years, not only have the program curriculums themselves gone through changes, the University’s teaching methods and use of technology have also evolved.
Since graduating from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 1961, Joseph J. Sweere, DC, DABCO, DACBOH, has seen significant changes in the environment, the curriculum, and technology at the University. “Probably the most significant difference was that all our professors were doctors of chiropractic,” he notes. “This means that instead of having PhD’s teach us the basic sciences, anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, microbiology, and hygiene, each with their own highly specialized expertise, our instructors were all chiropractors.”
Dr. Sweere adds that another notable difference was that the classes were small, allowing for more one-on-one instruction. “This was the era prior to the feminist movement, therefore virtually all our teachers were men and perhaps less than five percent of our students and practicing chiropractors were women,” he says.
“Another great contrast by today’s standards was that it was common for both students and faculty to be smoking during and between classes, with ashtrays generously distributed throughout the facility,” Dr. Sweere says
Technology of that era was significantly different, recalls Dr. Sweere. Almost none of the instructors provided notes or hand-out materials, and every class required the purchase and use of its related textbook. “Other than in lab courses, our professors all used the traditional Socratic lecture style of teaching while students all feverishly tried to keep up writing notes in long-hand. There were no transparency overhead or slide projectors, and all diagrams and illustrations were drawn free-hand on the blackboards with regular or colored chalk. Because there were no hand-out notes, it likely stimulated class attendance.”
“From time to time, one of the instructors would have us watch an educational movie with the old-fashioned reel projector,” Dr. Sweere continues. “This was always considered a treat and refreshing break from the lecture routine, especially when the movie was in color instead of black and white. Obviously there were no televisions, computers, laptops, cell phones, PowerPoint presentations, or any of the bells and whistles that have grown so commonplace in our training of today.”
Dr. Sweere says that another major difference was that they only had small animals such as frogs and cats for their anatomical cadaver studies. The faculty never had teaching assistants, and it was common for them to be late coming to class or leaving early because they had to attend to and provide acute-care emergency services for their patients in their own private chiropractic clinics. A lot has changed since Dr. Sweere was a student.
According to Charles Sawyer, DC, senior vice president at Northwestern, today’s College of Chiropractic at Northwestern has a unique and effective way of connecting to students. “Our approach in chiropractic education is to work directly with students rather than look over their shoulder,” says Dr. Sawyer. “However throughout the years we’ve been becoming more involved with organizations that will offer students the opportunity to work with diverse populations, beyond what they will work with at Northwestern clinics.” The instruction at Northwestern has progressively evolved from a didactic teaching technique, to more hands-on.
Northwestern offers excellent opportunities for students to gain experience beyond the classroom. Some examples of organizations students can work with include Pillsbury House Integrated Health Clinic, the Courage Center, Abbott Northwestern, and the Minneapolis Salvation Army Harbor Lights Center. Working with these organizations gives students the chance to work with patients from a variety of backgrounds.
Michael Wiles, DC, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Northwestern, explains that the delivery of the curriculum has evolved in the chiropractic program in many ways, through the clinical, technological, and classroom aspects. Audience Response Systems (ARS) allow student interaction, and engagement. Group learning is also an emerging process; this includes large group lectures. Not only has the chiropractic program gone through changes to adapt to the needs of students, other programs have also made changes.
According to Mark McKenzie, MOm, LAc, dean of the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Northwestern has the responsibility to attain a balance of meeting the needs of students, and training them to go into practice. “We need to provide mediums when it’s appropriate,” he says. “Students have a variety of learning styles; we need to provide a variety of delivery methods to reach them.” McKenzie notes that decisions of which mediums to use to communicate to students are made by a combination of faculty input.
The newest program to Northwestern is the School of Massage Therapy. This program has also gone through several changes. It started in the year 2000 as an evening program, and then was changed to a day program. Now the evening program has been brought back and both day and night programs are offered. Another change is the program went from a two-day-a-week to a three day-a-week program. Dale Healey, DC, dean of the School of Massage Therapy, argues that while having classes two days a week may be convenient; it’s a lower level of commitment for students.
Another change made to the massage therapy program was the three-credit elective requirement. Students choose three credits of electives to personalize their program. Examples of elective offerings include Hospital-based Massage Therapy; Geriatrics Massage; Infant Massage; Exploration of Career Environments; and Insurance Billing. “It’s designed for students to pick and choose those elective topics that interest them,” says Dr. Healey. He believes one of the most significant changes in the massage therapy program has been the revision of the professional studies series, which is now includes the following courses: Ethics and Professionalism; Legal Aspects of Therapeutic Massage, and Employment Essentials. Topics focus on how to get a job, interviewing, and resume writing.
Along with individual programs, the University also makes changes as an institution to apply to all three programs. According to Dr. Sawyer, in recent years, the University has adopted new technologies to better serve incoming students, and to create a more competitive learning environment. New technologies include Moodle, videoconferencing, and Mediasite.
Dr. Sawyer is pleased with the University’s faculty, and their embrace of the new technology. “I’m pleased with the way our faculty is implementing Moodle and doing more with it, like moderating discussions, and posting assignments and course information. It serves as a foundation to do more online; it’s a stepping stone.” Dr. Sawyer adds that he’s also pleased with Mediasite, and the value this technology offers to students. “Students can go back and look at an important concept if they missed it. The chiropractic program is so packed with information, students need to focus, and may miss something. That’s when it’s beneficial to go back and look at Mediasite.”
Another advancement in progress is the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Education project. “This will bring a common research curriculum to all three programs,” Dr. Sawyer says. “It will provide lecture and web-based learning. Through this, students will become better consumers of strategic research.”
Dr. Wiles describes two orientations towards teaching. “Andragogy” refers to adult learning principles, and “pedagogy” refers to child learning principals. “Until fairly recently, ‘pedagogy’ has been the primary orientation towards all teaching, including in professional schools,” he says. “However, this instructional style of teaching is most effective for teaching children, as it is more instructional. As of recently, ‘andragogy’ has been used, which consists of learning strategies focused on adults; interactive learning. It’s a challenge to engage students at the optimal level.” According to Dr. Wiles, “Current students are called ‘millenials’. They learn differently and are more technology savvy. They are more focused on outcomes. This is a challenge for all educators; we recognize this and adapt.”
Learning styles have evolved over the years. As new generations of students continue to enroll at Northwestern, the University will have to continue to adapt to the new learning styles and needs of students. The faculty and administration recognize this and will continue to provide the most effective learning environment to Northwestern students.
Photo: Laptops and other new technology have changed the educational experience for teachers and students. Pictured is Brittany Woltjer, massage therapy, who recently graduated.