HEP Network
Frequently Asked Questions (University Providers)

What is the HEP Network?

The HEP Network is a consortium of professional organizations and privately held companies whose mission is to provide high quality health education, health promotion, and public health programs and courses for practitioners. The American Association for Health Education and the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education are participating members of HEP Network.

How are these courses delivered?

HEP Network courses are delivered through distance education technologies using PowerPoint presentations and audio streaming. This technology will be advanced from time to time, however the goal of the Network is to be accessible to the majority of students in their homes.

Why should my academic department/university participate?

Weaving HEP Network courses into your continuing education or resident instruction graduate or undergraduate level offerings provides a method to provide high quality academic courses without unduly taxing your faculty and staff resources. In addition, depending on the tuition policies and procedures at your university, HEP Network courses may provide an additional source of revenue for your department.

What is the cost of HEP Network courses?

HEP Network courses are $265 per three-credit offering. An additional $100 fee will be added if you chose to have an HEPNetwork course evaluator, not currently on your faculty, serve as the course assigned instructor and evaluator.

How long is each three-credit course?

Each course includes a minimum of 40 hours of direct instruction to comply with the standards set by regional accreditation boards. Complete course outlines are provided on the HEP Network website.

How are students charged for HEP Network courses?

The participating university or agency determines how students are billed for course access. Most universities charge students the standard tuition fees and then reimburse the HEP Network for cost of access to the course for each student. Some universities or agencies may need to build in an additional access fee in addition to the students' tuition as a technology fee. In that case students may register directly on-line for credit.

How will students be graded?

Participating universities can assign an instructor/grader from their staff to perform these functions. HEP Network has on-line instructor/evaluator training materials that provides appropriate guidelines. Or, universities can use one of the HEP Network approved course instructors/evaluators. A fee of $100 per student, per course will be assessed for use of HEP Network course instructor/evaluator.

Is technical support available?

Yes, technical support is available in two general areas. First, Dr. Min Qi Wang, the HEP Network Webmaster, will provide technical support on appropriate website applications. Dr. Wang can be reached at mqw@umd.edu. Second, Dr. Don Chaney is serving as the Network Administrator and can provide technical assistance on administrative procedures and continuing education protocol to offer HEP Network distance education courses, certificate programs and degree programs. Dr. Chaney can be reached at chaneyd@chaneytech.com .

What courses are presently available?

HEPNetwork is continually adding courses. Courses that are currently offered or coming in the near future are listed below:

• Foundations of Health Education (currently available)
• Health Behavior: Theory and Program Planning (currently available)
• Health Education Curriculum and Instruction (currently available)
• Health Education in the Elementary Schools (currently available)
• Health Education in Middle and Secondary Schools (future projection)
• Drug Education and Prevention (currently available)
• Research Methods in Health Education (currently available)
• Applied Epidemiology (currently available)

Can courses be added to the HEP Network?

Yes, courses can be added to the HEP Network. Procedures and guidelines to submit new courses and workshops to the HEP Network are provided at www.hepnetwork.org or by contacting chaneyd@chaneytech.com. The HEP Network is specifically seeking courses and workshops that meet the needs of the underserved target audiences.

Will my university be able to offer a degree working with HEP Network?

Yes, HEP Network will have a sufficient number of courses available in the near future to allow participating universities to construct a degree program entirely on-line. As the number of courses increases it will allow universities to group courses to provide the appropriate scope and sequence of content and experience to prepare students as graduate level health educators to function with several different areas of expertise.