Creating an Instrument to Measure the Diffusion of Distance Education

An instrument was developed to identify the factors affecting the adoption and diffusion of distance education in the health education profession. Face and content validity of the instrument was determined through an instrument review of an expert panel comprised of health education, distance education, and measurement specialists. Five professors from various universities made up the expert panel. A summary of their qualifications and the procedures used by the researcher will be explained during the presentation. After revisions were made to the instrument and approval was obtained from the institutional review board, a pilot study was conducted to establish internal consistency reliability. The pilot study consisted of a random group of professors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Internal consistency reliability was established by calculating Cronbach's alpha and Kuder-Richardson analyses. The results of the pilots study will be reported during the presentation.