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This article originally appeared in The Hearing Professional May—June 2005
The Hearing Aid Practitioner Program at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was the first two-year educational program in North America for hearing aid practitioners. Since the first graduating class in 1995, the program has earned a reputation for excellence by producing professional graduates who work in every sector of the industry.
Upon graduation, students have the theoretical knowledge and practical skills for testing, selecting and fitting hearing aids and competencies for professional success in the areas of interpersonal communication, customer service and business. Additionally, graduates know that in order to be successful they need to understand the political, social, demographic and economic factors that influence hearing health practice.
The program is delivered through distance education, making courses accessible to students without the barriers of time and geography. Students receive printed course materials and use innovative learning resources like virtual lab simulations and multimedia CD-ROMs to provide a “hands-on” approach to distance education. Students interact with their instructors and classmates through online discussions and email to create a stimulating, cooperative learning environment and, additionally, receive direct and individualized telephone and online support from their instructors. To demonstrate competency in course learning outcomes, students complete written and/or practical assignments and exams.
A unique component of the program is the way in which students complete practical assignments in many courses. Since the majority of students do not live in Edmonton, students are given the option of working in partnership with a local qualified and college-approved professional to complete learning activities and assignments, or coming to the college to work with the instructor on the same learning activities and assignments. Students are given this choice for completing practical assignments throughout the program, except in two courses taken in the final term before graduation, where students are required to attend a lab at Grant MacEwan. Thus, students are only required to visit the campus in Edmonton for one short period of time while completing the entire program.
Students are required to take all program courses (60 credits) in order to graduate. The program can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time students complete the program in two years, while the college recommends that part-time students finish the program within four years. Enrollees who have taken previous course work in the field may be granted advanced standing in selected program courses.
The current (2004/2005) cost of the entire program (tuition, textbooks, fees and supplies) for Canadian students is approximately $12,500 (CDN). For international students, current costs are approximately $23,500 (CDN).
Approximately 40 students are accepted into the program each September. Applications to the program are accepted starting each October for the following September, and since admission to the program is very competitive, applying early to the program is recommended.
Admission requirements consist of high school math and English courses or completion of MacEwan’s skills appraisal process and any subsequent upgrading identified through the skills appraisal process, as well as completion of a questionnaire relating to the profession and program.
For further information visit Grant MacEwan’s website at www.macewan.ca/hearingaid; or contact Jean Duncan, program chair, 800.799.6113 or 780.497.4031 or duncanj@macewan.ca; or Regan Lavoie, program consultant, 800.799.6113 or 780.497.4142 or lavoier3@macewan.ca. THP
