The Moorhead experience, fully online

Students at Minnesota State Moorhead walk across the stage fully prepared for what is ahead—thanks to faculty mentors, specialized learning experiences, and the opportunity to conduct professional research. While Madeline Kohner completed her entire degree online, her opportunities were the same as a student on campus.

Madeline studied in Ireland, conducted personalized and faculty-mentored research, and learned highly practical skills to prepare her for the future.

Moorhead’s Health Services programs gave her the flexibility to work full time while pursuing her degree. Madeline graduated in Fall 2025 with dual degrees: BS in Healthcare Management and Leadership, and a BA in Leadership & Innovation in Aging Studies.

Madeline works as a Direct Support Professional (DSP), providing vocational training for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. She helps clients develop the skills necessary to acquire and maintain employment. Moorhead’s hands-on approach to classes helped her apply what she was learning to her everyday job.

“The coursework is very practical because so many of the faculty have direct clinical experience they use to guide their curriculum and assignments,” she said. “I remember learning how to fill out an incident report in a class a few months before I needed to complete one at work.”

While at Moorhead, Madeline took a class that included a study abroad trip to Ireland. This experience connected her to campus and gave her a sense of community that is often lacking in online programs.

“This was my first time being in person with anyone from MSUM, and the students and professors were wonderful. This reinforced that I was in a network of like-minded people wanting to improve the healthcare industry wherever they were.”

Madeline also took part in a staple of Moorhead’s undergraduate programs: faculty-mentored research.

Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), like most service providers, have seen a massive uptick in the use of technology. “Communication and documentation are mostly electronic, as well as documentation,” Madeline says. While this has streamlined the process, it has also introduced unique challenges.

Madeline and Nursing & Healthcare Leadership Professor Jitendra Singh conducted a qualitative interview study of DSPs. The study surveyed how professionals and companies protect sensitive health information online. For Madeline, this was a chance to better represent the field she is currently working in.

“DSPs are very underrepresented in research. Supporting DSPs is supporting the clients, and the entire system falls apart without them. I’m glad to provide a starting point to be expanded upon in future research.”

While the data is still being analyzed and formatted for publication, Madeline shared a few trends they’ve seen in their study.

Communication-oriented duties—An overwhelming majority of DSPs identified that frequent and fast communication was one of the biggest parts of their job, mostly done on laptops or personal cell phones.

Personal phone usage—Personal cellular devices are used daily as a communication tool and for regularly meeting with clients outside the office. While useful, this can make it harder for DSPs to separate work from their personal lives.

Need for comprehensive training—All DSPs receive training in internet safety and information security, but a majority of those surveyed agreed that training “was not as comprehensive as it could have been” due to how sensitive the data is. DSPs are bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which sets the same level of sensitivity as healthcare providers. Over half of those surveyed preferred to have more in-person training and reported that companies over-relied on online training.

These outcomes identified by Madeline and Dr. Singh are helping pave the way for more representation of the needs of DSPs.

While a fully online student at Moorhead, Madeline took part in professional research, connected with students and faculty on a study abroad trip, and learned from highly practical coursework. These experiences helped her solidify her trajectory and prepare her for the road ahead.