Distance Learning for Health Workshop: Public Health Online Courses - Jessica Sheringham, People's Uni

Richard Heller, Gracia Fellmeth, Terence Harrison Steve Fabricant & Jessica Sheringham Internet based public health capacity building for developing countries: People's Open Access Education Initiative

Context: Ideas behind the Peoples-uni
Develop public health capacity in low income countries
Keep costs very low using
open educational resources
open source delivery mechanisms
volunteers
Position outside (but in collaboration with) traditional university system

Context: History of Peoples-uni 2006 2007 URL created Module pilot Charity status 2008 1st semester 2010 2009

2010: 86 + volunteers

2010: 200 students

Modules
Foundation Sciences
Biostatistics
Introduction to Epidemiology
Evidence Based Practice
Health economics
Inequalities and SDH
Public Health concepts for policy makers (F+S)
Evaluation of Interventions
Public Health Ethics
Public Health Problems
Communicable diseases
Disaster management & emergency planning
HIV/AIDS
Maternal Mortality
Preventing child mortality
Public Health nutrition
Patient safety
Non-Communicable Disease: Diabetes & CVD

Developing a module – selecting open educational resources
1. Good search engines
Health Sciences Online ( http://hso.info ) Open Courseware Consortium ( http://www.ocwconsortium.org/ ) OER Commons ( http://www.oercommons.org/ ) Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Opencourseware ( http://ocw.jhsph.edu/topics.cfm ) Tufts Opencourseware ( http://ocw.tufts.edu/ ) Global Health elearning centre ( http://www.infoforhealth.org/elearning/ )
2. Our own appraisal
3. Student comments

Case study: Evidence Based Practice
Module follows Peoples-Uni template:
5 topics (2 weeks each)
Online facilitation by volunteer tutors following facilitators guide
Automated application and enrolment process http://courses.peoples-uni.org/course/applications.php
MCQs available during module
Assessed assignment after module
Automated records & creation of academic transcripts

How did we do? Student feedback Commend to others? Relevant to job? More modules? Diploma/ MSc?

How did they do? First semester pass rate

Facilitating on People’s Uni: experiences and challenges
Learning from vastly diverse student experiences & cultures
Students also have wide range of abilities: pitching it right
Maintaining quantity and quality of discussion throughout entire module
Stimulating postings (dealing with online ‘silences’!)
Tried realtime chat, but timezones & connectivity problems
Maximising potential of the technology, distance learning ourselves…whilst appreciating limitations faced by our students:
Access to online materials
Limited bandwidth, computer access
Extremely challenging day jobs

Student activity report: example

Student experience: developments
Separate CPD and academic award streams
Upgrade to Masters in Public Health to start semester 1 2011
More structure to resources and discussions
Improve information to create realistic expectations among the students
Charge fees as condition of enrolment ($50 US per module charged)

Peoples-uni and Partnerships
Collaboration and partnerships essential
Local relevance of education
Local credibility
Add value not compete
Institutional
Double badge awards
Internet access centres
Individual
Course module developers
On-line facilitators
Technical support

Finally
Peoples-uni’s 'social model' approach can
contribute to Public Health capacity-building in low/middle-income countries
work in other academic areas
All collaboration welcome, please join in or make suggestions:
Individuals: developing modules, facilitators, technical support
Institutions: jointly develop & deliver courses of mutual interest
More information:
http://peoples-uni.org
[email_address]
[email_address]

Distance Learning for Health Workshop: Public Health Online Courses - Jessica Sheringham, People's Uni

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Distance Learning for Health Workshop: Public Health Online Courses - Jessica Sheringham, People’s Uni Presentation Transcript