Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has highlighted the need for well-trained public health workers to interpret evidence, make informed decisions, and disseminate information to the general public. As public health courses in Ontario universities have moved online due to this pandemic, instructors were required to simulate their teaching online while maintaining student engagement. Previous research has shown that there is a lack of description for the development of online public health courses. As such, the objective of this article is to outline the development and layout of a Professional Development Studio course offered in the Masters of Public Health program at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. We use the Salmon model, previously described by Salmon and colleagues in 2013, to form the course outline. The Salmon model provides a five-stage framework for the development of a concise, engaging, and impactful online course. Based on student feedback, we found that the Salmon model positively shaped the development of the course by aiding the formulation of a course layout that was easily accessible, discussion threads to communicate in an inclusive and safe space, and relevant assessments requiring the use of tools to make judgments and appropriately disseminate information publicly. We conclude that the Salmon model is a helpful framework to use in developing an engaging online public health course. Further assessments based on student feedback should be completed to continually evolve the online course to better tailor the needs and interests of public health students preparing them for the public health workforce.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has clearly demonstrated how some public authorities, media, and the general public are ill-equipped in interpreting scientific evidence, disseminating information, and relaying necessary changes to prevent and handle the spread of disease (Galvão, 2020)
This pandemic has highlighted the need for public health workers who can communicate health information to the general public, especially on social media platforms, by using evidenceinformed decision-making (EIDM) and project management skills
As the COVID19 pandemic continues alongside the need for innovative online graduate education, our aim is to provide a detailed framework of the development of an online Professional Development Studio (PDS) course and its outcomes in pursuit of enhanced online public health learning
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has clearly demonstrated how some public authorities, media, and the general public are ill-equipped in interpreting scientific evidence, disseminating information, and relaying necessary changes to prevent and handle the spread of disease (Galvão, 2020). The e-activities are tailored to stimulate exploration content by creating online spaces for students to share information and read viewpoints of their peer’s on a given topic This writing and reading exposes students to other experiences peers may have faced, allowing them to learn various perspectives of a given topic. These activities should include a reflection component that allows the students to self-regulate and monitor their learning, applying it to their personal understanding of the topic (Salmon, 2013) Taken together, these stages formulate a framework for the development of a course to facilitate simple access to online information, stimulate and maintain motivation throughout the term, and include assessments that will encourage the application of knowledge to relevant issues, producing a valuable and translational learning experience. In the first stage of the Salmon model, our goal was to provide clear instructions on how to navigate through the
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