For good reason, the federal public health service is now investing substantial training funds in centers newly established at schools of public health: these institutions are experienced in and committed to educating the public health workforce. They are using finely pedigreed models of practice-based competency to structure and evaluate both educational curricula and training programs. But the goals of traditional teaching and training reflect important distinctions. A traditional teaching model is intended to develop broad-based knowledge, grounding in theory, and skills adaptable to a wide variety of applications by the self-motivated individual student. Though, there are certain exceptions, worksite-based training is generally more likely to be focused on the performance capacity of the organization and on specific job applications of its workers. The motivation of learners in a traditional teaching setting is different from that of participants in training; therefore, the development of course content cannot utilize the same mindset or goals. For example, our experience suggests that analytic competencies, separated out as discreet learning objectives, were too abstract to comprise an effective and interesting training course. Alternatively, we found that the same competencies, if clustered and integrated across analytic, communications, and leadership competencies in ways that reflected workers' actual jobs, became the basis of a highly practical training course.
Learning Objectives: Those attending this presentation will: 1.)analyze these competencies in the context of a training course and 2.)compare traditional teaching methods with those associated with worksite-based training.
Keywords: Training, Competency
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.