Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106320

Robyn Shumer, MPH, School of Public Health - Office of Public Health Practice, University of Medicine & Dentistry, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854, 732-235-9451, shumerrb@umdnj.edu, Mitchel Rosen, MS, UMDNJ School of Public Health, 683 Hoes Lane West, Office of Public Health Practice, Piscataway, NJ 08854, Alix Garzero, EOHSI, 170 Frelinghuysen Rd, Room 236, Piscataway, NJ 08854, and Ranganathan Madhavan, MD, MPH, School of Public Health, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

Case-studies have been shown to be an effective teaching method in public health. Case-studies include problem-based learning, case-based learning, and case-based teaching. Selection of modality is based on the content and the focus of the learning. The goal of case-studies is for users to apply lessons from the case to their work. The New York New Jersey Public Health Training Center (NYNJPHTC) developed two web-based case-based courses: environmental health (EH) and health promotion program planning (HP). The EH case study “Pharmaceuticals in Our Waters: A Public Health Perspective,” and the HP case study, “Move It: A Case Study in Policy Change and Health Promotion Program Planning,” were developed by MPH degree candidates as awareness level exercises for public health professionals. The EH case study reinforces risk assessment and action plan development using water contamination as an example. The HP case study reinforces key features of program planning using the built environment to exemplify. Both cases were designed in response to results from the Center's needs assessment and cover five essential public health services. They were developed with guidance from New Jersey health officers. Both cases were pilot tested using pre- and post-tests, course content evaluation and web usability evaluation. Content feedback was provided by experts from both fields, while instructional design experts reviewed both cases for usability. This presentation will discuss the pedagogy of case-based learning, the benefits of each modality will be explained, and the developmental stages and pilot testing of the cases.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify three types of case-studies;
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each case-study modality;
• Describe the development of the environmental and health promotion program planning case studies

Keywords: Health Education Strategies, Workforce

Related Web page: ophp.umdnj.edu/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.