Pathways to Progress: Current and Future Trends of Blended Learning and Public Health Education

Blended learning combines several different delivery methods such as collaboration software, Web-based courses, EPSS, and knowledge management practices. It mixes various event-based activities, including face-to-face classrooms, live e-learning, and self-paced learning. Public health is an area with many blended learning opportunities. For instance, public health instructors and officials have opportunities to post online communities and discussion forums. Instructors might also assign students to virtual case problems and solutions, online simulations of patients, and a Wikibook project wherein students write the book for the class in online collaborative groups. And they might also arrange a chat with public health officials online about hot topics in the field. Clearly, the field of public health is extensively benefited from blended learning. However, there is paucity of research about current and future trends in blended learning and public health, and both confusion and much optimism prevail due to multiple blended learning definitions and approaches.

During this session, we will lay out several models, definitions, benefits and disadvantages of blended learning. We will include a dozen different situations or problems relevant to the field of public health and several potential blended learning solutions. We will demonstrate examples of blended learning approaches and tap into recent data that has been collected on the present and future state of blended learning around the world. Some of this data will surprise you! Finally, we will have participants think about how to build blended learning models, frameworks, courses, and modules that can impact their own courses and programs.