Dealing with climate change: An evaluation of a national online course

Without substantial changes in emissions rates, climate change from the buildup of greenhouse gases is likely to lead to extensive transformations of U.S. ecosystems and coastlines later this century. The U.S. Department of Defense's 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review recently determined that climate change will contribute to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of disease and may spur or exacerbate global mass migration. It is therefore essential that the public health workforce become further aware of the potential health impacts of climate change along with the specific mitigation strategies which can be carried out.

One way of generating more awareness is through the incorporation of distance learning modalities. This study involves the evaluation of an online course distributed to more than 2,000 U.S. public health workers. The online course, developed at Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness, includes a pre-test, a one hour interactive module specifically addressing the climate predictions outlined by U.S. Federal agencies, and a post test. After passing the latter portion, the learner can participate in an interactive case study simulation and receive a certificate of completion. An evaluation of the pre / post test assessment will indicate whether there has been a significant increase in the participants' understanding of climate change and its inter-relationship with public health. The authors also assert that the ability to better comprehend this audience's knowledge base is crucial for determining how future online training efforts should be designed and conducted.