257729 Effective use of hybrid courses in undergraduate public health education

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 12:44 PM - 12:56 PM

Stephanie St. Pierre, M Div, MPH , Community, Society and Health, CUNY School of Public Health, Tarrytown, NY
New technologies often polarize educators; some take up the banner of tradition and refuse to consider changing their approach while others leap into the use of untested innovations without hesitation. Online teaching is no longer new, but its' effective use in the classroom is relatively poorly evaluated and even those who are comfortable with new technology may not have been trained in its' use or given sound pedagogical reasons to incorporate technology-driven approaches to learning into their classrooms. This presentation describes how one educator has developed hybrid courses grounded in the traditional face-to-face classroom and creatively engaging students through an online environment as well. In particular, I will focus on the benefits of such approaches in teaching public health courses to undergraduates. Based on my own experience in the virtual classroom, as well as the literature on the subject of online teaching, I will offer specific insights into what works and what doesn't work, common pitfalls instructors experience and suggestions for how to adapt existing courses to include online components that improve student learning.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
1) Describe effective approaches to online teaching 2) Discuss common problems faced when translating courses from traditional classroom to hybrid or online format 3) Explain specific advantages of hybrid course for undergraduate education in public health 4) Describe strategies for adapting existing courses to hybrid format

Keywords: Education, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been teaching hybrid courses in Public Health since 2008. I have designed hybrid courses on a variety of subjects for both undergraduate and master's level students at George Washington University, SUNY Old Westbury and Hunter College. Courses include: Introduction to Native American Health; Cases Studies in NA Health; Women's Health, Nutrition & Society; Public Health Ethics; Gender and Health Policy; Health Education
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.