A Cross-Discipline Evaluation of Practice-Based Teaching: Designing and Conducting an Evaluation of Innovative Teaching Methodology across MPH Disciplines

Accredited schools of public health (SPH) offering Masters in Public Health (MPH) degrees must meet specific competency requirements across five domains within the discipline.  In addition, MPH programs should incorporate opportunities for students to practice the skills associated with specified competencies, as well as other workplace skills, in public health practice settings. A pedagogical strategy such as practice-based teaching (PBT) may provide those opportunities. Limited research has been done to measure the effectiveness of PBT in attainment of course competencies within one discipline of public health, let alone across disciplines of public health.  A rigorous, multi-method evaluation was conducted for four MPH courses spanning three disciplines at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).  Guided by a logic model and evaluation plan, the pre-test post-test evaluation was designed to assess short- and long-term goals of PBT generally, and specifically the competencies required by each course.  Each course collaborated with different agencies.  Data collection strategies included surveys of students and agency, key stakeholder interviews and focus groups, in-class observations of faculty, and document review of course materials.  MPH students are trained and expected to be multi-disciplinary in their approach to public health, just as faculty should be multi-disciplinary in their approach to high-quality and innovative teaching.  As such, the effectiveness of PBT as a teaching methodology in SPH should examine impacts across disciplines and agencies.  This evaluation provides insight into student learning outcomes, establishes best practices for faculty collaboration, and informs teaching practice across disciplines in an MPH program.