Online, Interactive Training in Occupational/Environmental Health

Linda ForstUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

School of Public HealthUSA

Acknowledgment

This presentation was supported by CDC/NIOSH grant #T42/CCT522954-02, World Health Organization Occupational Health group, and Fogarty International. Its contents are solely the responsibility

of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH,

WHO, or Fogarty International.

Problem: Need for Training Dr. Eliza Esteli is a

doctor that cares for many injured workers Has no training in OM There are no local

universities with program

Cannot leave work for training

Does not have funds for courses

Course Types

Classroom-based Short courses Long-term

Deliver short courses

Stand-alone courses Text and graphic WebcastInteractive Courses Text/graphics type Audio-visual

Students Travel Teachers Travel

Nobody Travels

Overall Goal

To determine the potential for teaching a 15-week, interactive, online course in

Principles of Environmental & Occupational Health (EOH)

to international students in their home countries

Questions

What are the hardware needs (esp. connectivity)?

What technical support is required? How do students perform? What are problems with completing

the course? What pedagogical techniques are

successful?

EOH Online: Course Objectives

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

1. Describe the disciplines of environmental health professionals and the approaches by which they identify, analyze, and solve problems.

2. Identify environmental and occupational safety and health hazards, including biological, chemical, physical, mechanical and psychological hazards

3. Describe pathways of exposure, routes of absorption, basic distribution, storage and mechanisms of toxicity for important occupational and environmental exposures

EOH Online: Course Objectives4. Discuss hazard identification, exposure

assessment, risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication techniques

5. Investigate exposure factors in the workplace and general environment that lead to adverse health outcomes

6. Critically evaluate, write about, present, and discuss scientific articles, current events, and popular literature on environmental health issues at the regional, national, and global levels

7. Find and utilize resources on environmental and occupational health

Wk

Date Topic Ch

Assignments

Basic principles and assessment methodologies

1 22 Aug Scope and IntroductionTest Quiz &

Test Assignment2 29 Aug Health Hazards

1+2

3 5 Sep Qualitative risk assessment Quiz 1

4 12 Sep Risk Assessment 3 Assignment 1

5 19 Sep Risk Management 4 Quiz 2

Environmental health and exposure pathways

6 26 Sep Air Quality 5 Quiz 3

7 3 Oct Water Quality 6 Quiz 4

8 10 Oct Sanitation 6 Quiz 5 &Assignment 29 17 Oct Food and Agriculture 7

Occupational, community and global settings

10 24 Oct DDT vs. Malaria Debate

11 31 Oct Human Settlements 8 Debate due

12 7 Nov Health and Energy 9 Quiz 6

13 14 Nov Industrial Pollution 10 A 3

14 21 Nov Global health concerns 11 Quiz 7

15 28 Nov Action and principles 12 Quiz 8

16 5 Dec Finals week No Final Exam

Student Workload: 8-12 hrs/wk

Log on at least five times weekly for 15 weeks

Read chapter and additional materials each week

Complete quiz or written work every week

Participate in Discussion Board at least once per week

Activities Complete online mini courses (Envirorisk

and Toxicology Tutor) Read and take quizzes Read news & journal articles and discuss Debate- create position in group and rebut

a partner group Complete exercises (epidemiology,

determining radiation risk, make table of energy sources—advantages and disadvantages, take an occupational history, risk assessment)

Link to Short Courses on the Web Toxicology Tutor U.S. National Library

of Medicine http://

sis.nlm.nih.gov/Tox/ToxTutor.html

3 modules Self-assessment

questions Complete in 2 hours

www.uic.edu/sph/cade/envirorisk

Methods Two Fall Semesters--2003, 2004 14 international students enrolled

Along with 55 U.S. public health students Recruited by WHO Collaborating Centers BA degree or higher (1/2 medical doctors) Occupations: clinical practice, ministry of

health, university Countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines,

Senegal, Ghana, S. Africa, Poland, Turkey, Costa Rica (put on map with dots)

Results: Student Performance

6/14 completed the entire course 5/14 completed at least half 3/14 dropped out early Written work, discussion, quizzes

indistinguishable from US students Few students requested technical

assistance frequently

Results: Post-Course Evaluation

All connected through telephone line Few students printed all of their materials All worked at office, some at home, too Those who completed said: 15 weeks

appropriate time commitment Reason for dropping out: time

commitment too great All who completed requested additional

courses

Discussion: Value of course Accessible internationally Classmates from different countries—

different perspectives Computer hardware and software less

expensive than traveling for courses Students work at their convenience Students can continue to work in home

country Can reach large audiences Online pedagogy has special potential

Discussion: Limitations Connectivity—telephone

disconnected Local issues difficult to integrate

into course Cost of textbook and printing High dropout rate (3/14)

Students have other obligations US semester does not correspond to

other countries’ schedule

Discussion: Potential of DBL in EOH

Can fill educational gaps Local expertise can be nurtured to

address local problems Can enhance learning with special

pedagogical techniques Fosters international collaboration in EOH Fosters harmonization of workplace and

environmental standards

Hopes/Dreams

Free, online university that: Grants internationally recognized

credit Involves teachers from all over the

world Team teaching

Covers local issues Is incorporated into existing, local

programs

Recommendations 1

Develop an international consortium to:

1. Conduct a needs assessment Course Development Course content Accreditation/administration Access Student issues

Recommendations 2

Develop an international consortium to:

2. Conduct an assessment of potential delivery

Which instructors are willing to teach Who will grant credit How collaborations can be developed

(for example, overall course instructor teams up with local instructors)

Want to collaborate?

Linda ForstUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

School of Public HealthTelephone: 312-355-2836

Forst-L@uic.edu