The Role of Orientation Programs to Prepare Students for Online Learning: A Case Study From an Executive MPH Program

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many colleges and universities throughout the United States to pivot from in-person teaching to distance-based instruction, and while this form of education offers many advantages, one challenge facing institutions of higher education is how to best prepare their students for success in the online environment. This article describes the approach used by a hybrid executive Master of Public Health (MPH) program to orient its students, who are all working professionals, to the online environment. In addition to a description of the online orientation course, quantitative and qualitative evaluation findings are shared. The article includes recommendations for establishing an online orientation program. Although the orientation described was developed for working professionals earning an MPH degree, the approach can be applied or adapted to other online programs as they face the need to prepare students for online delivery, whether during a time of emergency like the coronavirus pandemic or during a period of natural programmatic growth.

Dual Master of Social Work – Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH)

While there has been a proliferation of MSW/MPH programs concurrent with dramatic changes in the U.S. health system, there is minimal research on these programs. The purpose of this article is to describe the conceptualization, development, and implementation of an innovative MSW/MPH program at a southeastern university—the only such program in the state. Our goal as the first two directors of the program, serving consecutively, is to share knowledge and offer “lessons learned” for universities seeking to develop or enhance an MSW/MPH program, as well as agencies interested in forming collaborative partnerships. “Lessons learned” include the importance of strong ongoing communication among all MSW/MPH stakeholders, thoughtful consideration of the time demands associated with the program director’s role, viewing a developmental evaluation plan as a critical component for success, and recognizing the benefits of purposeful linkages between the two disciplines.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health: online and integrated into core Master of Public Health subjects

The Master of Public Health (MPH) is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH) competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without attaining the IPH competencies. To address this issue in a crowded and competitive curriculum an innovative approach to integrating the IPH competencies in core MPH subjects was developed. Five online modules that corresponded with the learning outcomes of the core public health subjects were developed, implemented and evaluated in 2015. This brief report outlines the conceptualisation, development, and description of the curriculum content; it also provides preliminary student evaluation and staff feedback on the integration project.