Pedagogy in Health Promotion

As the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research expands in schools of public health to inform pedagogic and curricular approaches, it is crucial to consider how student voices are included in this work. Based on our experience with course-level and curriculum-level evaluations, we describe the process, benefits, and challenges of engaging students and pre- and postdoctoral trainees in SoTL. The degree of student and trainee involvement can vary based on interest, availability, and level of training. Graduate student roles can range from research support to full collaboration. Due to their advanced training, pre- and postdoctoral trainees can take a lead role in SoTL projects. Engaging students and trainees provides multiple benefits. First, the students and trainees gain experience on a research team; second, faculty have support to feasibly conduct SoTL; and third, programs can evolve by gaining in-depth information about courses and curricula. Challenges include student and trainee availability, turnover as students graduate, and availability of resources. Additional factors to consider are how students and trainees are chosen to participate and power differentials between students and faculty. Involving graduate students and trainees in SoTL facilitates the evaluation of pedagogical approaches and has the potential to contribute to the development of a strong evidence base for effective teaching models in public health education.

Geospatial thinking and reasoning (GSTR) skills are currently not routinely integrated into public health curriculum for undergraduate students in colleges or universities. However, integrating GSTR skills into curriculum has been shown to increase spatial thinking skills, which leads to better cognitive thinking and problem solving skills. An Examining Vector-Borne Disease Transmission (EVBDT) curriculum unit was developed using the geospatial curriculum approach to investigate malaria, dengue fever, and zika disease spread in the environment, using patterns, data, and sociodemographic factors. The purpose of this design-based research study was to understand public health content learning and GSTR skill acquisition through use of the geospatial curriculum approach among students (n = 95) enrolled in undergraduate public health content classes. Data sources included a classroom observation instrument; pretest and posttest measures for the Spatial Habits of the Mind survey; a pretest, Posttest 1, and delayed Posttest 2 EVBDT assessment that included public health content and GSTR skill items; and a postimplementation survey to understand students’ perceptions of geographic information systems use in the curriculum. Findings revealed significant mean differences showing growth in public health content learning and GSTR skills. The findings provide support that Web geographic information systems with appropriate curriculum design can engage students and affect both learning outcomes and GSTR skills in public health education.

Documented health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities exist in the United States, and health injustices frequently have deep historical ties, especially in the South. Therefore, it is critically important for students to understand root causes of both historical and contemporary public health issues and their effects on population health. In spring 2018, 15 undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham participated in a six-credit-hour travel course by touring throughout the Deep South to learn more about the ways in which history and place interact with programs, policies, and practices to influence population health. Students saw firsthand how the social determinants of health frequently affected access to health care and discovered the value of a multidisciplinary approach to public health and health programs in addressing health equity. The purpose of this article is to describe student experiences with the travel course through an exploration of students’ reflective journal entries, blog posts, and student presentations. Additionally, the authors report results of a self-assessment designed to measure student interest and level of comfort in working with, or on behalf of, medically underserved populations. The article concludes with implications for public health and best practices for offering place-based courses across academic majors.

Undergraduate research is defined as an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student in collaboration with a faculty member that makes an intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. This study assessed the impact of integrating undergraduate research experiences into public health curricula on students’ knowledge of neighborhood inequalities, perception of research, and motivation to talk about health issues. The sample consisted of 132 undergraduate students from two groups (intervention and comparison). The intervention group (n = 71) conducted a structured social observation in various zip codes to characterize assets and liabilities of the local built environment. Self-reported questionnaires assessing the key study variables were administered to the students at baseline and at postintervention. Compared with those in the comparison group, improvements were noted in knowledge among those in the intervention group from pretest to posttest. Participants in the intervention group were also more motivated to talk about health issues compared with those in the comparison group. Perception of research among those in the intervention group also improved over time when participants were divided into two research confidence level groups (confident and nonconfident). The evaluation of this intervention demonstrates the positive impact integrating undergraduate research experiences can have on a sample of students.

Public health professionals are increasingly called on to demonstrate program evaluation skills, a core competency for the field. Learning opportunities that are connected to community organizations with identified evaluation needs give students meaningful opportunities to build and test new skills. When thoughtfully implemented, community-based learning benefits both the student and the community, yet there are several important considerations for designing a course that incorporates this feature. This article describes one approach for teaching graduate public health students how to conceptualize and write a comprehensive program evaluation plan for a community agency, based on the needs, priorities, and capacity of that agency. Lessons learned and recommendations for adopting this model are discussed.

Policy shapes the health of communities by enabling and limiting public health practice. Major organizations that focus on public health systems, education, and training stress the importance of policy to population health. They also recognize that practitioners should learn, practice, and be able to deploy policy skills. However, despite the recognized role of policy in public health, some public health practitioners remain uncomfortable with policy. And although teaching policy in public health programs appears on the rise, public health policy pedagogy literature is limited and tends to define policy narrowly. Service learning, which is used to teach other skills critical for public health, exhibits great promise as a tool to teach public health policy. This article describes an interdisciplinary, graduate-level public health policy course that relies on a service-learning approach. The course aims to teach public health policy principles, theories, and concepts and to make students more comfortable with public health policy through applied learning.

In keeping with the use of “Plain Language” to reach all Americans with health information, the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), the largest single-site epidemiological study investigating predictors of cardiovascular disease in African Americans, requires JHS investigators to submit lay summaries with final manuscripts. We developed the Lay Summary Pilot Project as a bidirectional learning opportunity for JHS scholars and investigators. Results suggested that lay summaries increase the value of sharing research with scientific and nonscientific audiences and publishing lay summaries benefits communities by translating scientific research into useful health information.

Public health remains dedicated to the mission of prolonging life, promoting health, and preventing disease, and with what some may consider theological connections to assisting the poor and needy. The connection of public health and theology derives from the historical role and training of clergy taking care of the marginalized and underserved worldwide. Today, Brigham Young University (BYU), a university founded and supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), along with other faith-based universities try to tie student academic experience to a strong university mission. Consequently, BYU develops program curricula with the university mission and aims as guiding principles within each offered course. Innate in the mission and aims of BYU is the effort to help students achieve academic excellence and realize their human potential. This article presents a way to explore critical reflection within the academic training of future public health professionals using religious topics, as it relates to the university mission, for classroom discussion. Reflection in the classroom setting is used to promote character and career development for public health students. Through instructor-led discussion, students are encouraged to expand their abilities to internalize public health related information while cultivating innovative thinking and connections to fellow students. Suggestions for reflection activity application with instructor-led discussion are provided while exploring different settings and topics in which the recommended reflection practice can be developed and applied within private and public academic settings.