Calaine Hemans-Henry, MPH - Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Public Health Training, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
E-learning or online training allows organizations to quickly train staff, standardize training content, and reduce training-related costs. However, limited training budgets have contributed to a growing trend where public health professionals, with little or no training in instructional design and/or e-learning development, developing courses. As a result, many public health e-learning courses lack attractive design and user appeal.
In 2013, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Public Health Foundation (PHF) collaborated to create the
E-Learning Institute (ELI) to give public health professionals the tools to create quality online training products. ELI, a 15-week mentoring program, allows participants to (1) be mentored and coached by CDC experts and/or consultants and (2) learn about innovative training tools, best practices for designing interactive and effective courses, and new trends in e-learning development.
This year, I participated in ELI’s 2014 cohort with eight other instructional design specialists. For three months, we worked independently on weekly assignments and readings, met virtually with assigned mentors, and reviewed and provided feedback on the training product that each member of the cohort was required to produce. The program culminated with a two-day meeting in Atlanta this past June, where we showcased our products, gave and received feedback, and outlined our next steps towards finalizing and launching our products.
Collaborating with e-learning experts and public health professionals from local, state, private, and international organizations was invaluable. My cohort and I gained unlimited expert feedback while developing an actual product and immediately applying the skills we had just learned. For example, after completing a reading assignment on Interface and Navigation, participants had to create and share a master page template for their projects. Participants gave and received feedback about their design through a group discussion board and small group telephone conversations.
ELI is an important resource for public health professionals working to develop e-learning modules or online products. It helps ensure that they are prepared to fulfill their roles as instructional designers and e-learning developers. Even though ELI is hosted once per year, instructional design specialists can enhance their e-learning knowledge and skills by taking these steps:
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* This PHF Pulse submission is a perspective on the 2014 E-Learning Institute, which was a 15 week program. The original 2013 E-Learning Institute consisted of 18 weeks.