TY - JOUR
T1 - Columbia University Master of Public Health Core Curriculum
T2 - Implementation, Student Experience, and Learning Outcomes, 2013-2018
AU - Garbers, Samantha
AU - March, Dana
AU - Kornfeld, Julie
AU - Baumgartner, Sabrina R.
AU - Wiggin, Maggie
AU - Westley, Lauren A.
AU - Ballesteros-Gonzalez, Diana
AU - Delva, Marlyn
AU - Fried, Linda P.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the Office of Education, the Center for Teaching and Learning, Core faculty and studio leads, Core teaching assistants, and Core students who contribute each year to a vital learning experience and a rigorous evaluation process. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - Objectives: Public health education must respond to 21st-century public health challenges in an ever-evolving landscape. We describe implementation and educational outcomes of the Columbia University Master of Public Health (MPH) Core (hereinafter, Core) curriculum since its inception. Methods: This retrospective evaluation combined 6 years (2013-2018) of student survey data collected from students (N = 1902) on the structure and delivery of the Core curriculum to quantify implementation, student experience, and learning outcomes, both during study (Core Evaluation Survey [CES]) and after graduation (Graduate Exit Survey [GES]). We used χ2 tests and analysis of variance to compare outcomes across years, and we used McNemar tests to compare differences in outcomes from the same students at different time points. Results: Of 1902 respondents to the CES, 1795 (94.4%) completed the Core curriculum. During the study period, 81.7% of students were able to integrate concepts across Core curriculum modules with ease; postgraduation, a similar proportion of respondents were able to apply Core curriculum content to departmental and certificate coursework and applied field experiences. On-time graduation rates were high (range, 85%-93%). Conclusions: The high percentage of students who reported their ability to integrate concepts and who completed the Core during the study period likely reflected changes to teaching team structures, training, attention to inclusion and equity, and collaboration to implement active learning strategies. The Core curriculum meets its intended goals by providing critical learning abilities to support ongoing interdisciplinary work.
AB - Objectives: Public health education must respond to 21st-century public health challenges in an ever-evolving landscape. We describe implementation and educational outcomes of the Columbia University Master of Public Health (MPH) Core (hereinafter, Core) curriculum since its inception. Methods: This retrospective evaluation combined 6 years (2013-2018) of student survey data collected from students (N = 1902) on the structure and delivery of the Core curriculum to quantify implementation, student experience, and learning outcomes, both during study (Core Evaluation Survey [CES]) and after graduation (Graduate Exit Survey [GES]). We used χ2 tests and analysis of variance to compare outcomes across years, and we used McNemar tests to compare differences in outcomes from the same students at different time points. Results: Of 1902 respondents to the CES, 1795 (94.4%) completed the Core curriculum. During the study period, 81.7% of students were able to integrate concepts across Core curriculum modules with ease; postgraduation, a similar proportion of respondents were able to apply Core curriculum content to departmental and certificate coursework and applied field experiences. On-time graduation rates were high (range, 85%-93%). Conclusions: The high percentage of students who reported their ability to integrate concepts and who completed the Core during the study period likely reflected changes to teaching team structures, training, attention to inclusion and equity, and collaboration to implement active learning strategies. The Core curriculum meets its intended goals by providing critical learning abilities to support ongoing interdisciplinary work.
KW - core curriculum
KW - evaluation
KW - interdisciplinary
KW - public health education
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U2 - 10.1177/0033354921999162
DO - 10.1177/0033354921999162
M3 - Article
C2 - 33673776
AN - SCOPUS:85102196605
SN - 0033-3549
VL - 137
SP - 168
EP - 178
JO - Public health reports
JF - Public health reports
IS - 1
ER -