|
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) competencies require students in an MPH program to be able to analyze quantitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software. Mastering data analysis concepts and programming simultaneously in a course can be an overwhelming challenge for students. Strategies will be presented to simultaneously teach methods for analyzing data and the necessary computer-based programming. These methods are not dependent on the type of software implemented in the course and have been utilized to teach both SAS and R programming. These strategies include
1. An application of an augmented version of the spiral approach to teaching tailored for data analysis.
2. The inclusion of multiple software programs in a single course.
3. Real-time evaluation of student learning and teaching effectiveness.
The strategies were implemented at the University of Kentucky, in three courses where MPH students comprised most of the enrollment. Here we present the teaching strategies as a model for re-designing how data analysis concepts and computer-based programming are traditionally taught for MPH courses.
|
