Train, transfer, and sustain: Building capacity for online learning at The University of the West Indies Diploma inthe management of HIV infection program

: 2.066_HRW Train, transfer, and sustain: Building capacity for online learning at The University of the West Indies Diploma in the management of HIV infection program E. Scott, A. Nartker, S. St. Thomas, Z. Ali; Department of Global Health e-Learning Program, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, International Training and Education Center for Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad & Tobago Program/Project Purpose: In partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI), the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) and University of Washington Department of Global Health’s eLearning Program (eDGH) transitioned a one-year Diploma program in the Management of HIV Infection to a blended learning platform with online courses and clinical practicum or a research project. This required a shift in pedagogy, methodologies, and technologies. Structure/Method/Design: A 3-phased approach was implemented to train, transfer, and sustain the skills of online facilitation to UWI faculty and staff. Phase 1 included in-person workshops, just-in-time training, and hands-on simulations in the Learning Management System (LMS). Phase 2 utilized virtual mentoring to allow faculty and staff to apply their skills to the online environment. Phase 3 supplied them with Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) and a detailed implementation guide for problem solving. Faculty application, experience, and satisfaction of the teaching methods were evaluated twice using questionnaires and virtual debrief discussions after a pilot of two modules and at the end of the 2014/2015 program. Outcome & Evaluation: Capacity building of faculty and staff to instruct and administer a blended learning program was a critical component in ensuring long-term sustainability, and regional scale-up in the Caribbean. To date, 20 faculty members and 4 UWI staff have completed capacity building for online facilitation of the HIV diploma program. Phase 1 data found 100% of faculty felt confident in their skills after completing the in-person workshops. Faculty noted timely support from eDGH and administrative staff throughout the program, which contributed to making the online teaching experience exceptional. Administrative staff also reported frequent use of the implementation guide, with success. In addition, 20 health care providers graduated from the program via the blended learning platform in 2015. Going Forward: In its second year as a blended learning online program, the Diploma program has scaled-up to include healthcare workers from Jamaica and Suriname. It will continue to expand enrollment outside of Trinidad, refine its practicum and research components, and recruit new staff. Funding: The project was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Cooperative Agreement No. U91HA06801, the International AIDS Education and Training Center, for $12,659.70 USD. The content and conclusions are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Abstract #: 2.067_HRW: 2.067_HRW Development of a comparative health systems global

Program/Project Purpose: In partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI), the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) and University of Washington Department of Global Health's eLearning Program (eDGH) transitioned a one-year Diploma program in the Management of HIV Infection to a blended learning platform with online courses and clinical practicum or a research project. This required a shift in pedagogy, methodologies, and technologies.
Structure/Method/Design: A 3-phased approach was implemented to train, transfer, and sustain the skills of online facilitation to UWI faculty and staff. Phase 1 included in-person workshops, just-in-time training, and hands-on simulations in the Learning Management System (LMS). Phase 2 utilized virtual mentoring to allow faculty and staff to apply their skills to the online environment. Phase 3 supplied them with Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) and a detailed implementation guide for problem solving. Faculty application, experience, and satisfaction of the teaching methods were evaluated twice using questionnaires and virtual debrief discussions after a pilot of two modules and at the end of the 2014/2015 program.
Outcome & Evaluation: Capacity building of faculty and staff to instruct and administer a blended learning program was a critical component in ensuring long-term sustainability, and regional scale-up in the Caribbean. To date, 20 faculty members and 4 UWI staff have completed capacity building for online facilitation of the HIV diploma program. Phase 1 data found 100% of faculty felt confident in their skills after completing the in-person workshops. Faculty noted timely support from eDGH and administrative staff throughout the program, which contributed to making the online teaching experience exceptional. Administrative staff also reported frequent use of the implementation guide, with success. In addition, 20 health care providers graduated from the program via the blended learning platform in 2015.
Going Forward: In its second year as a blended learning online program, the Diploma program has scaled-up to include healthcare workers from Jamaica and Suriname. It will continue to expand enrollment outside of Trinidad, refine its practicum and research components, and recruit new staff. To continue forward, health systems strengthening and innovation is needed. Pharmacists are trained to provide health education, pharmaceutical counseling, and evidence-based health research. Pharmacists' expertise in medication procurement and therapeutic equivalence promotes access to quality, cost-effective medications. Pharmacists are trained to conduct research and data analyses, tools with which to monitor evidence-based health outcomes and quality indicators. To promote global health system strengthening a two-year quality improvement (QI) fellowship was developed with the following aims: Education in principles of QI, training in implementation science to allow for systematic documentation, dissemination, reproducibility and scalability of projects, and engagement of domestic and international pharmacists to become active partners in designing and implementing changes to improve health systems in their settings.
Structure/Method/Design: The process for creating a sustainable fellowship included the following: 1) Reaching out to partners with whom we had existing relationships to determine interest in a comparative systems approach to QI, 2) Preliminary agreement from both sides on thematic area of research prior to identifying fellow/s, 3) Identification of mentors on both sides with expertise in the research theme, and 4) Participation by mentors and fellows in an existing QI leadership course. Goals: Develop a domestic and international cohort of Human Resources and Workforce A n n a l s o f G l o b a l H e a l t h , V O L . 8 2 , N O . 3 , 2 0 1 6 M a y eJ u n e 2 0 1 6 : 4 7 3 -5 1 0