Futures Committee for Teaching and Learning

1. Futures Committee for Teaching and Learning October 28 – 29, 2009 Kristin Anderson, Kathleen Call, Jean Forster, Craig Hedberg, Wendy Hellerstedt, Deb Hennrikus, Russell Luepker, Wei Pan, Jim Pankow, Sandy Potthoff, Cavan Reilley, Matt Simcik, Jamie Stang, Traci Toomey, Robert Town, Beth Virnig, Betsy Wattenberg, Debra Olson, Anne Ehrenberg, Facilitators: Gerry Sexton, Brian McDermott

2. Wednesday 10/28/09 Barbara Brandt, Billie Wahlstrom and Linda Watson each presented key ideas important to teaching and learning in the next three to five years. The main themes included an increased use of hybrid learning environments (combinations of online, experiential, didactic), partnership withthe instructional design professionals to continue our movement in this area, and the use of online technology not only for courses but for virtual learning environments with other practitioners, librarians, and networks to share information and improve the experience and outcomes for our students. The SPH is leading the way in online learning and needs to continue to be the leader. Future steps include feeding the undergraduate pipeline as well as an increased focus on professional doctorates,health informatics and health literacy.

3. Purpose and Objectives 10/29/09 Purpose: • What should the investments be in the next 3-5 years in the areas of content and infrastructure given the marketplace and the field of public health Objectives: • recommendations about priorities for improving teaching and learning in next 3 -5 years • opportunity for futures committee and faculty to lead SPH into the future • share ideas and “best” practices in teaching and learning for public health • preliminary recommendations about what SPH should stop doing/start doing/do more of in content and infrastructure

4. Public Health Issues Climate Change Population Issues Value systems Data overload Workforce demographics; what's our product Oprah/Media (populist demagogary) Globalization Evidence and politics cultural responsiveness-global is local infectious diseases Education health care delivery issues Health care reform (prevention) Literacy Obesity/Diabetes Values Aging Finances Genome – personal and public health level

5. Constituent groups (of learners) chosen to frame the discussion of “what does “best” look like?” in teaching and learning for public health • Professional (traditional MPH, MHA and DrPH) Outcome: practice workforce • Academic (PhD and MS) Outcome: science/academic career • Executive/Lifelong Learner Outcome: enhance career

6. Items to consider to be “Best” in Teaching and Learning for Professionals • Content • Professional development course (communication, leadership, networking) • Applied and experiential: research skills, translational skills (problem solving) • Critical thinking • Content for DrPH • Evidence based practice • Practical data management skills/evidence based mgmt • Knowledge of other health professions • Leading edge content • Distinguish us from community colleges • Tied to knowledge we create (our research) • Infrastructure • Information technology/KMT • Promotion and tenure structure that values teaching and learning at this level of scholarship • Faculty ‘trained’ to teach, faculty development, peer reviewed • Employer/community involvement • On campus experience for students • Faculty that can translate our research to education • Expectations related to professionalism (modeling appropriate behavior) • Encourage pursuit of prestigious fellowships • Job placement services, counseling • Dedicated student and educational facilities

7. Items to Consider to be “Best” in Teaching and Learning for Academics • Mentorship/practical project opportunities (with resources) • Increase # of publications from students (i.e. require 4 publications as chapters of thesis) • Multidisciplinary approach - conflicting calendars across all target groups/ create culture that supports/educates in a multidisciplinary way • Critical thinking networking (Daniel Pink “a whole new mind”) • Evening options • Focused on life balance • Dedicated Education Facility –classrooms, breakouts, lunch, lounge – an identity for students, a built environment that would promote interaction Infrastructure • Faculty, mentor training, peer mentoring, mentor new faculty formally and informally, create a culture of lunch • Staff support for teaching • Promotion and tenure expectations • Resources to do cutting edge research • Funding, Travel funds, training grants • Advising • Geographic diversity coming and going (pull from elsewhere, leaders around world, don’t just stay in MN) • Critical mass (fellow students, community, faculty, U of MN) • Interactive (not just online) • Recruit/increase # of candidates and students – with effective selection criteria, including non-cognitive • Increase # of PhD going into academics • Post-doc placements

8. Items to Consider to be “Best” in Teaching and Learning for Academics (continued) • Content • Professional development course – how to write grants, peer review, professional networking, how to attend a professional conference • Leadership • Global health • Curriculum (flexibility for emerging issues, mock peer review, hybrid courses, writing, advanced coursework – flexible, evolving, cutting edge) • All school PhD student Seminar: networking events; focus on shared experiences; learn from each other and make public health their discipline instead of their specific area • Genetics/genomics • Chronic disease • Infectious disease • *Health behavior/promotion • Health disparities • *Aging • *Sustainable environment • Global climate change • Applied biostatics • Health communications • Mental health • Health policy • *Health services • Decision analysis • Systems analysis • Health Policy

9. Items to Consider to be “Best” in Teaching and Learning forExecutive/Lifelong Learner • Change the model of content delivery • Remove barriers to cross divisional teaching (money, ability to be evaluated) • Remove cross divisional competition for offering courses • Cost savings efforts to help fund innovation (hybrid courses) • Faculty Development (Center for Teaching and Learning, Billie Wahlstrom, Deb Olson, K. Anderson, college of continuing education, DLG) • Leverage technology • Training junior faculty to excel in teaching (faculty mentoring, having a junior faculty serve as a TA with senior faculty) • Technical Support (PHP, grad faculty committee, CPHEO, DLG) • Increase infrastructure support • Identify existing resources at U of MN, AHC, DMC, DLG • Training: what’s needed to support excellence in delivery of digital education elements • White paper that summarizes the research in area of online delivery – why do hybrid courses and resources needed Infrastructure • State of the art technology with support (wikis, webcams, etc.) • Networks/relationships encouraged and supported – way to build our reputation • Cohort approach • Top tier facilities • Learning collaborations • Sustainable business model • Diversity of potential student needs (degrees, certificates, course work, modules) • Convenience. E-learning, brief intense training (Public Health Institute) • Graduation rate/attrition – to determine if we’re doing a good job • Application (# of, recommendations from peers) • Timing of courses • Subgroup markets (related to Networking, below)– who are they and what are their needs. (Nerney, Assoc Deans, Laporte) • Networking – how to help practitioners learn from each other and develop networks to support their professional careers and help their organizations (Gilliam, Henry, MHA staff, Lian-Anderson)

10. Items to Consider to be “Best” in Teaching and Learning forExecutive/Lifelong Learner (cont.) • Content • World focus • Experiential • Systems approach • Learning collaborations • High interest in relevant content • Focus on faculty expertise • Leadership/Management/Administration Course including: • Communication • Team work • How to create focused vision and strategy • How to support organizational change and management change • How to assemble the right team • Finance/accounting • Innovation • Cultural competency • Professionalism • Leadership • Potential white paper writers: Jim Begun, Gordon Mosser, Jan Malcolm former health commissioner, a national leader?

11. General Recommendations • Evaluate Concentrations Areas (enrollment, tuition, completion, job placement; competency identification, potential employees, staff support necessary, faculty effort requirements) • Review of majors with low enrollment • Focus resources on high demand graduate majors • Evaluation of time needed to do quality online or hybrid teaching • Collaborate with the Dean to make the “best” happen • Sufficient effort and recognition for successful teaching and advising; EPC guidelines / Criteria for evaluating and valuing effort for teaching to recommend to APT; Change culture around promotion and tenure to equally value teaching (all forms) and advising • Create incentives for interdisciplinary teaching collaborative • Create a system that allows more specialization in faculty roles • Training/mentorship/peer review to promote better quality in teaching • Reduce redundancy of courses and increase acceptance of taking courses outside SPH • Cultural competency initiative (including professional cultures) • Professional skills initiative (related to cultural competency initiative) • Better physical learning environment • In addition to or instead of white papers provide links to YouTube, etc. • Improve alumni information – where working immediately, 10 years later, etc. • Collect better data on needs of prospective employers, and whether our training is meeting those needs