Online, Interactive Training in
Occupational/Environmental
Health
Linda Forst
University of Illinois at Chicago
School of Public Health
USA
Acknowledgment
This presentation was supported by
CDC/NIOSH grant #T42/CCT522954-02,
World Health Organization Occupational
Health group, and Fogarty International.
Its contents are solely the responsibility
of the author and do not necessarily
represent the official views of NIOSH,
WHO, or Fogarty International.
Problem: Need for Training

Dr. Eliza Esteli is a
doctor that cares for
many injured
workers

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Has no training in
OM
There are no local
universities with
program
Cannot leave work
for training
Does not have funds
for courses
Course Types
Students Travel
Teachers Travel
Classroom-based
Short courses
Long-term
Deliver short courses
Nobody Travels
Stand-alone courses
Text and graphic
Webcast
Interactive Courses
Text/graphics type
Audio-visual
Overall Goal
To determine the potential for teaching a
15-week, interactive, online course in
Principles of Environmental
& Occupational Health (EOH)
to international students in their home countries
Questions

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What are the hardware needs (esp.
connectivity)?
What technical support is required?
How do students perform?
What are problems with completing the
course?
What pedagogical techniques are
successful?
EOH Online: Course Objectives
At the end of the course, the student will be able
to:
1. Describe the disciplines of environmental health
professionals and the approaches by which they
identify, analyze, and solve problems.
2. Identify environmental and occupational safety
and health hazards, including biological,
chemical, physical, mechanical and psychological
hazards
3. Describe pathways of exposure, routes of
absorption, basic distribution, storage and
mechanisms of toxicity for important
occupational and environmental exposures
EOH Online: Course
Objectives
4. Discuss hazard identification, exposure
assessment, risk assessment, risk
management, and risk communication
techniques
5. Investigate exposure factors in the workplace
and general environment that lead to adverse
health outcomes
6. Critically evaluate, write about, present, and
discuss scientific articles, current events, and
popular literature on environmental health
issues at the regional, national, and global
levels
7. Find and utilize resources on environmental
and occupational health
W
k
Date
Topic
Ch
Assignments
Basic principles and assessment methodologies
1
22 Aug
Scope and Introduction
2
29 Aug
Health Hazards
3
5 Sep
Qualitative risk assessment
4
12 Sep
Risk Assessment
3
Assignment 1
5
19 Sep
Risk Management
4
Quiz 2
1+
2
Test Quiz &
Test Assignment
Quiz 1
Environmental health and exposure pathways
6
26 Sep
Air Quality
5
Quiz 3
7
3 Oct
Water Quality
6
Quiz 4
8
10 Oct
Sanitation
6
9
17 Oct
Food and Agriculture
7
Quiz 5
&
Assignment 2
Occupational, community and global settings
10
24 Oct
DDT vs. Malaria
Debate
11
31 Oct
Human Settlements
8
Debate due
12
7 Nov
Health and Energy
9
Quiz 6
13
14 Nov
Industrial Pollution
10
A3
14
21 Nov
Global health concerns
11
Quiz 7
15
28 Nov
Action and principles
12
Quiz 8
16
5 Dec
Finals week
No Final Exam
Student Workload: 8-12 hrs/wk

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Log on at least five times weekly for 15
weeks
Read chapter and additional materials
each week
Complete quiz or written work every
week
Participate in Discussion Board at least
once per week
Activities
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Complete online mini courses (Envirorisk and
Toxicology Tutor)
Read and take quizzes
Read news & journal articles and discuss
Debate- create position in group and rebut a
partner group
Complete exercises (epidemiology,
determining radiation risk, make table of
energy sources—advantages and
disadvantages, take an occupational history,
risk assessment)
Link to Short Courses on the
Web
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Toxicology Tutor
U.S. National Library of
Medicine
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/T
ox/ToxTutor.html
3 modules
Self-assessment
questions
Complete in 2 hours
www.uic.edu/sph/cade/envirorisk
Methods
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Two Fall Semesters--2003, 2004
14 international students enrolled
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Along with 55 U.S. public health students
Recruited by WHO Collaborating Centers
BA degree or higher (1/2 medical doctors)
Occupations: clinical practice, ministry of
health, university
Countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines,
Senegal, Ghana, S. Africa, Poland, Turkey,
Costa Rica (put on map with dots)
Results: Student Performance
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6/14 completed the entire course
5/14 completed at least half
3/14 dropped out early
Written work, discussion, quizzes
indistinguishable from US students
Few students requested technical
assistance frequently
Results: Post-Course
Evaluation
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All connected through telephone line
Few students printed all of their materials
All worked at office, some at home, too
Those who completed said: 15 weeks
appropriate time commitment
Reason for dropping out: time
commitment too great
All who completed requested additional
courses
Discussion: Value of course
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Accessible internationally
Classmates from different countries—different
perspectives
Computer hardware and software less
expensive than traveling for courses
Students work at their convenience
Students can continue to work in home
country
Can reach large audiences
Online pedagogy has special potential
Discussion: Limitations

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Connectivity—telephone disconnected
Local issues difficult to integrate into
course
Cost of textbook and printing
High dropout rate (3/14)
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Students have other obligations
US semester does not correspond to other
countries’ schedule
Discussion: Potential of DBL in EOH
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Can fill educational gaps
Local expertise can be nurtured to address
local problems
Can enhance learning with special
pedagogical techniques
Fosters international collaboration in EOH
Fosters harmonization of workplace and
environmental standards
Hopes/Dreams
Free, online university that:
 Grants internationally recognized credit
 Involves teachers from all over the
world
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Team teaching
Covers local issues
Is incorporated into existing, local
programs
Recommendations 1
Develop an international consortium to:
1. Conduct a needs assessment
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Course Development
Course content
Accreditation/administration
Access
Student issues
Recommendations 2
Develop an international consortium to:
2. Conduct an assessment of potential
delivery

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Which instructors are willing to teach
Who will grant credit
How collaborations can be developed (for
example, overall course instructor teams
up with local instructors)
Want to collaborate?
Linda Forst
University of Illinois at Chicago
School of Public Health
Telephone: 312-355-2836
Forst-L@uic.edu