Swiss TPH Education & Training SSPH+ e-Campus

The current landscape of SSPH+ educational programs and courses: very heterogeneous and divers in terms of structure, organization, responsibilities, financial models, and the role of SSPH+ the many rather independent activities are mostly based on traditional teaching methods and the use of online platforms and e- or blended learning methods are rarely part of SSPH+ products. common tools to assess quality of the teaching and training products are lacking, thus, abilities to steer quality and success all across SSPH+ teaching activities is limited. SSPH+ has not established an alumni system, thus SSPH+ and its partners cannot fully capitalize on the power of its own student network. In an attempt to possibly resolve or reduce current limitations and foster identity, the SSPH+ Directorate established the SSPH+ e-Campus – an e-learning platform that can be used by all partners for any SSPH+ teaching product.

Implementation of eCampus SSPH+ Some of the partner institutes within SSPH+ have expressed their interest in using Moodle for their courses. Swiss TPH tries to specify the different needs and to find the most effective and efficient solution for a new SSPH+ portal “eCampus SSPH+”. The structure of such an eCampus is like this:

Building on experience The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) implemented in 2012 a Learning Management System (LMS) to support distance-based, blended learning, but also on-campus courses, mainly in Master programs (Master of International Health, MBA in International Health Management, etc.). The very good experiences made with the system (Moodle) can also be used by other partners within the Swiss School of Public Health+.

Basis for SSPH+ e-campus Moodle is NOT a jack of all trades device! Moodle, a course management system and learning platform (learning management system, LMS) Basis for SSPH+ e-campus Developed on pedagogical principles, Moodle is used for blended learning, distance education, flipped classroom and other e-learning projects in schools, universities, workplaces and other sectors. Moodle is a so-called open source system (which does not imply that it is cost-free), used worldwide in universities and institutions of higher education. It is constantly updated and offers a high standard of (data) security. As it is web-based it runs on every platform – the users have just to open their internet browser, to go to the web address of the eLearning site and to log in with their individual credentials. Moodle is NOT a jack of all trades device!

Technical infrastructure and administrative support Although the Moodle server is placed within the Swiss TPH (which will also be the case for the suggested eCampus SSPH+) – the system is maintained by an external company (Liip AG, Fribourg) with at least four security updates and one major update per year. The system administration is managed by Swiss TPH, technically by our IT services, content wise by the Department Education & Training, Unit Teaching Technologies and Didactics.

Some main features of the LMS:

Student registration and course administration admission can be done by assigned collaborators of Swiss TPH resp. by assigned persons of partner institutions – or via self-registration

Integration of self-contained eLearning courses possible (supports different standards like SCORM)

Pedagogical approach   The stated philosophy of Moodle includes a constructivist and social constructionist approach to education, emphasizing that learners (and not just teachers) can contribute to the educational experience. Using these pedagogical principles, Moodle provides an environment for learning communities.

Structuring course content

Possibility to integrate several communication tools like chat rooms and for a, but also quizzes, assignments, satisfaction of participants, etc. Communication and Collaboration for social learning

More than 1200 plugins available to enhance the functionality and to adapt your moodle platform to your needs (but costs have to be considered!)

Some other major advantages of the LMS Moodle:   Flexibility in designing courses of different formats Easy to use and flexible options for course evaluations (e.g. a standard SSPH+ evaluation and/or course-specific questionnaires Using the platform also for short term projects with non-registered students Appropriate security standards Hierarchy of user roles (from student to system administrator) with distinct responsibilities and rights Easy to use and already familiar to many students Support for handling “alumni” in an effective manner