Two Approaches To Teaching Epidemiology Online For Capacity Building In Developing Countries

Abstract Background Contributing to a mission to build Public Health capacity in developing countries, two online epidemiology courses are offered: a tutor facilitated Master’s level module ‘Introduction to Epidemiology’, and a free self-study ‘Basic Epidemiology’ Open Online Course (OOC). We report differences between these two. Methods Student demographics on enrolled students were abstracted. A follow-up online survey of former students was performed in January 2020. Results Among 772 students on the Master’s and 619 students on the OOC courses: respectively 29% and 39% were female; 36% and 38% were medical practitioners; 80% and 43% were from Africa. For 64% of OOC students this was their first time learning online; 17% completed the course. 82% of students formally enrolled on a Master’s programme passed the module. The majority of survey respondents reported that the courses had helped with reading articles critically (81% Master’s; 67% OOC) and improving professional practice (75% Master’s; 67% OOC); though fewer felt that the courses helped them perform their own research (67% Master’s; 51% OOC). The majority (87% Masters; 79% OOC) would recommend the course to others. Conclusions Online epidemiology courses have the ability to reach a wide audience in the developing world and contribute to capacity building. While both Master’s facilitated and self-study online courses were evaluated positively by students, the completion and potential impact was higher for the former. Key messages Online courses reaching wide audiences can help build global capacity in epidemiology