Newly Updated Course Content!

Take your evidence-based decision-making skills to the next level! Through this course, you’ll learn to develop a concise written statement of a public or community health problem, issue, or policy—and how to measure it. Explore various data sources, practice methods for prioritizing program and policy options, and learn about planning and logic models. Finally, you’ll learn how to conduct an economic evaluation and concepts of measurement validity and reliability.

The goal of this 10-week course is to help professionals in public health, mental health, public policy, and global health think critically about issues of health equity, and how you can utilize evidence-based decision-making as a tool to advance equity in your communities.

Ideal For Public Health Professionals who: 

• Are state and local government staff who are new to public health.
• Want to utilize evidence-based decision-making as a tool to advance equity in your communities. 

Cost

• FREE to participants in Region VIII (CO, UT, WY, MT, ND, SD).
• $160 for participants outside our region.

What to Expect

We use a flipped-classroom approach, so you’ll work through course content independently and then connect with a small cohort of peers weekly for live learning sessions that provide an opportunity to ask questions, share your knowledge, and learn from others.

10 Live Learning Sessions

Each session will include a facilitated discussion among class participants related to that week’s topic. A subject matter expert will lead the discussion, engage participants, and answer questions. This is a unique opportunity to connect concepts of evidence-based decision-making in your daily work! Below is the schedule for our live sessions.

• 2 weeks before the first live session, you will have access to the online materials.
• Week 1: Introduction (note, this class is an extra 30 minutes)
• Week 2: Community Assessment
• Week 3: Quantifying the Issue
• Week 4: Developing a Statement of the Issue
• Week 5: Searching and Summarizing Scientific Literature
• Week 6: Developing and Prioritizing Intervention Options
• Week 7: Developing an Action Plan and Building a Logic Model
• Week 8: Understanding and Using Economic Evaluation
• Week 9: Evaluating the Program or Policy
• Week 10: Communicating and Disseminating Evidence to Policymakers

Successful completion of this course requires your participation in these sessions by video using a webcam or built-in camera on your device, completion of 80% of the knowledge checks and 80% of the homework assignments, and submitting a post course evaluation.

Weekly Online Learning Activities

Each week, you must complete assigned online learning activities that include readings, interactives, videos, and knowledge checks. There will also be homework to complete in preparation for each live learning session. Please plan for 1 - 2 hours of work outside of each live learning session.

Course Access

The course will materials will be available 2 weeks before the first live session. You will receive additional instructions at that time. If you don’t see an email (don’t forget to check your spam folder), please contact us at lms.registration.rmphtc@ucdenver.edu. Make sure you sign in prior to your first live session to complete the required activities and ensure you know how to connect with your camera.

Successful Completion

To earn a Certificate of Completion, you must complete the following:

• Attend at least 7 out of the 10 live sessions. 
• Complete 80% of the knowledge checks and 80% of the homework assignments in Brightspace.
• Complete the post-course evaluation.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the evidence-based decision-making process.
2. Formulate recommendations for public health programs and policy decisions based on evidence.
3. Conduct sound program evaluations (literature searches, logic models, and data collection) in your area of practice in public health.
4. Apply tools to conduct a community assessment.
5. Apply program planning and quality improvement frameworks.
6. Develop an action plan to complete goals and objectives.
7. Create and disseminate messages about evidence-based solutions to diverse audiences.

Length of Learning Opportunity

10.5 hours over 10 weeks

Primary Competency

Public Health Sciences Skills

We strive to host inclusive and accessible events that enable all individuals, including those with disabilities to engage fully. Please let us know of any accommodations that will assist your full participation.

Please choose a session below.

You will be contacted within 2 business days with additional information.