Global Classroom
Author(s)/Editor(s): Field M
Publisher/Organizer: John Hopkins Public Health Magazine
Publication date: Fall 2009
Language: English
Overview
By removing the geographic constraints of the traditional classroom, the School’s distance education program, launched in 1997, has ushered in a new way of teaching and learning in public health, combining world-class instruction with cutting-edge Internet technology. LiveTalk, pre-recorded lectures and virtual faculty office hours are transforming public health education.
The online learning format is sometimes referred to as the classroom without walls, and the ability to hear from and interact with faculty and fellow students engaged in public health activities around the globe presents unparalleled educational opportunities. But it also offers another, more prosaic advantage that is especially important in an era of critical public health workforce shortages. A classroom without walls is a classroom that can accommodate—theoretically at least—an unlimited number of additional students.