Massive open online course for health informatics education

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics Education
• Educational Technology
• Online Learning

Background:

• Growing demand for health informatics professionals globally.
• Need for accessible and scalable educational solutions in health informatics.
• Advancements in educational technology enabling new teaching methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a novel method for teaching health informatics.
• To leverage Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for global health informatics education.
• To provide cost-free, high-quality education to a large international audience.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a social networking platform (Health Informatics Forum) to deliver a MOOC.
• Content developed by five US universities using Creative Commons licensed materials.
• Delivery through narrated lectures with slides, online discussion forums, and user profiles.

Main Results:

• The MOOC reached 11,316 unique users from 127 countries between August 2012 and January 2014.
• Desktop computers were the primary access method, followed by tablets and mobile devices.
• The broader Health Informatics Forum has attracted over 400,000 unique users since 2008.

Conclusions:

• Health informatics and educational technology advancements facilitate online learning solutions.
• MOOCs delivered via social networking platforms can effectively reach a global audience.
• This approach aims to democratize health informatics education for future professionals worldwide.