The University of Melbourne is launching Global Adolescent Health in September 2015, the world’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on this topic. MOOCs are free online higher education courses available to learners worldwide. Anyone with an interest and internet connection can enrol free of charge.
The course is led by our very own Lancet Commissioners – Professors George Patton (@gcpatton1) and Susan Sawyer (@susansawyer01). Global Adolescent Health aims to:
- Increase knowledge and understanding about adolescent health and development in low, middle and high income countries;
- Increase accessibility of adolescent health and development education;
- Support the growth of a global learner community with a shared concern for the health and wellbeing of young people;
- Facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience across a global community of those interested in and currently working with young people; and
- Advance evidence-based practice in the field of adolescent health and development.
The course will run over 8 weeks (28 September 2015 – 22 November 2015) and is designed to be of interest to a diverse group of learners, including those working with youth in the health, education, and community sectors and those whose work focused on prevention, program or policy development. The course will comprise of short video lectures and interviews, readings, online discussion and (optional) written assignments.
The Global Adolescent Health course will cover the following topics:
- Conceptualisations of adolescence and how these have changed over time;
- Adolescent development within a life course perspective on health;
- Major health issues affecting young people, such as mental health, sexual and reproductive health, injury and accidents, non-communicable diseases and health risk behaviours;
- Social determinants of health in adolescence; and
- Adolescent health policy and programming, including intervention and prevention frameworks, legal and human rights issues, measurement and indicators.