Dr Cuisle Forde, Trinity College Dublin
Following the success of the facilitator-led Open Course, the HEA National Forum, in partnership with Trinity College Dublin (lead) and contributions from UL, DCU, UCD, TUD, ATU, RCSI and UCC have made the “Supporting a Whole Campus Approach to a Healthy Campus” short course available for self-study. Participants can take the course at their own pace either on their own or as part of a peer triad and when learning objectives are achieved can claim a digital badge. Access it now at OpenCourses.ie.
Overview
Tackling the complex wicked problems of our time such as climate change, inequality and social fragmentation demands a systems based transdisciplinary approach. Higher education is not exempt from this need, and higher education institutions are an ideal setting to promote health. To create a health-promoting future on campuses can be powerful, but requires skills in systems thinking, collaboration and integrated problem solving.
This self-study course will help academics, student ambassadors, practitioners, policy makers, leaders and administrators understand what it means to become a health-promoting campus and how understanding the Okanagan Charter is an important step to creating a campus plan for wellbeing. This course promotes the National Healthy Campus Charter and Framework and has been designed to create momentum in Ireland and abroad towards achieving healthy campuses. This will be achieved through supporting personal, population and planetary health.
The aim of our course is to help key stakeholders in Higher Educational Institutions develop and implement the healthy campus framework effectively and efficiently. Peer Learning is heavily encouraged, as it allows for cross institution and interdisciplinary collaboration, but is not mandatory.
You will be encouraged at the start of the course to think of a way you could help achieve a healthier campus using a systems-based approach, and will be encouraged to leverage personal motivation and professional experience to develop that goal as you progress through each step.
Learning Objectives
- Step 1 learning material will illustrate the background on healthy campus. An appreciation of how this relates to other policies and networks including Healthy Ireland at a national level and the Sustainable Development Goals and Okanagan Charter at an international level.
- Step 2 will cover the evidence supporting healthy university campus initiatives and reinforce the mechanisms of change required and potential rewards to be reaped from effective implementation of healthy campus charter and framework.
- Step 3 Common needs. There are similarities between university campuses and those who use them. In this session we will examine the main areas of need that healthy campus initiatives may choose to tackle and the evidence behind the decisions to take on each of these needs.
- Step 4 Plan for success. Stakeholder engagement. This lesson will examine how to find out what is needed on your campus. Tools and tips will be included. In this session we will examine how to ensure healthy campus initiatives are primed for success. This will start by ensuring the initiative is feasible and required by the end user and other key stakeholders. Voice of the end user will be incorporated here.
- Step 5 Wheels in motion. This lesson will describe ways to plan your healthy campus implementation.
- Step 6 Summary, and discussion where learners are tasked with creating goals for themselves regarding their next steps in being part of the healthy campus movement. This session will also provide space to review and reflect on previous lessons.
Following the course and to claim the digital badge, participants will:
- Understand what is meant by health and health promotion and appreciate why being a “health-promoting campus” matters.
- Understand the Okanagan Charter and why it is ground-breaking.
- Articulate the different aspects that make up a campus environment and how each can play a role in promoting health.
- Advocate for a collective impact framework for your campus and begin to mobilise or contribute to a healthy campus.
Find our more at https://opencourses.ie/opencourse/supporting-a-whole-campus-approach-to-a-health-promoting-university/
