An on-line course in critical mental health promotion: Teaching and learning at multiple spheres of influence Jakubec, S.L., Mascaro, P. (Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada) A presentation for SITE, March 2014

It began with a Question Three professors of Nursing from different parts of the world met. Faculty from universities in Canada and Norway came together during faculty development course-work and posed the question: What would happen if students explored innovative mental health promotion from the standpoint of an increasingly globalized and networked world? These faculty and universities forged an agreement to build and deliver an on-line course in response to this question. Mount Royal University provided their instructional design team and expertise to enable this development and a pilot delivery.

It began with a Question They had a great chat, that resulted in an intriguing question. Faculty from universities in Canada and Norway came together during faculty development course-work and posed the question: What would happen if students explored innovative mental health promotion from the standpoint of an increasingly globalized and networked world? These faculty and universities forged an agreement to build and deliver an on-line course in response to this question. Mount Royal University provided their instructional design team and expertise to enable this development and a pilot delivery.

It began with a question What would happen if students explored innovative mental health promotion from the standpoint of an increasingly globalized and networked world? Faculty from universities in Canada and Norway came together during faculty development course-work and posed the question: What would happen if students explored innovative mental health promotion from the standpoint of an increasingly globalized and networked world? These faculty and universities forged an agreement to build and deliver an on-line course in response to this question. Mount Royal University provided their instructional design team and expertise to enable this development and a pilot delivery.

The story we will share today Faculty members’ experiences building a online course in response to this question Student feedback about their learning in a pilot offering of this course This presentation shares both: Faculty members experiences building a online course in response to this question, and Student feedback about their learning in a pilot offering of this course

Building the course The focus was on supportive networks. A social-ecological model was a natural way to structure the course, since the model connected with the goals for student learning. This static image is actually part of an interactive model. Faculty chose as social-ecological model as the basic structure for the course. It became a way of exploring macro, meso and micro spheres of influence for mental health promotion.

Building the Course This static image is actually part of an interactive model. Faculty chose as social-ecological model as the basic structure for the course. It became a way of exploring macro, meso and micro spheres of influence for mental health promotion.

Building the Course Three mental health promotion tensions frame the course: Problem solving and empowerment Integration and inclusion Protection and liberation Three mental health promotion tension frame the course: Problem solving and empowerment Integration and inclusion Protection and liberation

Building the Course One example of the tensions faculty wanted to explore in this course was the tension between “Problem Solving” and “Empowerment”.

Building the Course Learning Activities and Assignments Mapping of mental health issues and policies through the WHO’s on-line “world mental health atlas” (WHO, 2011). On-line film and case-studies Public service announcement posters Student blog Some of the learning activities and assignments that allowed students to explore these tensions at each sphere of influence include: a mapping of mental health issues and policies through the WHO’s on-line “world mental health atlas” (WHO, 2011). This exercise enabled students to reflect on practices of health and mental health in different geographic locations – for instance mental health legislation and policies in different nations, the influencing factors and potential outcomes. This activity, and others including on-line film and case-studies, asked the students to think about things like the distribution of power, justice and equity.   Creating public service announcement posters allowed students to integrate what they had read and learned in case studies and from other health promotion programs, and offered an authentic exercise as this may be something they may be involved in within their future nursing practice. Students reflected on their learning experiences in a closing discussion “blog”. Some of the comments illustrate how they felt they were able to ask challenging questions of me Mental health promotion to learn what was shaping mental health practice and in doing so, shifted some of their own assumptions about how best to approach their practice.

Student Learning Enviroment On-line learning Independent study and group participation in their on-line course supportive network Information retrieval and interpretation Critical analysis at various levels The student contexts of: On-line learning Combined learning approaches of independent study with group participation in their on-line course supportive network Complex Information retrieval and interpretation, as well as Critical analysis at various levels Could have posed challenges. Given the opportunity to reflect and learn about promotion of mental health promotion in this way, however, students rose to the challenge. Similarly, when asked about whether integrating people with mental health challenges into existing policy and practices, or including the voices and needs of these patients and families (ie working within the mental health promotion tensions) students were able to reflect on circumstances and examples from the local, national and international spheres.

Student feedback “…I can see that the budget [in many countries] for mental health is often very small, relative to other health and social policies and certainly compared to other spending – for instance military spending…” “…I can see that the budget [in many countries] for mental health is often very small, relative to other health and social policies and certainly compared to other spending – for instance military spending…”

Student feedback “I hope in my future learning and professional work that I will be able to build upon the spheres of influence and approaches I have learned through this course …in the hopes of decreasing the stigma.” “I plan on sustaining the learning I have accomplished within the micro sphere by educating those around me about the information I have learned so that I am able to transfer my knowledge on to others and increase mental health awareness. I hope in my future learning and professional work that I will be able to build upon the spheres of influence and approaches I have learned through this course and gain more knowledge on how to better support individuals with mental illnesses and better educate our society about the facts surrounding mental health in the hopes of decreasing the stigma.” And in response to the on-line atlas/mapping activity one student provided this feedback: “It was nice to see that many countries did have a budget for mental health. However I can see that the budget for mental health is often very small, relative to other health and social policies and certainly compared to other spending – for instance military spending, when in fact mental health is such an important aspect of a holistic view of health of an individual, nation and society”.

Conclusion This course experience allowed students to strengthen supportive networks for mental health in the context of everyday realities. Faculty realized that supportive environments could be re-imagined if students explored real time supportive networks, learned more about mental health promotion and advocacy happening at interpersonal, local and international levels, and shared their learning on-line. Re-imagining the supportive environment in our case study included student blogs, public service announcements, posters and their pursuits of numerous networks in operation world-wide.