Transitioning a Public Health Study Abroad Program to Virtual Format During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Public Health Practice

Abstract

High impact learning practices (HIPs) are practices that promote deep learning through student engagement. They focus on the knowledge, attitudes, and skills college students need to succeed academically and professionally and afford students the opportunity to participate in activities beyond the classroom, resulting in learning and personal development. HIPs take various forms and include study abroad, signature experience, first-year seminars, and learning communities. As part of its HIPs, the Georgia State University (GSU) School of Public Health (SPH) offers students the opportunity to study abroad every summer under the auspices of faculty. However, in the summer of 2021, all GSU SPH study abroad programs, including my program, Field Study of Contemporary and Emerging Public Health Issues in Ghana: A Focus on Water and Sanitation, HIV, and Women’s Health Program, were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to student continued interest, it was imperative to devise a creative method to ensure that students received a comparable experience despite the pandemic. This paper documents the transitioning of a three-week program to a virtual synchronous format to give students the opportunity to work with and learn from in-country partners in Accra, Ghana. The activities, challenges, and lessons learned from transitioning the program are also shared. Overall, students and in-country partners completed three comparative field studies that explored issues related to water and sanitation, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and women’s reproductive health in Ghana. Students and partners identified and reflected on areas of similarities and differences between Ghana and the United States on the public health issues they focused on in the field.