Peer Review

Culture and Health Literacy: Beyond Access

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 7, 2020 by Health Sciences

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

According to the web site: "This online course discusses how inequalities in health information contribute to health disparities and what communities can do to close the gap and improve health literacy. The course is divided into two modules. This link is to Module 1 features Beyond Access: Communication Inequality and Its Implications for Health Disparities, a presentation by Dr. Kasiomayajula Viswanath, a national expert on health communication. He describes inequalities in the generation, manipulation, distribution and capacity to act on health information among social and cultural groups in the United States.... Module 2 describes three local efforts to address the health literacy gap in Minnesota. The three projects featured include: Emergency Preparedness with Cultural Communities, known as The ECHO project; PhotoVoice; and the Urban Health Agenda Community Advisory Committee, known as UHACAC."

It is free to register and access the modules, and Continuing Education credit is available.

Type of Material:

Online course, including a very good list of Resources for Health Literacy

Recommended Uses:

Useful in class, or for homework. Group projects would be appropriate if assignments are developed for it.

Technical Requirements:

Computer with a broadband Internet Connection and Flash Player. The slides are best heard using speakers; however, a text version is also available.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

• Define health literacy.

• Discuss the importance of improving health literacy.

• Identify sources of health information used in multi-ethnic populations.

• Describe health communication strategies that may be effective with multi-ethnic populations who rely on different sources of health information.

• Identify appropriate web resources related to culture and health literacy.

Target Student Population:

College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Would use with any health science undergraduate student, and may use for the graduate level. Continuing education is available for certification maintenance.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Tracks the education, Provides contact hours, and can stop and start if needed.

Clear and interesting presentation.

Just 30 minutes long and holds attention.

Presenter is engaging.

The topic is very relevant and the information provided was done in a scholarly, organized way.

Concerns:

The registration with University of Minnesota was a little lengthy, but not difficult.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Would use this as a lesson for students to do outside of class time and then further discuss in class. Students can present certificate of completion for credit. Information is good for undergraduate and graduate level Health science programs (nursing, social work, public health ect…)

The presentation was fast enough to move through a lot of good information in a short time. The pre-tests and post-tests were helpful to guide the learning.

Concerns:

None

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

Once registered with the university easy to navigate.

Very professional, visually appealing and engaging presentation. The speaker in the Beyond Access video was very enthusiastic about the content.

Concerns:

Registration for course lengthy.

It took several minutes to wait for e-mail activation.

It was not clear how to get back to the page where the next module could be chosen after taking the post-test.

The screen where it asked you to click to take the post-test or reprint certificate was very small font. It would be helpful if it was a bit easier to read.

There were fluctuations in volume at times that needed volume adjustments on the speakers (especially on the Introduction presentation).

Other Issues and Comments:: Good discussion about factors influencing health disparities to raise awareness for future and current healthcare providers. Would be good for education students as well. Presents data in an understandable format.
Creative Commons: