Teaching and learning for change: analysis of a post-graduate One Health program

Abstract

As problematized through the One Health concept, global health issues are defeating conventional disciplinary approaches since they unfold across various scientific domains and across all levels of society. Calling for a change in the way knowledge is generated and used to tackle these complex societal issues, the One Health concept appears as a particular perspective within sustainability science. Various academic initiatives, inspired by the One Health concept, are emerging to prepare future health practitioners and researchers to think and work across disciplines. The building of adapted curricula faces important challenges, tied to the siloed structure of universities. Hence, the training initiatives are still in their infancy, facing an important uncertainty regarding field needs and goals to achieve. This study analyzes the main features and the impacts of a One Health-oriented program, starting in such an uncertain and siloed university context. The method combined participant observation and semi-structured interviews (individual and focus group) with four categories of actors: learners, teachers, partners, program designers. The narratives, reflecting the perceptions of the actors, were analyzed to propose an underlying visual model of the program. The main identified features of the program point to a continuous process of mutual adjustment between actors, available means, and projected goals. The program benefitted from interactions at several levels: between students, teachers, and external partners, to create an overall mutual learning dynamic. The underlying model is interpreted as an inherently evolutive structure, not only transmitting knowledge but actively co-creating knowledge, as would take place in a transdisciplinary research process.

Global One Health post-graduate programmes: a review

“…This body of data indicates that while there is considerable disparity between all the 43 programmes analysed, there still exists a significant uniformity. An additional highlight from the data generated is that the majority of OH programmes are often designed around the strengths of the organising academic institutions, which was also previously noted by Sidikou et al, [26]. Based on this current study, it was observed that each OH programme gives a bird's eye view of the OH concept, but despite this, each still emphasises particular subsets of OH.…”

“…would be more suited. This underscores the need for additional studies of OH programmes using a pedagogical approach, similar to Amuguni et al [ 35 ] and Sidikou et al [ 26 ], to determine how OH core competencies are incorporated. Results from these studies could serve as guides for subsequent OHHLEP recommendations.…”

Editorial

“…Within a rapidly changing global environment, the need for practitioners and scientists trained and competent in integrative approaches to health has increased substantially. One Health practitioners are suitably positioned to act as agents of change in this domain (Sidikou et al, 2021). Therefore, NEOH proposes updated One Health core competencies to reflect the evolving narratives in One Health, from the former anthropocentric view of disease avoidance at the human-animal-environment interface, to a more holistic approach that strives to sustainably balance the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems.…”

“…In all cases, acquiring OH competencies is a social process, calling for mutual and shared learning. These questions or even blurs the border between learning and teaching, with all participants of a program intervening in the process as equals (Sidikou et al, 2021).…”

Exploring the Potential of a Serious Game Framework in Developing Systems-Thinking Skills

“…11 Examples of such contexts include team-based learning, flipped classrooms, and problem-based learning, which facilitate constructive dialogue, exchange of ideas and opinions, and a broadening of understanding of complex problems. 12 These contexts provide an ideal environment for fostering systems thinking skills, leading to better, more sustainable solutions. For instance, problem-based learning employs a selfdirected learning (SDL) model that emphasizes student groups taking ownership of their own learning as a team while working collaboratively under the guidance of a facilitator.…”