Abstract:

In accordance with the National Health System Reform, the National Institute of Public Health in México (NIPH), seeks to strengthen the competencies of the human resources responsible for implementing the federal programs and advanced the achievement of the millennium goals.

NIPH was founded in 1922, one of the oldest institutions in the Americas, and it was until 2005 that the first e-learning course was developed and offered. The demand for training and building capacity was dramatically increased and face to face education was no longer enough to satisfy the demand, especially for those health workers in service and geographically disperse. For these reasons, NIPH developed a pedagogical and technological model with a multidisciplinary team, which included: instructional designers, systems and technology experts, multimedia people and public health researchers. The challenge was to offer highly effective continuing education training programs using learning management systems.

Among other initiatives, NIPH, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, through the Health Promotion and Prevention Department, developed an in-service e-learning and b-learning training strategy to update the skills of their personnel in evidence-based health Promotion and Prevention. The strategy included on-line MPH for high level officers; six-month diploma courses for middle-level officers in all the federal states in Mexico, and a 60hr b-learning course for community health promoters with very limited education and technical skills.

The MPH is still undergoing, but the results obtain in the on-line diploma courses and the b-learning courses had proven to be very successful. The results show that 80% of the participants achieved the competencies, only 10% of the participants drop-out, even thou 60% of them have not have internet experience before and the satisfaction level was very high.

From the results we can conclude, that with a well developed pedagogical model and suitable technological platforms, high quality courses can be deliver to train in service health personnel regardless of their background education and their internet exposure.

Keywords:

e-learning, b-learning, technology, health promotion.