Online Course Examines The Potential Of Mobile Devices For Health, May 23 – June 20

One of the social media and digital health communication thought leaders that I follow closely is Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM, an Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in the Health Communication Program. Lisa teaches Online Consumer Health, Social Media and Health, and Digital Strategies for Health Communication. Recently I learned through Twitter that beginning May 23rd, Lisa is leading an online course on Mobile Health Design. Here’s the course abstract:

Mobile health (mHealth) is a growing area of importance as many health organizations have or are thinking about creating apps. This online course examines the impact and potential of mobile devices for health at a national and global level. Using design methodologies, students will conceptualize and design health apps that incorporate evidence-based guidelines and capitalize on the unique capabilities of smartphones and tablets.

This 4-week online course is a mixture of lecture, discussion and skill-based exercises. Guest lecturers will bring diverse expertise and perspectives to course material. During the course, students will have the opportunity to work in a team to design a health app for a real health organization, using the techniques covered in class.

Both healthcare and public health professionals and current Tufts University PHPD students are invited to enroll. All course activities will be implemented using Adobe Connect and Google+ Hangouts.

The course will examine:

• trends in the adoption and use of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets;
• how design incorporates the mobility, portability, and input/output capabilities of mobile devices;
• how healthcare consumers locate health apps and decide to download and try them;
• how people use health apps and why they sustain or abandon use;
• studies of health benefits, with a focus on how apps educate, connect, track, and remind;
• techniques for designing, evaluating, and monitoring the use of health apps.

Guest Lecturers

Lisa will bring in several guest lecturers. Tara Montgomery, Director of Health Partnerships & Impact at Consumer Reports, will present the course case study. Troy Oldroyd, who serves as the VP of Technology for Alliance Health Networks, Inc. will guest lecture on their experiences developing apps for their online health communities. John Mangano, vice president at comScore where he leads the Healthcare practice, will present on his insights into how patients and health care providers use and interact with the internet and how that activity ultimately turns into doctor visits and treatment, developed through viewing the online activity of over 1 million Americans.

Team Project

Students will work in small teams to design a weight loss app for Consumer Reports using techniques emphasized during the course. Teams will develop an app name and concept statement, define benefits of the app, justify design choices using research evidence, develop personas and conduct a competitive analysis to inform design, create simple wireframes for the app, and develop a product marketing plan. Creativity and innovation as well as consumer appeal, usability, and impact will be emphasized. Students will use Google+ Hangouts to collaborate.

Dates & Location

The course will take place between May 23 and June 20, 2012. Individual class sessions will take place between 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday with an additional session each week for teams.  The course will be conducted entirely online using Adobe Connect and Google+ Hangouts. http://mobilehealthdesign.wordpress.com/

Enrollment

The course is open to current Tufts University PHPD  students for credit, as well as to healthcare and public health professionals. Total enrollment will be limited to 20.

Health professionals may enroll by submitting a completed registration form to the Tufts University Registrar.  Registration costs $1000 on or before April 18th and $1200 before May 23rd. Tufts affiliates and alumni may enroll at the discounted price of $1000.

Contact information for Lisa: Email Lisa, read her blog, or follow her on Twitter @lisagualtieri.