Utilizing eLearning to strengthen the capacity of global health practitioners and institutions around the world

Abstract

This paper presents eLearning as a solution for strengthening human resources for health as well as organizational capacity of regional and local nongovernmental organizations in developing countries. Building the knowledge base and increasing opportunities for continuous learning are crucial ways to strengthen the workforce and health systems in developing countries. In this paper, the authors describe the success of the Global Health eLearning (GHeL) Center and share findings from its multi-phased evaluation. As a result of this successful experience, the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project, based at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (JHUCCP), implemented three unique country level eLearning programs that seek to improve the knowledge and skills of targeted local audiences as well as build the organizational capacity of the in-country partner organizations in delivering effective eLearning programs. The authors describe the unique applications of each, a variety of ways employed to overcome issues of access, and their lessons learned.