It is difficult for anyone, let alone an 18 year old, to grasp the complexity of the health care system and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. The H210 class (Intro to the Health Care System) is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the heath care system and encourage students to think critically about it’s components.
As Karen Volmar stated in her most eloquent post, the heath care system is not foreign to most students. Typically, they have some experience, but usually only as a consumer of health care. Most often, someone else is paying for their healthcare, and as far as insurance goes, they usually understand the basics, but not the details.
We envision a hybrid class that has students watching videos, engaging in projects, interacting on the discussion board and taking quizzes in the online portion of the course. In the classroom, we will set the stage for the week’s content, have speakers, talk through the assignments, provide general feedback, answer questions and have in-person discussions. It is our hope that the mix of online and in class components will fill the gap that is created by a larger class comprised of individuals with varying levels of commitment.
This class is not unlike a math class in that the information in one week builds on the prior weeks’ content. As a result, attendance and keeping up with the material is very important. With a class of 90-120 people, there are usually about 20 people who attend class only when absolutely necessary and there are others that don’t put the time in outside class to allow the material to sink. A hybrid format, with thoughtfully developed components, will set the stage for more consistent engagement with the material (and each other) on a regular basis.
