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Title: Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights: Organizing Effective Responses (SRH Responses)
Keywords: Vulnerable groups (in general)
Sexual & reproductive health
Health systems
HIV/AIDS
Gender & health
Country: Netherlands
Institution: The Netherlands - Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam
Course coordinator: H. Ormel
Date start: 2021-04-12
Date end: 2021-05-03
About duration and dates: 3 weeks (14 working days)
Classification: advanced optional
Mode of delivery: Face to face
Course location: KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam
PO Box 95001, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
ECTS credit points: 4.5 ECTS credits
SIT:
Total 126 hours
40 hours contact (13 lectures, 16 tutorials, 8 group works, 3 exam); 86 hours self-study (50 private reading, 8 writing assignment, 10 group work preparation, 18 exam preparation)
Language: English
Description:
At the end of the module the student should be able to
• Describe and analyze components of effective SRHR responses, including HIV in the context of health system in low and middle income countries;
• Analyze existing SRHR services from the perspective of marginalized and vulnerable groups and provide recommendations on how to enhance equitable access and quality of care.
• Use evidence to formulate and clearly communicate context-appropriate strategies to address issues related to SRHR to diverse audiences
Assessment Procedures:
The module will be assessed with three components as below:

A. Open-book examination
B. Prepare/write a news release (written assignment)
C. Peer feedback on news release

A. Open Book Examination:
• Question type and duration: three hours with essay-type questions
• Weightage: Open book exam counts for 30% which focuses on the first two learning objectives

B. News Release:
• Topic: Participants should write a news release on a specific SRHR topic
• Length: 1000 words, + 10%)
• Weightage: 50% of the module marks
• Submission deadline: The final News Release assignment needs to be submitted not later than the last day of the course.

C. Peer Feedback, occuring at the same as the writing of the NR :
• While writing the news release, students will receive two times feedback from their peers
• There will be two rounds of peer feedback on versions of the news release
• Peer feedback drafts need to be uploaded online at certain times so as to allow peers to also use the feedback for improvement of their News release.
• Peer feedback on the News Release will be assessed based on the quantity and quality of feedback provided
• Weightage: Accounting for 20% of module marks.

General rules & Instructions:
• All the components of the assessments have separate instructions. Example of the assessment task and instructions is in the Annex 1 to this form. The student is required to attend at least 90% of the face to face sessions The final mark will be based on three assessments Students receive a personal feedback sheet for the news release and feedback.

Resit: Those students who fail can re-sit as per the regulations published in the student’s handbook and in the module overview. The dates of resit are clearly indicated in program schedule of the academic calendar.
Content:
The module covers the following contents: (A Program Schedule is attached as Annex 2)
• Organizing effective responses to SRHR including HIV and concepts health systems and service delivery
• Organizing human resources for health and changing roles and responsibilities of the health sector in responding to SRHR including HIV
• Monitoring and evaluation of SRHR programs
• Key aspects of SRHR and HIV programs, e.g.: adolescents and youth-friendly health services, family planning, abortion, quality of care, maternal, new born, and child health, Gender Based Violence, (V)Counseling and Testing and ART services, including attention to health advocacy and health promotion
• Opportunities for synergies and considerations for integrations of services: e.g. Prevention Mother To Child Transmission and Family Planning (FP), FP and sexual health, STI and HIV
• Continuum of Care models for SRHR and how to organize them.
• Reducing stigma and discrimination and ensuring sexual and reproductive rights.
• Enhancing accountability and participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups in organizing responses.
• Client-centered approaches to SRHR including motivational interviewing.
• Advocacy, writing a news release, giving peer feedback.
Methods:
A great variety of learning methods are used, most importantly:
• Interactive lectures (all face to face), reflection of students’ own experiences (40 hrs), case studies
• Group work, discussion forum, Writing news release (assignment).
• The news release builds on learning from commenting (online) on peers’ draft papers.
• Field visit: Visit to GGD (Municipal Health Centre), Amsterdam
• Visit to SRHR team at STI clinic, Amsterdam and learn how to do motivational interviewing (practical exercises)
• Peer feedback (online)
• Background reading materials

The educational approach for both the face to face and on-site e-learning is based on the following principles. The education:
• Takes the knowledge and (working) experience of the participants as a starting point.
• Is problem oriented and is focused on the practical application of the course content.
• Is competency based: it is aimed at improving the competencies of participants to implement and evaluate context specific approaches to address health problems.
Prerequisites:
• At least 2 years professional experience, preferably in a low and middle income country.
• English level TOEFL 5.5 or IELTS 6.5
• Computer and internet literacy; the participant should be able to use a computer with internet as described, and working-level understanding of Microsoft Office software (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe (PDF). Students will be introduced to the e-learning platform.
Attendance:
• Maximum number of students: 25
• Maximum number of tropEd students: 5
Selection:
First come, first served basis
Fees:
2.210€
Scholarships:
Scholarships: For this course funding from the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP, former NFP) is available for applicants from OKP countries. Additional information available at: https://www.kit.nl/health/study/okp-orange-knowledge-programme/
Major changes since initial accreditation:
• Change of course coordinator
• Change in ECTS – from 4 to 4.5. Reason for change in ECTS: i) From next year, this module will run in parallel with another module which is having 4.5 ECTS. Ii) To align with the timing and course sessions with the similar module within the SRHR track of the MPH, iii) to ensure better curriculum consistency across the MPH. and iv) To respond to the action points of the module arisen from the student evaluations (see below).
• SIT is now being increased from 112 to 126 hours; reflected in an increased ECTS (from 4.0 to 4.5). See above.
• The exam was adjusted to align with the parallel module of the other specialization track in the MPH and to allow more time for the news release writing and peer feedback process
• There will be more emphasis on communication aspects which are increasingly valuable in SRHR responses and as such the exams have also been changed.
• The course now runs on a new more user friendly e-learning platform for the on-site e-learning components. Feedback from students helped us in improving the environment.
Student evaluation:
In academic year 2016/2017, student evaluation of the module was as follows:

• Students also indicated that the objectives of the module were in line with the learning needs
• The participants found that the module objectives were generally achieved.
• Students stated that the use of various teaching methods were good, interactive, well balanced and well mastered
• The students agreed that diversity of learning methods in this module allows different types of learners with various backgrounds to have an effective learning experience, while having ample opportunity to share their knowledge and experience
• Students commented that although the quality of reading materials were very good but were too much.
• Students indicated that some sessions were a bit too technical i.e. clinically oriented
• Students mentioned that the session materials such as presentations were not always uploaded to the virtual learning platform in a timely manner
• Student felt that the study load was high
• Exam was fair. But the format in terms of allocation of grades was not clear. Also, there was too many instructions unnecessarily.
• External students felt that the sessions could have been organized in different order .
Lessons learned:
• We have learned lessons from the module evaluations; and the following changes were made:
o the sessions on maternal health, HIV and gender were revisited and revised the contents accordingly.
o The learning methods for each session were aligned and diversified;
o Uploading of materials was better monitored;
o Revisited the instructions of the exams and news release
o Number of sessions and average contact time per sessions was adjusted to make room for self-study
• We have also learned how to better facilitate and respond to student’s feedback including communicating their formative feedback to the concerned facilitators, and action, as necessary to be taken immediately – especially while course is still running.
tropEd accreditation:
Accredited in June 2012. Re-accredited in June 2018. This accreditation is valid until June 2023.
Remarks: online applcation
Email Address: F.Maldonado@kit.nl
Date Of Record Creation: 2013-06-28 03:14:02 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release: 2013-06-28 03:20:57 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked: 2018-06-21 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified: 2020-09-22 12:19:20 (W3C-DTF)

Fifteen years of the tropEd Masters in International Health programme: what has it delivered? Results of an alumni survey of masters students in international health

L. Gerstel1, P. A. C. Zwanikken1, A. Hoffman2, C. Diederichs3, M. Borchert3 and B. Peterhans2

1 Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
3 Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charite – Universit€atsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany