The Royal Society for Public Health calls for educational support for PHORUS, which is examining the feasibility of making public health educational resources available across the world free of charge.

PRESS DISPENSARY - Tuesday, Dec 08, 2009 - Making educational resources freely available to all is a hot topic, but in no area is it more important than Public Health. The Royal Society for Public Health (http://www.rsph.org.uk) is calling for educational resources to be contributed to a cutting edge project, known as PHORUS, which is testing out the feasibility of making public health educational resources available across the world free of charge.

For the last ten years, forward looking universities have been making their course materials available online and assessing what effect this has on their students, the wider community and the academic staff who have produced the materials. Now a national programme is underway in the UK, designed to test the practical considerations and benefits of putting educational materials online.

Project Director Dr Margaret Sills comments: "At this stage in our work we would really value input from Public Health educators who can contribute resources so they are freely accessible to the whole online community, making a real contribution to Public Health education around the world."

Educational resources could, for example, take the form of case studies, discussion triggers, podcasts, videos of lectures or interviews with public health practitioners. The most experienced universities in this movement use facilities such as iTunes and YouTube to provide innovative and topical material, and the academics involved can find themselves as chart toppers, as their material is downloaded by thousands of students, professionals and independent learners.

The most well established institutions in this sector have gained significant international exposure for their programmes, and their recruitment of undergraduates has benefited as well. Prospective students use this facility as part of their selection process and gain a taster of the quality and style of the courses available.

To contribute a resource to this exciting development in Public Health education, contact the PHORUS project at http://phorus.health.heacademy.ac.uk/ or call Rosie Cannon on 020 3177 1621.

Notes for editors

• The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary organisation, dedicated to the promotion and protection of collective human health and wellbeing. Through advocacy, mediation, empowerment, knowledge and practice we advise on policy development, provide education and training services, encourage scientific research, disseminate information and certify products, training centres and processes.

• Project PHORUS is part of an initiative to release open educational resources focused on public health in the Higher Education sector. Funded by HEFCE and supported by JISC and the Higher Education Academy, PHORUS is led by the Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre working with the Royal Society for Public Health, Bournemouth University and other institutions.

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