Addressing public health professionals' social media competency for effective health promotion, communication and advocacy

Item 1. Brief name: A Massive Open Online Course: Using Social Media for Effective Health Promotion, Communication and Advocacy Item 2. Why: The online tailored intervention will be evaluated using a waitlist control methodology throughout 2025, with participants randomised to the intervention group (early start) or the waitlist control (delayed start). The MOOC adheres to the xMOOC pedagogy, rooted in cognitive-behavioural science with an emphasis on individual learning and knowledge transfer (i.e. between educator and learner). This approach predominantly employs brief, lecture-style videos complemented by readings, problem-solving scenarios, quizzes, and assignments. Item 3. What (materials): Enrolled participants will complete the MOOC (Using Social Media for Effective Health Promotion, Communication and Advocacy) which comprises 6 modules: • Module 1: Exploring the Commercial Determinants and their Impact on Health • Module 2: Social Media Essentials • Module 3: Using Social Media for Public Health Education and Advocacy • Module 4: Health Promotion Message Framing and Values • Module 5: Futureproofing: Managing and Responding to Opposition, Trolls and Misinformation • Module 6: The Future of Health Promotion on Social Media Participants’ will work through the MOOC at their own pace over 10 weeks from their course commencement date. Participants will have access to supplementary readings and learning materials, interactive learning activities, a discussion board and end-of-module quizzes. Item 4. What (procedures): This study will use convenience sampling to recruit Australian-based health promotion and public health professionals via professional public health and health promotion associations and organisations. These entities will disseminate recruitment materials to their members and employees via a variety of communication methods, including email, newsletters and social media. Interested individuals will be directed to complete an expression of interest form via Qualtrics, which the research team will use to determine eligibility for participation. Eligible and enrolled participants will complete online Qualtrics surveys at three time points: (T0) baseline, prior to randomisation to the intervention or wait-list; (T1) interim post-test at week 10 allowing time for the early start group to complete the intervention considering work commitments; and (T2) final post-test at week 24 allowing ten weeks for the delayed start group to complete the intervention. Item 5. Who provided: The MOOC will be delivered through the Curtin University edX platform (https://www.edx.org/school/curtinx). Five content experts were involved in creating the MOOC. Item 6. How: Enrolled participants (n=228) will complete the MOOC online. The intervention will be delivered in two groups: Early start (intervention) (n=114) and delayed start (waitlist control) (n=114). Participants will regularly receive emails, notifying them of their course commence date, encouraging them to complete modules, and reminding them to complete surveys. Item 7. Where: The intervention is delivered to individuals online and therefore participants can choose where they complete it. Item 8. When and how much: The MOOC contains 6 modules, and each module is anticipated to take participants 1-3 hours to complete. The early start group will first receive the intervention, followed by the delayed start group. Each group will have up to 10 weeks to complete the intervention. Item 9. Tailoring: Not applicable. Item 10. Modifications: Not applicable currently. Item 11. How well (planned): Drawing on approaches used in previous MOOC evaluation studies (1, 2), we will use a framework that integrates two established models – the RE-AIM (3) and Kirkpatrick (4) models – to evaluate the MOOC. For the present study, we selected specific dimensions from both the RE-AIM and Kirkpatrick models deemed most relevant and applicable – Efficacy (the short-term impact of the intervention on key outcomes), Reach (the participation rate within the target population and participant characteristics), Reaction (participants’ responses to the intervention), Learning (the extent to which participants acquire the intended knowledge and confidence), Maintenance (the sustainability of the program over time), and Behaviour (the degree to which knowledge is applied in practice). A process evaluation will be undertaken throughout the intervention to determine reach (attendance); fidelity (quality of intervention, intervention delivery and resources), together with recruitment, and dose delivered and received (5). Criteria for assessing programme quality will take into account: i) utility: information needs of participants are satisfied, e.g. usefulness of resources; ii) propriety: ethical standards are met, e.g. aggregated evaluation findings are made accessible to participants; and iii) accuracy: valid and reliable information, e.g. clear and accurate report documentation (6). Face-to-face, online, structured exit interviews (approximately n=16) will be conducted with MOOC completers (n=4) and non-completers (n=4) from the early start group at week 10; and with MOOC completers from the early start group at week 24 (n=4) and the delayed start group (n=4) at week 36. These interviews will provide insight into intervention implementation and factors that influence participation and delivery. edX Insights will be used to monitor adherence to the intervention. The available data are presented in three sections: 1. Who are my learners? (Enrolment details – includes how many learners plus demographics (e.g. education level, gender, and geographic location)); 2. What are learners engaging with in my course (Engagement details – includes weekly totals for active learners; how many watched a video, tried a problem, and participated in discussions); 3. How well is my content supporting learners? (Performance details – average grades assessments, and for ungraded problems). Item 12. How well (actual): Not applicable currently. References 1. Smith-Lickess SK, Woodhead T, Burhouse A, Vasilakis C. Study design and protocol for a comprehensive evaluation of a UK massive open online course (MOOC) on quality improvement in healthcare. BMJ Open. 2019;9(12):e031973. 2. Meinert E, Alturkistani A, Brindley D, Carter A, Wells G, Car J. Protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation of a massive open online course on real world evidence. BMJ Open. 2018;8(8):e025188. 3. Glasgow R, Vogt T, Boles S. Evaluating the public health impact of health promotion interventions: The RE-AIM framework. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(9):1322-7. 4. Kirkpatrick D. Great ideas revisited: revisiting Kirkpatrick's four-level model. Training and Development. 1996;50:54-9. 5. Bauman A, Nutbeam D. Evaluation in a nutshell: A practical guide to the evaluation of health promotion programs. Sydney: McGraw Hill; 2013. 6. Yarbrough D, Shulha L, Hopson R, Caruthers F. The program evaluation standards: A guide for evaluators and evaluation users. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE; 2011.