BRIEF GUIDE:

HOW TO IMPLEMENT

SDH-Net LEARNING

PLATFORM RESOURCES

National Institute of Public Health, Mexico

September, 2014

V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder Germán Guerra y Guerra Patricia Gabriela Sánchez Vallejo Alejandra Ciria Fernández Varela

Brief guide: “How to implement SDH-net learning platform resources” by SDH-Net is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Based on a work at http://www.sdh-net.eu/

This guide is supported by the European Commission – 7th Framework Programme, “Building sustainable capacity for research

for health and its social determinants in low and middle income countries” (SDH-Net), contract no. 282534.

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BRIEF GUIDE: HOW TO IMPLEMENT SDH-Net LEARNING

PLATFORM RESOURCES

Content PRESENTATION .......................................................................................................................... 3

I. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESING THE SDH-NET LEARNING PLATFORM.................... 4

1. HOW TO ACCESS THE PLATFORM ....................................................................................... 4

II.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE INTERACTIVE COURSES............................................ 5

III.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR COURSES VIA MOODLE (Qualitative Methods for SDH

Research) ................................................................................................................................... 5

IV. WP4 DIDACTIC MATERIAL HOSTED IN THE SDH-NET PLATFORM............................................ 6

1. REPOSITORY ....................................................................................................................... 6

2. ONLINE COURSES ............................................................................................................... 7

3. CASE STUDIES ................................................................................................................... 14

4. WORKSHOPS .................................................................................................................... 18

5. OTHER RESOURCES........................................................................................................... 21

HOW TO DELETE COOKIES AND OTHER ‘HISTORY’ INFORMATION TO ENTER THE SDH-NET

PLATFORM ............................................................................................................................... 25

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PRESENTATION This Guide was prepared by the team of the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP),

the SDH-Net partner coordinator of WP4. The purpose of this document is to guide potential users

to access all didactic resources developed under WP4. In this brief guide you will find step-by-step

instructions on how to access the SDH-Net learning platform and use the following resources:

Repository, online courses, classroom-based workshops, case studies, methodological guides,

infographic, and other valuable SDH learning resources. For each resource, we provide a brief

description, purpose, suggested use and suggested audience, as well graphic instructions on how

to access the resource within the SDH-Net web platform.

We hope you find this guide useful. If you have questions or need additional information regarding

any of the resources listed in here, please do not hesitate to contact us at sdh-net@insp.mx

Sincerely,

INSP team

V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder (General Coordination) Laura Magaña Valladares Ricardo Omar Alarcón Guevara Lourdes Vianney Barrera Campos Hervé Bessou Ietza Bojorquez Chapela Rolando Alfonso Bustamante Herrera Fernando Camacho García Alejandra Ciria Fernández-Varela Oscar Fernando Contreras Ibañez Germán Guerra y Guerra Wendy Angélica Hernández Cervantes Alfonso Murphy Soto Suri Sarahí Morales Sánchez Blanca Estela Pelcastre Villafuerte José Luis Ramírez Martínez Cynthia Rosas Magallanes Héctor Ríos Ramírez Eréndira Saavedra Albarrán Irma Deyanira Sánchez Salazar Sandra Treviño Siller Ricardo Vargas Sotelo. Evelyn Aron Regina Cano Katherine T. Lofgren Patricia Gabriela Sánchez Vallejo

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I. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESING THE SDH-NET LEARNING

PLATFORM

C o mp ut e r R e qui r e me n t s

For all computers:

2 GB of RAM

1 GB of free disk space

Broadband Internet connection (DSL or cable recommended)

Web browser

Sound card with speakers or headphones

Cookies must be enabled. (Please refer to section “HOW TO DELETE COOKIES AND OTHER ‘HISTORY’ INFORMATION TO ENTER THE SDH-NET PLATFORM” in this guide)

Pop-up blocker is turned off

Br o w s e r R e qui r e me nt s

• Chrome v28.0

• Internet Explorer 9

• Firefox v26.0

S o f t w ar e R e c o m me n da t i o n s ( C l i c k t h e l i nk s be l o w t o d o w nl o a d t h e s e

ap p l i c at i o ns )

Chrome v28 (http://www.google.com/intl/es-419/chrome/)

Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/)

Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader/)

Adobe Flash plugin (http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)

Adobe Shockwave (http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/)

1. HOW TO ACCESS THE PLATFORM

1. Before you start reviewing the SDH-Net platform, you need first to delete cookies and

other ‘History’ information from your computer. Please refer to section “HOW TO

DELETE COOKIES AND OTHER ‘HISTORY’ INFORMATION TO ENTER THE SDH-NET

PLATFORM” in this guide.

2. Proceed to click on the following link: http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/

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II.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE INTERACTIVE COURSES

C o mp ut e r R e qui r e me n t s

For all computers:

2 GB of RAM

1 GB of free disk space

Broadband Internet connection (DSL or cable recommended)

Web browser

Sound card with speakers or headphones

Cookies must be enabled. (Please refer to section “HOW TO DELETE COOKIES AND OTHER ‘HISTORY’ INFORMATION TO ENTER THE SDH-NET PLATFORM” in this guide)

Pop-up blocker is turned off

Br o w s e r R e qui r e me nt s

• Chrome v28.0

• Internet Explorer 9

• Firefox v26.0

S o f t w ar e R e c o m me n da t i o n s ( C l i c k t h e l i nk s be l o w t o d o w nl o a d t h e s e

ap p l i c at i o ns )

Chrome v28 (http://www.google.com/intl/es-419/chrome/)

Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/)

Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader/)

Adobe Flash plugin (http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)

Adobe Shockwave (http://get.adobe.com/shockwave/)

III.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR COURSES VIA MOODLE (Qualitative

Methods for SDH Research)

Br o w s e r R e qui r e me nt s

Moodle works best with Mozilla Firefox. Other browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Safari may be used, but may not support all functionalities in Moodle, such as online quizzes and the HTML editor.

All browsers should have JavaScript, Cookies, and Pop-ups enabled (do not block Pop- ups).

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T e c h ni c al R e q ui r e me nt s :

The online course “Qualitative Methods for SDH Research” has been developed under Moodle

version 2.6. In order to be installed and reproduced at SDH-Net partners’ institutions servers, the

following technical requirements are needed:

Hardware server requirements:

1.7 Ghz Dual processor

4 RAM Gigabytes

60 Gigabytes of Hard Disk Memory

Software:

CentOS 5

Apache 2.0

PHP 5.3.5

MySQL 5.0.77

Moodle 2.6

Technical specifications of course file:

Course Moodle version: 2.6

File size: 3.10 megabytes (approximately)

File extension: ZIP

IV. WP4 DIDACTIC MATERIAL HOSTED IN THE SDH-NET PLATFORM

1. REPOSITORY

D e s c r i p t i o n: This is a collection of electronic documents that can be easily

downloaded by clicking on the link. The compilation includes scientific articles, formal

reports, book chapters, books, videos, photographs, infographics, and other relevant

material.

P ur p o s e : To provide access to interested users, to a wide range of specialized resources

on social determinants of health and health inequities research. Resources in Repository

can be used individually to acquire new knowledge or as learning tools in classroom

settings.

S ugge s t e d us e : Supporting materials to teach and learn about SDH.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Individuals affiliated to different institutions (government,

academic, philanthropic, national and international institutions) working in any field of the

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social and health sciences, administration and humanities wanting to learn or expand their

knowledge about the Social Determinants of Health.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link Repository. If the link does not work, copy

and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/sdh-net/

2. ONLINE COURSES The SDH-Net learning platform offers three online courses to strengthen research capacity

in SDH: “Essentials of Social Determinants of Health”; “Qualitative methods for conducting

research on SDH”; and “Impact evaluation on SDH policy and research”. You will find

these courses in the learning platform under “Online Courses”:

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2 .1 “ T h e E s s e nti al s o f S D H ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: This is a self-directed, automated course powered by the SDH-Net

platform. Course completion will require a total of 10 hours including online work, and

offline readings.

P ur p o s e : To provide a theoretical basis for understanding and addressing the Social

Determinants of Health (SDH). This is a basic, introductory course to the social

determinants of health.

S ugge s t e d us e : As a stand-alone course or a complement to classroom courses to

understand the theory and practice of the Social Determinants of Health approach. It

includes examples of analysis, description, planning, and implementation of actions to

promote health equity at national, regional, and global levels.

S ugge s t e d aud i e nc e : To enroll in this course a minimum education level of

undergraduate, technical or Bachelor degree or equivalent is required.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link Essentials, then proceed to “Enroll” (orange

box in the upper right side of screen), and follow the instructions on the screen to sign up.

If the link does not work, copy and paste the link directly into the address bar of your

internet browser: http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/essentials.php

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P o r t abl e O f f l i ne V e r s i o n: Taking into account that sometimes online training

environment is impractical, we have developed a Portable Offline Version (POV) of the

course, executable from a USB Flash drive.

In s t r u cti on s to d ow n l oa d th e P O V :

1. Click on the Portable Offline Version link. You will find a summary of the course,

including step-by-step instructions for downloading and obtaining the statement of

accomplishment.

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2. Download the POV and follow the instructions to enroll, take and complete the course.

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2 .2 “ Q ual i t at i v e M e th o ds f o r S D H R e s e ar c h ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: This is an online course delivered by the Learning Management System

‘Moodle’, and powered by the SDH-Net platform. The course requires a facilitator to guide

the work and answer questions. (For more information about Moodle, please visit this

brief guide for learners:

http://uowblogs.com/moodlelab/files/2014/02/2014_MoodleHelp_Learners-1ldfiqq.pdf)

P ur p o s e : To provide the basis for conducting SDH-related research using a qualitative

methods approach.

S ugge s t e d us e : As a stand-alone course to understand the relevance of qualitative

research for the analysis of social realities and the causes of health inequities. The course

also provides an overview of a range of relevant qualitative research techniques.

S ugge s t e d a ud i e nc e : Junior and senior researchers with limited knowledge of

qualitative methods who are interested in learning how to apply techniques derived from

qualitative research into SDH-related research. For this course, it is necessary to assign an

instructor and an administrator. Both must have previous knowledge of the Moodle

learning platform. The instructor will guide and be in continuous communication with the

student and will serve as link between the student and the administrator. The

administrator must be able to attend and resolve all the technical difficulties during the

learning process, and provide course access to students.

I ns t r uc t o r p r o f i l e : The instructor must have professional training in social science,

experience with use of qualitative techniques to collect information, experience with

qualitative data analysis and experience on writing qualitative research finding.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link Qualitative, and then proceed to “Enroll”

(orange box in the upper right side of screen). If the link does not work, copy and paste the

next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/qualitative.php

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2 .3 “ I mp ac t E v al u ati o n o n S D H P o l i c y an d R e s e ar c h ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: This online course provides an introduction to the methods for evaluating

the impact of policies or programs targeting the social determinants of health. The course

covers both the quantitative and qualitative methods of attributing impact that are used

to assess whether a policy or program was effective and how and why these effects were

brought about.

P ur p o s e : To provide an overview of the methods for evaluating the impact of

interventions aimed to improve health through addressing social determinants.

S ugge s t e d us e : This course is designed to be used as an introduction to this area for

self-directed learning for a student with a general understanding of research methodology.

Links to advanced material are provided for students who wish to explore particular

aspects of the course in more detail. Self-assessment exercises designed for students to

test they have understood key concepts are provided throughout the course.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Junior and senior researchers interested in learning about the

assessment of impact of policies, programs and research findings. Ideal for graduate

students in health and social sciences.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link SDH Impact Evaluation.

If the link does not work, copy and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your

internet browser: http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/impact.php. Here you will find

a brief description of the course. Once there, follow the instructions provided to take the

course.

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3. CASE STUDIES

Case studies are interactive learning tools that enable a more holistic appropriation of

knowledge, by putting into practice, theory and concepts applied to real-life situations,

emphasizing an active, critical, creative exchange among learners. The case studies in this

learning platform were developed by the SDH-Net project partners, envisioned as tools for

capacity building on SDH-related research in LMIC, grouped under three thematic lines:

Research ethics, social commitment, and human rights issues in SDH research in

LMIC.

The application of the Latin American Social Medicine and Collective Health model

to address health inequities in LMIC.

The process of priority setting in health research with emphasis on SDH in LMIC.

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3 .1 C as e S t u di e s

D e s c r i p t i o n: The presented cases are recreated in written form. Each case provides an

overview of a specific topic related to each one of the following thematic lines: Research

ethics, social commitment, and human rights issues in SDH research in LMIC; The

application of the Latin American Social Medicine and Collective Health model to address

health inequities in LMIC and; The process of priority setting in health research with

emphasis on SDH in LMIC.

P ur p o s e : To represent complex situations that a person, a team, or an institution has

faced in real life and use them in learning contexts with the purpose of emulating

professional action.

S ugge s t e d us e : Case studies serve the purpose of stimulating discussion in learning

contexts and are aimed at generating alternatives and responses for professional action of

a specific discussed topic on SDH.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Professors of graduate courses on health, social sciences, and

policy implementation courses. Case studies can be used as tools in classroom settings

under the guidance of an instructor/professor.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Please click on the following link: Case Studies. If the link does not

work, copy and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/cases2.php

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3 .2 G ui de : “ H o w to de v e l o p C as e S t u d i e s on S D H f o r L o w a nd M i d dl e

I nc o me C o u nt r i e s ( L M I C ) ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: This is a pdf document that provides a sequential, easy-to-follow guide to

write case studies. The Guide is to be used preferentially in combination with the Case

Creator tool that is described below, under 3.3.

P ur p o s e : To guide users (academic/researchers/students) step-by-step to the creation

of their own case study with a particular emphasis on SDH.

S ugge s t e d us e : In classroom settings to guide students and young researchers into

the development of case studies with special emphasis on SDH.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Junior and senior researchers wanting to participate in

developing new cases and expanding the number of cases studies available for classroom

discussion in LMIC.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link: Guide. If the link does not work, copy and

paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/recursos/Short%20Guide%20for%20Case%20Stu

dies.pdf

3 .3 . C as e C r e a t o r

D e s c r i p t i o n: This is an online tool, consisting of a template with pre-designed fields

for capturing text which will be used as input to the information of a written case study.

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The capture fields correspond with the case study sections as described in the “How to

develop Case Studies about SDH for Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC)” document.

P ur p o s e : To help in the development of a final written document of a case study.

S ugge s t e d us e : In learning context to develop SDH-related case studies.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Junior and senior researchers wanting to participate in

developing new cases and expanding the number of cases studies available for classroom

discussion in LMIC.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link: Case Creator. If the link does not work,

copy and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/casecreator/nuser.php

4. WORKSHOPS These are pdf documents that describe two 20-hour classroom-based workshops. The

workshops description is given in detail so that they can be implemented in classroom

setting with a facilitator/instructor. The workshops cover the following two topics:

“Interdisciplinary research for the study of SDH” and “Mixed methods in scientific research

and its practical use within the SDH framework”. Each workshop is described below.

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4 .1 “ I nt e r di s c i p l i n ar y A p p r o ac h f o r t h e S t ud y o f S D H ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: Workshop guided by an instructor, to train participants in the concepts of

multi‐, inter‐, and trans‐ disciplinary research, in order to apply them in the design and

conduction of research projects, as well as to the reporting and dissemination of research

findings, within the framework of the SDH.

P ur p o s e : To learn and apply the principles of interdisciplinary research and understand

how to build and work with interdisciplinary teams for the study of SDH.

S ugge s t e d us e : In classroom settings with an instructor. The workshop can be used

as a complement to a research methods course or by itself to strengthen multi-, inter-, and

trans- disciplinary research capacities.

S ugge s t e d a udi e nc e : Junior and senior researchers interested in diversifying the

focus of their research by incorporating other disciplines into the design and

implementation of research project, as well as in the analyses of findings, and their

implications for SDH research.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link: Interdisciplinary. If the link does not work,

copy and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/workshops/Workshop%201%20Interdisciplinary.

pdf

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4 .2 “ M i x e d M e t h o ds f o r t h e S t udy o f S D H ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: Workshop guided by an instructor, to train participants in the concepts of

mixed methods in scientific research, in order to apply them in the design and conduction

of research projects within the framework of the SDH.

P ur p o s e : To learn and correctly apply the principles of mixed methods research.

S ugge s t e d us e : In classroom settings with an instructor. The workshop can be used

as a complement to a research methods course or by itself to strengthen research

capacities on the use of mixed methods in scientific research applied to SDH research

projects.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Junior and senior researchers with medium-level knowledge

of qualitative and quantitative methodology interested in learning and applying a mixed

method approach for the study of SDH.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link: Mixed Methods. If the link does not work,

copy and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/workshops/Workshop%20Mixed%20Methods.p

df

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5. OTHER RESOURCES In this section you will find several relevant didactic and methodological resources for

strengthening SDH research capacities, such as an Infographic: “The ABC of SDH”; a step-

by-step guide on “How to develop Case Studies about SDH for Low and Middle Income

Countries”; a document with methodological notes: “Developing SDH indicators for

observatories on health inequities: the Brazilian experience”; and a concept paper:

“Health Service Laboratory”.

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5 .1 I nf o gr ap h i c : “ T h e A BC o f S D H ”

D e s c r i p t i o n: This is a printed media resource designed to make use of visual

representations of the SDH. The infographic can be downloaded in pdf format for printing,

or can be used in an electronic format.

P ur p o s e : To provide basic concepts of the Social Determinants of Health approach

using illustrations and easy to understand text with the main ideas of the SDH approach.

S ugge s t e d us e : To quickly and clearly communicate the basic concepts of the SDH

approach.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : General public, interested in learning about how health

inequities are related to social issues.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Click on the following link: The ABC of SDH If the link does not work,

copy and paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/others.php

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5 .2 G ui de “ H o w to de v e l o p C as e S t u di e s abo u t S D H f o r L M I C ”

This section was previously described under “Case Studies” (resource 3.2 of this guide).

5 .3 M e th o do l o gi c al no te s : “ D e v e l o p i n g S D H i ndi c at o r s f o r o b s e r v a t o r i e s

o n h e al t h i ne qu i t i e s : t h e Br az i l i a n e x p e r i e nc e”

D e s c r i p t i o n: This document presents the experience of the Observatory on Health

Inequities (FIOCRUZ), particularly the methodology used to gather, organize, publish, and

analyze information data from different sources in Brazil.

P ur p o s e : This methodological document encompasses theoretical, practical,

methodological, and analytical tools to develop monitoring indicators on SDH at a national

level based on proven methodologies for LMIC contexts, where data availability tends to

be scarce, sparse, and/or inconsistent.

S ugge s t e d us e : To understand the purpose of an observatory on health inequities,

how to set one up and how to develop relevant indicators for it.

S ugge s t e d au di e nc e : Researchers, administrators, policy makers interested in

eliminating health disparities at national and regional levels.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Please click on the following link: If the link does not work, copy and

paste the next link directly into the address bar of your internet browser:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/others.php

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5 .4 C o nc e p t D o c ume nt: “ H e al t h S e r v i c e L abo r a t o r y ” ( u n de r t h e

l e ade r s h i p o f WI T S )

D e s c r i p t i o n: This document describes the experience of a Health Service Laboratory

(HSL) created by WITS in collaboration with the Johannesburg Mayoral Council, aims in an

experimental way to support the research, policy and practice link, by providing a platform

that supports evidence-based decision-making.

P ur p o s e : HSL allows testing the implementation and impact of health policies, such as

public health campaigns, or the use of a drug or a medical device, in different settings.

Originally without a specific SDH focus, it turned out to be an excellent platform for

studying the impact of SDH related policies on health inequities

S ugge s t e d us e : In classroom settings to promote the discussion around the need to

test policies in controlled environments prior to their implementation. In policy making

consultations to illustrate a case in point on SDH policy implementation.

S ugge s t e d a udi e nc e : Administrators, decision makers, health service providers.

H o w t o ac c e s s : Please click on the following link:

http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/others.php to access the “Other Resources”

section.

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HOW TO DELETE COOKIES AND OTHER ‘HISTORY’ INFORMATION TO

ENTER THE SDH-NET PLATFORM

1) Enter the website http://tie.inspvirtual.mx/portales/sdhnet/index.php

2) Delete all cookies and other ‘History’ information from your browser (preferably use

Google Chrome):

a) Click at the options button of your browser

b) Select ‘History’

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c) Inside the option ‘History’, click on the button ‘Clear browsing data’ and a popup

window will appear. In the popup window, select the next options: Browsing history,

Download history, Cookies and other site and plug-in data, Cached images and files.

Finally, to delete all cookies and the other ‘History’ information, click again on the

button ‘Clear browsing data’.

3) In order to enter SDH-Net platform, click on the reload button to refresh the webpage.