Using a Fourth-Generation Behavioral Theory To Develop Competencies in Doctoral Public Health Students About the Application of Theory-Based Intervention Planning

Asynchronous teaching is gaining popularity all over the world and at UNLV. In asynchronous teaching, both pedagogical robustness and the building of content expertise, especially for doctoral scholars, are mandatory. Since 2021, I have taught Advanced Applications of Social and Behavioral Theories (HED 762-1001) to public health students aiming to develop concentration-specific competencies set by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The specific teaching techniques employed by me entail (a) the use of the fourth-generation multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change to motivate students not only to acquire knowledge and skills but also lead them toward behavioral incorporation; (b) pedagogical features for delivery as an asynchronous course with the organization in Canvas, recording all lectures beforehand in Panopto, incorporating case studies, interspersing optional live synchronous web meetings, and having skill-building activities in each weekly module aiding in flexibility to the scholars to pursue the course at their pace while still being structured; and (c) mastery of the content through participatory dialogue, building behavioral confidence, social support, and other constructs of MTM to develop requisite competencies. The course has been received very well by the students, with the mean course rating over the three years for the course on semester-end evaluation being 4.88/5.00, the instructor being 4.87/5.00, and overall being 4.88/5.00. The students apply the assignments developed in the course to publications, presentations, dissertations, and real-world settings. Instructors can reify multi-theory model (MTM) constructs and adopt some of the pedagogical features utilized in this course to their courses.