From Theory to Practice: Case Studies on Implementing Active Learning in Public Health Education

Active learning strategies such as case studies, simulations, and role-playing offer powerful tools for preparing public health students to think critically, collaborate effectively, and engage meaningfully with real-world challenges, thereby equipping them for their day-to-day roles as public health practitioners and scholars. However, the examples of active learning approaches remain limited. In this article, we present five structured active learning strategies drawn from graduate public health courses to illustrate how professors of public health utilize case studies, role-plays, and simulations to promote practice-based active learning. First, we describe a town hall role-playing simulation on HPV vaccination policy in schools. Second, we describe a tabletop exercise on disaster preparedness and emergency management. Third, we describe how to use case studies on current infectious disease outbreaks as learning tools. Fourth, we highlight a simulation on global health leadership during an infectious disease outbreak. Finally, we discuss a simulation exercise that prepares students for NIH grant reviews and the process of scientific publishing. To ensure these serve as replicable teaching tools for faculty, we provide descriptions of the exercises, along with learning objectives, a description of the instructor’s role, and an evaluation methodology. This information is further accompanied by practical guidance for implementation. Through these examples, we illustrate how active learning can transform traditional dyadic education into a dynamic, practice-oriented experience that prepares students for future professional challenges.