“Context matters”: The challenges and opportunities of designing tertiary public and environmental health education in South Auckland

Abstract

This article outlines a study protocol, detailing the proposed methodology and findings of our preliminary literature review, for co-design of future NZ public and environmental health education for the South Auckland campus of AUT University.  This research project aims to contribute to healthy communities and city, embrace emerging technologies, maximize youth employability, and develop an outstanding 21st Century tertiary environment. The proposed project will contribute to a significant re-conceptualization of curriculum; student learning and voice; and partnerships with communities and a fast-changing industry. Using a design based research approach to curriculum development, the research practitioners in this project will immerse themselves in the context of the project, be guided by emerging theory in developing design principles, construct features of an intervention and evaluate the impact on teaching and learning.   Situated in Kaupapa Māori and Pacific epistemologies and utilising collaborative design principles, the study will explore the diverse and complex context in which public and environmental health will be provided at AUT South. Of particular relevance will be an examination of the following drivers of tertiary, and public and environmental health, education in the 21^st century: the unique South Auckland context, the need to embrace evolving concepts of public health, rapid technological change, and changing education paradigms.  Our ultimate goal is to develop co-designed interventions that accommodate the unique cultural and ethnic makeup of the South Auckland context with the opportunity for transferability across the tertiary sector, situated within a social constructivist philosophy appropriate for our new digital economy and environmental challenges.