INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER | LEARNING EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
PUBLIC HEALTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM:
WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Background
In summer 2024, the Washington State Department of Health launched its first paid internship program, supported by the Workforce Pathways Team. The goal of the program is to expose participants to a career in public health, focusing specifically on nontraditional students and students who come from underrepresented backgrounds. The first cohort of the program had 14 interns.
My role on the Workforce Pathways Team was as a Training and Professional Development Coordinator. I proposed and led the training needs assessment effort, designed the internship curriculum, consulted with Subject Matter Experts, designed instructional materials, and gathered feedback from learners. I also worked with our agency’s evaluation team to conduct the program’s evaluation.
Training Needs Assessment
I proposed to conduct a training needs analysis prior to the program’s start and got approval from program leadership.
Data sources analyzed:
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Intern host applications
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Intern applications
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Interviews with intern hosts
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Intern pre-program survey
Data analysis methods:
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Qualitative thematic analysis and coding
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Quantitative analysis: descriptive statistics
Pre-Program Survey
Tools used: MS Forms, Excel, Canva
Results
Training Curriculum Development
Training administered by our training team and Subject Matter Experts across the agency:
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Public health 101: An introduction to public health foundations
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Learning Hour 1: The Invisible Shield, Episode 1 Discussion
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Learning Hour 2: Literature Reviews
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Learning Hour 2: Qualitative Research Methods
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Learning Hour 3: Indigenous Methodologies
Other training and development opportunities:
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LinkedIn Learning and DataCamp
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Mentorship through their host site
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Beyond Pathways sessions: learning about career opportunities
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Training provided through DOH or internal departments/teams
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Networking and conferences
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Informational interviews & 1-on-1 calls
Instructional Materials
The following instructional materials were developed for each session, in collaboration with SMEs:
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Lesson plans
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Slide decks
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Worksheets
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Job aids
Tools used: MS PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign & Acrobat Pro, Canva
Sample instructional materials:
Slides (Literature Reviews)
Worksheet (Qualitative Research Methods)
Job Aid (Literature Reviews)
Job Aid (Qualitative Research Methods)
Training Feedback and Continuous Improvement
I sought feedback at several points of the program, including during the design of the training sessions (brief chat-based interviews) and after each session (training feedback survey). Seeking feedback allowed me to implement design improvements to further tailor training sessions to the learners.
Training Feedback Survey
Program Evaluation
Data sources analyzed:
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Intern exit survey
Data analysis methods:
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Quantitative analysis: descriptive statistics and sample comparison (U-test)
Tools used: MS Forms, Excel
Exit Survey
Recommendations
Overall, the Workforce Pathways Internship Program was successful in improving interns’ knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as helping them to feel prepared about taking next steps in their career. Considerations for future cohorts include, skill offerings specialized to interns’ host site needs and more comprehensive evaluation methods, such as evaluating behavior change and learning transfer post-training sessions.