Students’ Experience with the Online Course in Prevention Science in Two Distinct University Settings: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Online learning has the potential to increase accessibility to high quality and cost-effective resources in prevention of risk behaviors. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the experience of university students with the comprehensive online course on prevention.

METHODS: In this pilot study, an online questionnaire was administered to 51 Czech and 31 Ukrainian university students who completed the online Introduction to Evidence-based Prevention (INEP) full semester course between February 2022 and February 2023. Students were asked about their experience with INEP represented by 17 distinct features. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and mean comparisons tests.

RESULTS: Students reported high overall satisfaction with INEP and with its respected features. The Structure and the Relevance features of INEP have been especially appreciated, while the Quizzes feature was perceived as only average by most students. INEP seemed to encourage most students (82%) to take other e-learning courses.

CONCLUSION: The online INEP course received favorable feedback from university students across two distinct settings. INEP holds potential for broader integration into university study programs. These findings add to the ongoing discourse regarding enhancements in the education of future prevention professionals, making them relevant to practitioners, policymakers, and university-level decision-makers.