The University of Minnesota School of Public Health is one of the best graduate schools of public health in the nation, yet its most far-reaching program when it comes to student engagement serves undergraduates. The Rothenberger Institute (RI) is a model for how to play a significant role in undergraduate health promotion while helping retain students. Since 2002, more than 50,000 students have taken the Institute’s courses.
“…I’m hard-pressed to name another class I’ve taken that has taught me so much about the real world around me, and given me tools to use in everyday life.”
Alcohol & College Life student
The Institute meets students where they are through one-credit, online health and wellness courses. Its Alcohol & College Life course, one of the first at the University to be offered online, has reached more than 25,000 students who have learned how to play a role in preventing alcohol and substance misuse, how to stay safe in troubling situations, and when and how to step in to help others as an active bystander. The class, along with Sleep, Eat & Exercise; Success Over Stress; and Sexuality Matters are offered on all University of Minnesota campuses and, in a pioneering partnership model, at multiple Minnesota state colleges and universities (the Minnesota State system).
The Model
Rothenberger Institute’s online health and wellness courses have peer educators who work closely with students. Learning from peers makes the curriculum more relatable for students and reduces potential resistance to feedback and behavior change. Schools and instructors throughout the country can license the curriculum from the University of Minnesota or through CogBooks.
Learn more at the Rothenberger Institute.
The Impact
According to the University’s Office of Institutional Research:
- 10.9 times: The odds of a first-year student who took a course returning for a second year of study;
- 98%: student-reported improvement in their health behaviors;
- Graduation outcomes: RI students are more likely to graduate in four years, compared to non-RI students; and
- Diversity in students: A greater proportion of students in RI courses are students of color, first-generation, and Pell-grant recipients, compared to students who didn’t take an RI course.
