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Learner Reviews & Feedback for COVID-19 Contact Tracing by Johns Hopkins University

4.9
stars
94,972 ratings

About the Course

The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need for contact tracing across the country, requiring thousands of people to learn key skills quickly. The job qualifications for contact tracing positions differ throughout the country and the world, with some new positions open to individuals with a high school diploma or equivalent. In this introductory course, students will learn about the science of SARS-CoV-2 , including the infectious period, the clinical presentation of COVID-19, and the evidence for how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted from person-to-person and why contact tracing can be such an effective public health intervention. Students will learn about how contact tracing is done, including how to build rapport with cases, identify their contacts, and support both cases and their contacts to stop transmission in their communities. The course will also cover several important ethical considerations around contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine. Finally, the course will identify some of the most common barriers to contact tracing efforts -- along with strategies to overcome them....

Top reviews

RA

May 29, 2021

This class was awesome! I learned so... much and the Professor is excellent , clear and decisive very insightful.I appreciate taking this class her helping me have a greater understanding of Covid-19.

SF

May 20, 2020

I learned so much about COVID 19 and what everyone's concerns are in keeping safe. This course will give me the ability to help many people understand how they protect those they come in contact with.

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501 - 525 of 10,000 Reviews for COVID-19 Contact Tracing

By Sandra S

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Sep 2, 2020

It was one of best courses I have ever had. I enjoyed information, lectures and examples kept me busy and interested. I found out many things in this course, my point of view now is so different from the one it was before. I really loved this course and now certificate looks so amazing ;))) can't wait to use what I learnt . To me it as more difficult, because english is not my native language, but I kept writing down a lot of things and topics and now many things I can just have right in front of me ;) thank you for this amazing course and opportunity ;)

By Jake H

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Jul 13, 2020

This course helped me to understand what contact tracers do and why it is important to help those who have COVID-19. The terms you say and the way you say them is vital when talking to the cases and you need to make sure you are being supportive and helpful when trying to give them advice about how they can get through their quarantine and isolation, as well as making sure no one else gets the virus. I highly recommend taking this course if you want to help those who have the coronavirus and if you want to learn more about how to prevent it from spreading.

By Michael W

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Jun 2, 2020

Lot of material covered clearly and enough depth for introduction to subject. Should be more quiz questions. Think tried to cover too much with Effective Communication module; also, not fair that ineffective communicator always the male, effective and empathic communicator always female. Not clear whether could go back to completed modules to review; this could have been useful to reinforce material. Feel more confident about basics, but aware a need for closely supervised training if going to be effective contact tracer. A very good, serious introduction.

By Susan L C

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Aug 29, 2020

This course was exceptionally thorough. It was very well presented and challenging. The historical presentation was very enlightening and I learned just how important the role of the contact tracer is during this devastating pandemic. Emily is amazing. To understand the disease is one thing; to teach others to understand the virulence and how the role of the tracer greatly contributes to identifying, treating and slowing the spread is quite another. Emily developed the gold standard in training and I am very excited to begin this career path. THANK YOU!!

By Mara S

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Jul 14, 2020

Well done program. Easy to follow. Lots of good information that is explained clearly and completely. There were only one or two questions that I felt could have used a little more clarification but ultimately was able to figure it out. I'm also new to online learning in general. Admittedly, there were some items when taking the tests that I misread regarding "select all that apply' where I only rec'd partial credit but ultimately realized it was my fault that I did not read the "select all that apply" correctly. Overall, highly recommend this course.

By sybil g

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May 22, 2020

The course was very good. I am an RN so some of the material was not new. I want to tell you about an omission in one of the early modules of the course. The tracer was interviewing a contact who had been with a person coming down with COVID on Saturday at choir practice. I was surprised that no mention or probing question was asked about church. If practice was on Saturday they were practicing for something The person didnt hae symptoms until MOnday.

The course was very useful even if one does not become a contact tracer. Thanks fo the free course.

By Michera G

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Jun 22, 2020

This course was very informative. It discusses the difference between cases, contacts, isolation, and quarantine. If you are unsure about the differences this is a great course to get started. This course was recommended to me by several colleagues in Public Health via LinkedIn blogs. I really enjoyed how clear this course was. It has great visuals, examples, and quizzes to help different types of learners. This course is very relevant and hopefully sheds some insight into how important Public Health techniques are for keep people and communities safe.

By Lillian P A

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Jul 18, 2020

I felt that the course was outstanding in that it covered valuable and timely information that positioned students to debunk myths and learn more of the facts. Despite my not being a health department employee, the information is no less valuable for me. As the pandemic continues, it might be that I can lend assistance to the state or the county as contact tracer. The instructor, Emily Gurley taught the course at a nice pace.

Despite the pressure of tests and quizzes, I found the course to be intellectually stimulating and informative. Thank you!

By Carlos F G L

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May 22, 2020

Very interesting course that shed a lot of light about how the department of health can trace people to avoid spreading the disease. Also, it helps you to know about how the disease is spreading, how to talk and offer help to people in isolation or quarantine, how to use your words...

Something that could be improved are the audios inside the videos. Maybe better microphones could help to achieve this. The videos are very specific with the subject, and the scenes played very visual helpful.

I'm very glad to have completed the course. Highly recommended.

By Tonda P

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Jan 3, 2021

I really enjoyed taking this course. It allow you to complete it at your own pace, and provided me with a great deal of knowledge regarding the Covid-19 infection. I know more about the infection, how it's transmitted, how it's transmitted, who is contacted, and how they contact each person that has been infected, and those that were around them. This is a great program and I would recommend this to anyone that wants to get knowledge of how contact tracing works, and get knowledge of covid-19. I'm going to look into taking other courses on this site.

By Anna R B C

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Jul 9, 2020

This is a very helpful and relevant short online course. The methodologies chosen to impart the lessons are effective, despite the challenges of the platform. It does look like the team behind this project put much time, careful thought and effort to come out with the right set of learning materials and assessment tools. My favorite parts are the last few modules delving on effective communication, building rapport and balancing public health and individual rights and justice. Thank you very much, Coursera and Johns Hopkins! Congratulations, too!

By Mary L P

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Aug 27, 2021

The COVID-19 Contact Tracing course was a terrific way of refreshing my understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and recapping the principles of good communication, as well as introducing me to the basics of contact tracing. Case definitions and protocols for following up cases and contacts are different in my jurisdiction (Victoria, Australia) but the principles are the same. I would recommend this course to other health professionals and people interested in public health and infection prevention and control. Thank you for the opportunity.

By Jennifer B

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Sep 23, 2020

In my opinion, the health information (background about the disease and explanation of quarantine/isolation time lines) was very helpful. I thought that some of the information about how to talk to people was a bit elementary. I think that the training should focus more on the health aspects of Covid-19 and basic rules about who should be contacted. People asked to take contact tracer positions should be people who are already familiar with appropriate basic communication skills. Overall, however, great course!! Thank you for offering it at no cost!

By Mark L H

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Jul 31, 2020

This is an excellent starter course. Of the two questions I partially missed, I understand the technology question. However, I was thinking more about safety regarding the services that might be needed when it comes to laundry. That's risky at best. In comparison, if a person picks up a Kleenex used by a Coivd-19 case without protection and does not wash their hands; what's the difference between the Kleenex and their clothes? You could say that the cleaning service would protect themselves but, have you seen your mom and pop cleaners lately???

By Penny R

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Jul 21, 2020

This course, COVID-19 Contact Tracing is a God-send in my opinion. There are so many people being affected and are fearful of this pandemic who could use this reliable information and guidance. I feel that I am in a better place with this in depth knowledge that is up to date. I personally have benefited by taking this course and maybe I can help make a positive difference in peoples lives by passing this knowledge on by becoming a Contact Tracer. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us Dr. Emily - you are a Great Teacher! Sincerely, Penny

By Martha M

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Nov 16, 2020

This was a very interesting, informative, and relevant course. I enjoyed learning and building upon skills, including: Effective Communication Skills; Navigating Complexities within the Contact Tracing realm; Ethical considerations in public health efforts; Balancing the public good/safety and individual rights; Ethical and Effective Problem-Solving; Building Rapport; Infectious Disease information; COVID-19 Virus Background and Infection information; How Contact Tracing is used in a public health context and how technology assists in the process.

By Cristian c O G

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Jun 28, 2020

En general; es un muy buen curso para informarse acerca del covid-19, comprendo que esta enfocado para el seguimiento de contactos, pero la información que brindan también es relevante para conocer otros puntos de vista acerca de esta pandemia y como podemos parar esto. Es muy fácil de comprender, la explicación y traducción es muy clara, eso es importante. La temática esta bien expuesta con los ejemplos y vídeos interactivos, ademas de estar evaluando cada tema al finalizarlo, algo que encuentro relevante para reafirmar los conocimiento recibido.

By Victoria L K

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May 19, 2020

This was my first experience with Coursera. I found the narrator to be a very good communicator. The amount of material between each quiz was appropriate. The course covered a wide variety of aspects of contract tracing. The subject matter was more involved that I would have thought, but I was ready for a challenge and it met that need. I especially liked the videos, showing good communication techniques and poor communication techniques. I hope I still have access to this material, so I can review it again. A VERY good course. Thank you.

By Matresa N C

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Jan 27, 2021

I learned a great deal about Contact Tracing, how crucial it is to track case's/ contact's to get a handle on stopping the pandemic in its tracks and what it takes to perform in this role. I understand more about COVID-19 and where it derived, the symptoms to look for, to be very cautious as asymptomatic people exist, and duration period of the virus. The slides are a plus for me it was more understandable then the course literature itself. This course has been an eye opener for me and how really important it is to stay safe during this pandemic.

By Irene G G

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Dec 26, 2021

Sí apruebas todos los módulos de preguntas te dan el certificado, que te lo envían por mail, sin tener que buscarlo en la plataforma. Además, viene el sello de la Johns Hopkins University. Si te hace falta oficialmente para un trabajo o algo así, y que te sea válido o no, dependerá de los parámetros que tenga quien te lo solicita. Pero conseguir el certificado SE CONSIGUE. Hay comentarios que dicen lo contrario, igual tienen mal puesto su correo, les ha llegado a spam o no han aprobado todos los cuestionarios con más de un 85%... cosa de ellos.

By Karen S Z

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May 16, 2020

This course was informative and user-friendly. Some of the material I had already learned from information available through various media outlets, but I also learned a great deal of useful information. I am hopeful that I can use the knowledge I've acquired through this course to help my community with contact tracing. I would recommend this course to everyone. Although I was able to benefit from the free availability that was offered, I would pay for this experience if required. I would take another course from this professor if available.

By Vannessa C

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Oct 14, 2020

I truly enjoyed the class it was very informative and easy to follow. The way the information was presented helped me to retain what I learned. The course helped me understand the virus more and how important it is to my part to keep following the CDC guidelines and do my part to keep myself safe and those around me. Contact Tracing is truly and important means of slowing down this virus and the more people are aware of the importance of their work, the more people will be willing to provide the information they need to keep everyone safe.

By Hari N

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Jun 17, 2020

I started my research on technology aspect of Contact Tracing about 6 weeks back. I wrote 5 technical papers on various aspects of Contact Tracing - Technology. This course is an eye opener, it gives me a broader view of contact tracing and clarity on terminology ( I have to go back and make some corrections in those papers now). Thanks Dr. Gurley. your delivery is easy to follow and more importantly easy to retain. This course gives me confidence to volunteer to train social organizations to create larger resource pool to deal with COVID-19.

By Deborah J V

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Jun 8, 2020

I would like to thank you for making this course available for me to do my part to help slow down this virus. The instructor made everything so plain. The information will be helpful for me to work as a contact tracer in Maryland. Three of my family members have just recovered from the virus and I can say I was able to comfort them with some of the knowledge I have learned. As an educator when we are able to return to the classroom I will be less fearful about going back to the building.

Knowledge is power I feel ready to join the frontline.

By Janelle J

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Aug 13, 2020

I found the course very informative and confirmed the information I had already acquired in Australia, though there are a few differences between our countries with length of time in isolation / quarantine. Some questions were a little ambiguous in that I could comprehend them two ways and I had to read them a few times to get the context correct (but it's probably just the way my brain works). Overall, am very happy with the course and it has given me confidence that I have the right information to back up what I say. Thank you very much.