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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

IR

Jul 2, 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.

NM

Aug 2, 2023

This course was amazing and very informative. I, now, have clear and concise knowledge about being an effective Contact Tracer, and I'm looking forward to putting my newly-attained skills to the test.

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476 - 500 of 10,000 Reviews for COVID-19 Contact Tracing

By Dianne N E G

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Jun 19, 2020

This course is very effective in teaching the basics and foundation of contact tracing. I am a physician but for me, even lay people who are hired as contact tracers will be able to fully understand the material. I love the way that Dr. Gurley speaks - not too fast and very clear. Her knowledge of the subject shines through. The fact that the course modules are broken down into very short videos to keep the attention of the learner is also a big plus. Overall, this is an excellent course and cheers to Coursera and Johns Hopkins for offering it for free for a period of time.

By Steve T

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Jul 8, 2020

Interesting and informative, even if you never actually do any contact tracing. In particular, the modules covering building rapport and effective communication are well-done; those skills are valuable in a number of other jobs/careers.

Dr. Gurley presents the details involved in COVID-19 contact tracing clearly and comprehensively, without getting too deep into the weeds about the technical aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or the disease. The video vignettes are fun, though in the end I felt a bit sorry for Drew -- who was usually the one who had to do the "bad examples" :)

By Michael G

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May 15, 2020

Very efficient learning experience for the time required. Sensibly organized. Clear presentation. Appropriate amount of repetition of key points. Mostly pertinent questions.

Concerns/suggestions: (1) A short introduction providing a roadmap of the modules that will be covered, the sequence, and the reason for that progression of topics. (2) The questions about definitions of types of question (leading, probing, closed, etc.) are not as helpful or important as how these are appropriately used and what the deficits are for certain kinds of questions in particular situations.

By Porsche L G

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Nov 9, 2020

This course was clear and easy to follow. The videos were helpful to follow along with the text. I took a few notes to help with retaining information about contact tracing. A few good tips on how to respond to positive COVID-19 cases and their contacts were just the right information to reference back to when I needed it in between helping my mother for everyday things and my nephew with his kindergarten virtual school and homework. Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone interested in becoming a COVID-19 Contact Tracer. This is the perfect course to guide them.

By Samantha C

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Jun 9, 2020

This course was very efficient and easy to go through. It really opened my eyes to the world of contact tracing and was very informative when explaining what COVID-19 is and how contact tracing can help reduce transmissions. Taking this course is worth it for those interested in learning more about the coronavirus and contact tracing. As an individual on the more passive side, taking this course has helped me with communicating more assertively. I've even used some of the communication steps in my daily life to help effectively explain things to family members or friends.

By Karmen S

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Jun 7, 2020

The course was very informative and provided knowledge that I believe will be very helpful to what a Contact Tracer would need to benefit in effectively performing the job responsibilities. Although some material was a little challenging to keep straight when completing more than one module; the information is clear to understand. I appreciate the effort that went into creating the necessary material to explain the terms and the processes needed to work towards causing an impact that would hopefully continue to be efficient in its strategy. Thank you for the opportunity.

By Amanda M

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May 29, 2020

Loved this course. Not sure what happens next but i really enjoyed learning the process and understanding the commitment of contract tracing i am a quick study and pick up fast so this course was pretty easy for me. I had no problem comprehending the material something i was slightly worried about when 1st signing up since i don't have a medical background but i ended up with 100% on the final test and throughout the course i realized that i had no reason to worry. Thanks for the clear and easy process teaching Contact Tracing now hopefully this can turn into employment.

By Anthony P

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Dec 26, 2020

This course has completely and utterly wonderful information. I think this needs to be made available to highschooler‘s and college students so that they are aware of protocols and necessary tools that can help prevent from not only getting COVID-19 but also other diseases. The information giving in this course was very thorough and knowledgeable it will be something that I keep with me the rest of my life. The virus itself has changed the way I’ll do things going forward, butThe information that I received during this course will help me to manage differently thank you.

By M J P

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Jun 23, 2020

I’m done with the course myself and I can attest that it is very good information for all to have. To be a contact tracer this course will help you to explain the process to people in your community and dispel any misinformation or fears they may have about reporting symptoms or answering calls from public health contract tracers. Also, I see this is a great way to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. Will you be making available a list to interested parties of those names who have taken the time and effort to complete this coursework? Please email me, thank you!

By Michael D

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May 30, 2020

Very informative. Well structured and paced. I did watch the lectures at 1.25 speed and had no problems. FYI: I took 8 pages of notes while watching and paused to make sure that I had basic definitions correct. That helped with both understanding the material and passing the final test.

Highly recommended for everyone interested in knowing what is happening with this pandemic and public health in general. I am not certain if I will try to get a position as a contact tracer but I found the course most worthwhile.

Thank you to the instructor and staff who put this together.

By David V

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Jun 1, 2020

I'm very appreciative of this course and the information it provides. I feel I am better prepared and more knowledgeable of its beginning and COVID-19 symptoms to better explain and engage those who have questions regarding Coronavirus. This COVID-19 course is enlightening, resourceful, educational and would recommend to all who have questions and need further details of how a person can become a case and a contact. All modules are very much informative, they are lead at a great pace and the audio portion is very clear and precise easy to follow. Thanks David Villanueva

By Khole S A M

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Sep 2, 2020

In this pandemic I felt as though I lost so many opportunities that could lead me to missing but thanks to this course I feel like I am almost ready for the exams and when I apply for universities I have a higher chance to get in as I am up to date with the disease and through this course I learnt important skills on how to approach things and how not approach and giving real life example is what really helped me. I have given my friend to do this course and she loved and enjoyed it just as much as I did.

Thank you to John Hopkins and Coursera for offering this course.

By Charmian J

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Jul 24, 2020

I found the course to be very informative, and explained very well. I enjoyed the concept of listening

to the information while reading it and then questions pertaining to the information you just learned.

I call this a building block method which worked well for me so that by the time the course ended I felt ready for the final exam, when taking the exam it did a great job of bringing the entire course together.

It is a lot of information and I suspect that over time I will get better at pulling information from the course when conversing with both contacts and cases.

By Francesca T C

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Jun 7, 2020

The course was very informative. It's always good to test your knowledge and stay abreast of what is happening in the industry and this was a great tool! Easy to navigate, the material was well organized and beautifully presented. I enjoyed the videos and interactive conversations/real world/real scenarios and application of the data. I believe that this will not only educate Contact Tracers and afford them the training to perform their duties effectively, but it will empower them to educate their case(s), friends, family, and anyone else they may come in contact with.

By Bonnie E W

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Aug 23, 2020

The course was very user-friendly; the videos were the perfect length and separated by engaging activities (quizzes); Dr. Gurley had a pleasant voice to listen to and the information was very useful, interesting, and pertinent; the presentations/visuals were helpful and added to the content effectively. The only issue I had was the number of times in the discourse/videos that the word 'SO' was used. I'm sorry, but it eventually began to distract me. (I guess it doesn't take much to distract me LOL).

Thank you very much for your time and effort in producing this course.

By Alison M

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May 16, 2020

The Covid-19 Contact Tracing course is exceptionally informative. The details on SARS-CoV-2 goes well beyond the information readily available and is presented in an easy to understand format. The role of the contact tracer is outlined in clearly and the charts & diagrams are particularly helpful. The communication skills section is very important, especially since the people we will be interacting with will likely be in a fragile state of mind. I appreciate the download functionality for the ability to refer to this important information at a later date. Thank you.

By Michelle I

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Feb 25, 2021

I am glad I completed this training, I came on board Jan 11th. I have basically learned everything on my own, I shadowed one person and she was awesome. This training helped me better understand about Covid-19, incubation and infectious period, communication, active listening techniques, how to build a rapport and how important it is to have empathy and understanding of each case. Building a rapport and having good communication makes it better to get as much information from the case and their contacts. I am proud to be apart of this team and contact tracing.

By Barbara J T

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May 28, 2020

Well organized. Good visuals. I wish I'd learned that I could pull the visuals up for careful review after the video until I'd completed all the modules. The visuals sometimes were shown too briefly which limited note taking. The video demonstrations were well done and helpful. I'm surprised that my answer to the question regarding the length of isolation was wrong. My notes clearly state that isolation must continue at least 10 days after onset, symptoms must be improving, AND there's been NO fever within the past 3 days without medication to suppress the fever.

By Toby A R P

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May 13, 2020

This contact tracing course is so well done. I found it interesting and straight forward. Dr. Gurley is so articulate and informative, sharing very clear information in a relaxed, yet professional manner. The actors that simulated what contact tracing involves were excellent. I learned a lot and appreciate having this new skill set. I highly recommend the course for anyone interested in being a contact tracer, and for those wanting to have a better understanding of COVID-19 and how we all can assist in preventing the spread of the disease. Great class. Thank you.

By Gordon D

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Jun 4, 2020

While I am sure I could have passed with 100% I am very happy with my "final" exam. It was nice to be able to take the course on my timeline as we have all been in such disarray with the upset of the proverbial apple cart. The course is very well paced, laid out clearly and very informative, I learned a lot and hope I have the chance to put my lessons to use in the real world. The instructor was very thorough and had a steady voice. It has been a long time since I studied with an online course, this one ranks at the very top of them

Thank you all very much,

Gordon

By Jessa K C

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Jun 2, 2020

This online course offered by John Hopkins University is an absolutely helpful for people who are interested or willing to learn about COVID-19 Contact Tracing. It exhibits clear presentation of informations regarding the topic, main points were explained efficiently, and Mrs. Gurley as speaker is good. Also, the pop quiz after every segment of the discussion was very helpful as it helps me to retain the information that I've had learned. As I am finished with this online course, I am knowledgeable as I was before. Thank you John Hopkins University and Coursera!

By Tiffany H L T

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Jun 5, 2020

This course was very helpful, the instructor was very knowledgeable and clearly explained all the lessons. The call vignettes were very helpful in giving us pointers and modeling to us the do's and don't's in communicating with contacts and cases. I highly recommend this program to government agencies all over the world - it would be very beneficial for those in their health department and in their local government units to take this course and to build their skills and knowledge and practice of contact tracing for Covid 19, in light of this current pandemic.

By Gary J A

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May 25, 2020

It satisfies the requirements for an entry-level course very well.

There was one issue that arose which was left hanging. It had to do with a contact attending the same school as the tracer's brother. Privacy forbade the tracer from telling the brother that there was someone at his school who may be contagious. The presentation left dangling what the tracer should do.

Privacy is important but does it override everything else? What should I say at my brother's funeral? "I knew he was in potential danger but decided not to tell him because of privacy concerns."

By Bernadette C

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Jul 25, 2021

This course was very informative. I appreciated all the lectures quizzes and videos that was carefully put together to enhance my learning. Thank you coursera for the opportunity of learning at the John Hopkins University in the comfort of my home and the flexable time where I can go online any time or anywhere and learn somthing.

As a contact tracer in my hospital I am now better equipped with the knowledge and tools to contact trace both cases and contacts timly and effectively for covid 19 to prevent and stop the spread of the virus from person to person

By Marjorie M H

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May 22, 2020

The course was well planned and presented in a very organized manner. From the very beginning the importance of contact tracing was reinforced as an important concept in control of a pandemic. The instructor, Emily Gurley, is excellent. She is clear and concise in her explanations and her presentation materials are easy to read and an excellent resource. I felt that the skills training was very valuable. By the end of the course I was amazed at how many areas of clinical information, ethics, communication skills and social services had been covered.