e-Bug Health Educator Training (FutureLearn)

This course was developed by PHE and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) for teachers/educators, and others who work with children or young people. Use this course to learn more about important health topics and increase your knowledge, skills and confidence in using e-Bug resources, which tie into efforts to reduce the spread of infections and antibiotic resistance in the UK.

What topics will you cover?
This course focuses on a variety of health topics spread over a three-week period.
Week 1: Introduction to microbes, hand hygiene, and respiratory hygiene
Week 2: Food hygiene and oral hygiene
Week 3: Antimicrobial resistance
Each week features a different set of learning outcomes that align to the topics covered.

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

• Explain to children and young people that microbes live everywhere, come in different shapes and sizes, and there are useful and harmful microbes.
• Demonstrate to children and young people how infection can spread through our hands, coughs and sneezes and why it is important to use soap and the six steps of hand-washing.
• Demonstrate and explain to children and young people how microbes can spread through food or unclean kitchen surfaces.
• Explore the influence that sugary food and drinks have on oral health with children and young people, and demonstrate the benefits of effective tooth-brushing.
• Explain the importance of antibiotics to children and young people, demonstrate what antibiotic resistance is and how we can prevent it.

Who is the course for?
Primary and secondary school educators, as well as those who lead community groups targeting children and young people. This course is designed for child educators in different settings around the UK, but may be appropriate for other countries and settings. Parents who are home educating might find this course useful if they would like to learn how to teach children about the prevention and spread of infection and caring for themselves and others when ill.
The course might also be of interest to healthcare professionals who work with children, for example, school nurses. Local authority or government officials involved in the management of infections and improving antibiotic use within communities, might also find this course useful.