Program Overview

Introduction to the Blended Intensive Program (BIP)

The Blended Intensive Program (BIP) is a 6-week course offered jointly by the VIVES University of Applied Sciences and the University of Murcia, in partnership with various universities across Europe. This program aims to provide interprofessional and intercultural learning and collaboration in primary care through online instruction by experts from multiple fields and institutions.

Program Details

• The BIP courses are designed to enhance students' studies and degree through online engagement with an interdisciplinary and international group of teachers and students.
• Students have four courses to choose from, each on a theme related to healthcare.
• All courses include six virtual sessions, as well as an optional physical week in Spain.
• The courses do not count towards a degree program at Carleton and will not be included on a formal transcript. Instead, they are optional microcredentials to include on a CV, build professional competencies, and enhance a degree program.

Eligibility

Eligibility Criteria

• All Carleton students, in any discipline and at any level, are eligible to register.
• There are no prerequisite requirements, but students who register should be prepared to commit to attending the full 6 sessions and completing all activities and assignments.

Cost

Program Expenses

• There is no cost for the online courses.
• Students will need to cover their flight and expenses for the physical week.
• Note that there will be reduced costs for food and accommodations.

Courses Available

Course Options

• Students can choose one of the four courses listed below:
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Building Resilience all Life-long
  • Effective and Inclusive Communication
  • Healthy citizens in sustainable inclusive healthy cities
• All sessions are scheduled for 6:30 – 8:30 PM Belgian time, which is 12:30-2:30 pm in Ottawa.
• All BIPs start on Monday, February 2nd, 2025.

Course Descriptions

• Health and Wellbeing: This BIP offers students the opportunity to master the concept of positive health and apply it in their professional life. Attention will be placed on promoting wellbeing while collaborating effectively in interprofessional teams.
• Building Resilience all Life-long: This course focuses on how healthcare can help people to be more healthy and flexible along their life-course. Emphasis is on moving beyond a traditional healthcare approach that prioritizes single organs or systems to looking at general health status, including mental health, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, etc.
• Effective and Inclusive Communication: This BIP is focused on the field of Speech Therapy from an interdisciplinary perspective. The aim is for students to get a broad vision of working with people with communication and language disorders from different fields of intervention.
• Healthy citizens in sustainable inclusive healthy cities: Cities are made of people, and their conditions affect the well-being and health of all the citizens. Understanding all the stressful situations (natural and anthropogenic hazards) and diseases is fundamental to proposing solutions.

Participating Universities

• Instructors and students may come from the following participating universities across Europe:
  • Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra | Coimbra Institute of Engineering – Portugal
  • University of West-Attica – Greece
  • University of Murcia – Spain
  • VIVES University of Applied Sciences (North and South)
  • Hochschule Bielefeld
  • University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI) – Germany
  • Instituto Politécnico de Beja Departamento de Saúde
  • University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila" Bucharest – Romania
  • Riga Technical University Liepaji Academy – Latvia
  • University of Warszawa – Poland
  • Ocellia – École des métiers Santé Social en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – France
  • Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution – Kaunas- Lithuania
  • BFH Esslingen – Germany
  • MK Aukštoji mokykla – Klaipeda – Lithuania
  • Saxion University of Applied Sciences – The Netherlands
  • Polytecnic University of Carthagena
  • Universty Autonoma of Barcelona

Physical Week

Physical Week Details

• The physical week takes place in Murcia, Spain and is organized jointly by VIVES University of Applied Sciences and the University of Murcia.
• Travel Day: Saturday, March 14th, 2025, or Sunday, March 15th, 2025
• Opening Activity: Sunday, March 15th, 2025
• Working days: Monday till Friday, March 16th, 2025 – March 20th, 2025
• Travel day home: Saturday, March 21st, 2025
• If students are not able to participate in the physical week, they can still register for a course and will be given alternative assignments to complete during that time.

Commitment and Assignments

Student Commitment

• Students who register are expected to fully participate in all online sessions as well as complete all readings and assignments.
• This includes:
  • Online test after each module on the theory presented in the session
  • A short hands-on assignment to upload after every session and based on the session, along with a pitch by every student at the beginning of the next session
  • One final presentation at the end of the BIP
  • One individual reflection screening before and after the course using the ICOM reference framework and the spider web Machteld Huber on Positive Health