Creating a Learning Agenda for Systems Change - A Toolkit for Building an Adaptive Public Health Workforce

Sep 13, 2026

A Learning Agenda Toolkit for systems change builds an adaptive public health workforce capable of addressing complex community, organizational, and systems-level challenges beyond individual competency. It explains how leaders can envision workforce development through learning approaches and learning opportunities tied to challenge definition and impact levels. The toolkit provides a conceptual learning framework plus planning tools to guide rapid self-assessment, deep discussion, design of learning opportunities, and implementation with evaluation. Feedback and implementation stories are welcomed via the project website.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Background and Introduction

Toolkit Development Process and Purpose

Principles

Definitions

What is a Learning Agenda?

The Learning Framework: A Conceptual Framework for a Learning Agenda

Step 1: Understand the Community or Systems Challenge

Step 2: Define the Challenge

Step 3: Determine the Desired Level of Impact

Step 4: Design the Learning Approach to Align with the Challenge Definition and Desired Impact

Step 5: Plan, Implement, and Evaluate a Learning Opportunity

Step 6: Realize the Vision

Moving from Concept to Action: Tools to Create the Learning Agenda

Tool 1: Rapid Self-Assessment Tools

Tool 2: Discussion Guide

Tool 3: Learning Approach Planning Tool

Putting it All Together: The Public Health Learning Agenda for Systems Change

Conclusions and Considerations

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Learning Framework and Tools

Learning Agenda Toolkit Development and Methods: A Short Summary

CREATING A LEARNING AGENDA FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE: A Toolkit for Building an Adaptive Public Health Workforce COMMUNITY OR SYSTEMS CHALLENGE LEARNING APPROACH CHALLENGE DEFINITION LEARNING OPPORTUNITY SYSTEMS CHANGE IMPACT LEVELS [publichealthlearningagenda.org](publichealthlearningagenda.org) Authors Christina Welter University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health – Policy, Practice, & Prevention Research Center Karla Todd Barrett Boston University, School of Public Health – New England Public Health Training Center Sarah Davis Colorado School of Public Health – Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center Laura Lloyd Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health – Region IV Public Health Training Center Barbara Rose University of Washington, School of Public Health – Northwest Public Health Training Center Citation: Welter, C., et al. Creating a Learning Agenda for Systems Change: A Toolkit for Building an Adaptive Public Health Workforce (2020) . Public Health Training Centers. Creating a Learning Agenda for Systems Change: A Toolkit for Building an Adaptive Public Health Workforce is referred to throughout this document as the Learning Agenda Toolkit or the Toolkit. This is the first time the Learning Agenda Toolkit has been formalized and released. It is a work in progress. We welcome your feedback, reactions, and recommendations for change. Additionally, we would appreciate any stories of implementation and results of those implementations (what worked/what didn’t work) . To provide feedback, please go to [www.publichealthlearningagenda.org](www.publichealthlearningagenda.org) and follow the instructions. Copyright © The Public Health Training Centers and as appropriate their affiliated institutions [publichealthlearningagenda.org](publichealthlearningagenda.org) ~~ ~~ CREATING A LEARNING AGENDA FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE: |
The public health workforce is currently facing many complex challenges that stand at the root of community health issues.
Existing public health workforce development models focus largely on improving individual competency. Individual competency alone, however, is no longer sufficient to create a workforce equipped to address the current complex challenges occurring at the individual, organizational, community, and systems levels.
The purpose of this Learning Agenda Toolkit (“Creating a Learning Agenda for Systems Change: A Toolkit for Building an Adaptive Public Health Workforce”, or referred to throughout as the Learning Agenda Toolkit or the Toolkit) is to help public health organizations and their partners envision how the public health workforce can address and achieve systems change. By working through multiple Learning Approaches and Learning Opportunities, a workforce development leader can develop a Learning Agenda that will lead to systems change.
This Toolkit includes a conceptual Learning Framework, which illustrates the concepts behind the Learning Agenda, and the process planning tools necessary for public health leaders and workforce development specialists to accomplish the steps of the Learning Agenda, and achieve their vision of systems change. | | | --- | --- | |
LEARNING FRAMEWORK
A visual representation of the components, relationships, and processes between community and systems challenges, and how an organization might articulate the need for, and approach to, learning. The Learning Framework illustrates both the concepts behind the Learning Agenda, and the steps needed to develop it. |
CHALLENGE DEFINITION
IMPACT LEVEL
LEARNING APPROACH
LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
SYSTEMS CHANGE

Short scope individual and group

Medium scope group and organizational

On-going and transformational organizational and community

Plan, implement, and evaluate

Continue Learning, Planning & Community Engagement Process | |
The three tools described in this Toolkit

FAQs

What problem does the Learning Agenda Toolkit address?

The toolkit targets the need for public health workforce development that can address complex challenges at individual, organizational, community, and systems levels, not only individual competency.

What are the main components of the toolkit’s learning framework?

The framework guides users through understanding the challenge, defining it, selecting the desired impact level, designing aligned learning approaches, planning/implementing/evaluating learning opportunities, and realizing the vision.

Which tools does the toolkit provide to build a learning agenda?

It includes three tools: a Rapid Self-Assessment Tool, a Discussion Guide, and a Learning Approach Planning Tool to design learning opportunities suited to the challenge type and desired impact.

Sep 13, 2026

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