Welcome to Brain Story Certification

This introduction explains how Brain Story Certification works, from the course content and faculty to the evaluation
and accreditation processes.

What You’ll Learn

Lifelong health is determined by more than just our genes: experiences during sensitive periods of development
change the brain in ways that increase or decrease risk for later physical and mental illness. The Brain Story
Certification course is designed to improve your understanding of the science underpinning this process, while
exploring the consequences of this knowledge for individuals, families, and communities.

In Brain Story Certification you will hear from leading experts about the biological processes at play during brain
development, and about how experiences and relationships shape these processes for better or for worse. You will
learn how adverse early experiences can disrupt brain architecture, leading to increased risk for addiction, depression,
and anxiety, and you will learn how interventions for both children and adults are being informed by this science to
improve outcomes and break the intergenerational cycle of early adversity.

Faculty
This course synthesizes research presented at symposia hosted by the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) from
2010 to 2014. The speakers, who are recognized leaders in their fields, represent organizations such as the Harvard
Center on the Developing Child, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, universities in Alberta and
across North America, and leading clinical treatment centres.

Meet the Faculty

Using This Course

The Brain Story Certification course is split into modules that focus on different brain story concepts and their real
world applications. It’s designed as a cumulative learning experience and the modules should be completed in
sequence.

Launch modules by selecting them from the main Brain Story Certification menu. Once a module is launched, you’ll
see a module menu of video lectures, documents, and illustrative videos. Click on the title of each menu item or the
GO button on the right-hand side to view the content. The drop-down arrow at the left side of each menu item tracks
the number of times you’ve viewed the content and whether or not the menu item has been completed.

The videos and PDFs in the course modules are excerpts from longer presentations and documents and contain only
the information relevant to that module. Click the Resources button to the left of the module menu to access
transcripts of each video and a bibliography of the full-length videos and publications used to create the course
content.
Modules vary in length, but on average they each take a little more than an hour to complete. The progress bar in
each module menu tracks your progress through that module. On the main menu page, you’ll see a similar progress
bar that tracks your progress through the Brain Story Certification course.

To leave the current menu and access your dashboard, profile, transcript, and other course-related resources, use the
red drop-down menu at the top right corner of the page.

Quizzes and Reflective Questions

Each learning module includes a quiz section containing questions that test your knowledge and comprehension of the
course information. Complete the quiz section for each module before moving on to the next. You must answer all
questions correctly in order to move on and to receive certification and accreditation for the course, but don’t worry if
you get some wrong at first; you can revisit module content and correct your responses. There is also feedback
available after the completion of each quiz that explains why certain answers are incorrect.

Tip: Read each question carefully and choose the BEST response.

The introduction to each learning module also includes one or more reflective questions to help you test your own
assumptions and beliefs about child and brain development and its relationship to health and social outcomes. These
questions are provided to enhance your learning experience; they are not part of the course evaluation.

Accreditation
If you’re taking this course for professional accreditation, you must complete the questions at the end of each module.
Once you successfully complete all the modules, you will receive a certificate and instructions for having your
accreditation recognized by various bodies. Please visit the Accreditation tile on your main dashboard to view further
details.

Public Engagement Resources

As you progress through the course, you’ll see short videos designed to communicate key brain story concepts to
public audiences. This content is provided for those interested in strategic communications around the brain story, but
it will not be part of the evaluation.

Now you’re ready to begin the course! Return to the main Brain Story Certification menu and select the next menu
item.