Syllabus

Schedule

Course Weeks

Week 1: Oct 30 – Nov 6
Week 2: Nov 6 – Nov 13
Week 3: Nov 13 – Nov 20
Week 4: Nov 20 – Nov 27
Week 5: Nov 27 – Dec 4
Week 6: Dec 4 – Dec 11
Week 7: Dec 11 – Dec 18
Week 8: Dec 18 – Dec 22

---

The assignment and discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Please make sure to review the full prompts in Brightspace.

Week 1: Organization and History of Public Health Service Delivery and the Role of Leadership

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze the efficacy of various types of public health organizations in delivering public health services
• Evaluate an effective non-governmental health organization to determine organizational success factors
• Identify differences between governmental and non-governmental public health organizations
• Identify the role of leadership in effective public health organizations

Learning Activities

Week 1 Discussion: Introduction

Introduce yourself in a minimum 5-minute audio or video recording. The introduction should include as much information as you wish to share about your background and experience, educational journey and any personal information about your family, etc. Respond to at least one of your co-learners.

Week 1 Discussion

Initial Post

Choose a non-governmental public health organization that you think is effective in public health services delivery and discuss why it is effective programmatically. Identify how the program is funded. In your post, use program and financial examples to illustrate. Support your post with a minimum of two external references. The paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Response Post

In a reply post to one peer explain why you think your peer’s choice of a non-governmental organization may not be the most effective. Use examples to illustrate. Support your post with at least one external reference.

Week 1 Assignment 

Research the primary provider of traditional public health services (environmental health, surveillance, immunizations, communicable disease follow-up)  in your geographic area.

In a 1-2 page paper, describe the public health organization. Identify whether the organization is governmental or non-governmental. Describe how the organization interfaces with state public health services. Describe how the organization is funded. Describe the leadership of the organization. Use a minimum of three scholarly sources to support your writing. The paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Week 2: Leadership, Management, and Governance in Public Health Organizations

Learning Outcomes

• Evaluate leadership and management principles
• Determine the relevancy and efficacy of leadership approaches to a public health service delivery
• Examine the role of governance in the delivery of public health services
• Differentiate the roles and responsibilities in public health leadership and management

Learning Activities

Week 2 Discussion

Initial Post

Describe someone you have worked for or with whom you consider a good leader. Do not identify the individual by name. Identify the characteristics that define them as a leader. Do you believe this individual exhibited good leadership skills, good management skills, or both? Why? Be certain to differentiate between leadership and management skills in your post. Use examples to illustrate. Support your post with a minimum of two external references.

Response Post

In a reply post to one peer, argue why the leader identified by one of your peers may not be the best leader for another type of organization. Use examples to illustrate. Support your post with at least one external reference.

Week 2 Assignment

In preparation for the final project, you will conduct additional research to differentiate between leadership and governance roles and responsibilities in the new organization. In a 2-3 page paper, describe how you will orient Healthy Initiatives’ new program directors to the roles of the organization’s Board of Directors, the Executive Director role, and the Program Director roles. Be specific as to areas of accountability, responsibility, and authority.

Week 3: Leadership Theories and Styles, Professionalism and Ethics

Learning Outcomes

• Apply leadership theories and styles in public health programs
• Explore professional and organizational ethical principles related to the delivery of public health services

Learning Activities

Week 3 Discussion 

Initial Post

One of the principles of public health ethical practice is that programs and policies should incorporate a variety of approaches that respect diverse values, beliefs, and cultures in the community. In your initial discussion post, identify the role of a public health leader in ensuring organizational adherence to this principle. Use examples in your post to illustrate. Include a minimum of two external scholarly references.

Response Post

In your reply post to one peer, compare the approach you identified to that of your peer. Describe similarities and/or differences in approaches. Which approach would you consider most effective? Include a minimum of one external scholarly reference.

Week 3 Assignment

In a 2-3 page paper, identify what you consider to be the leadership theory and styles that can most effectively move a public health organization toward common goals. Describe the theory and its origin. Describe what leadership styles are most commonly associated with the theory. Reflect upon why you believe this theory and related styles would be the most effective in forming a leadership philosophy for the newly formed organization, Healthy Initiatives described in the Final Project Instructions.

In your reflection, identify how professional and organizational ethical principles and approaches would be addressed by the Executive Director of Healthy Initiatives. Support your writing with a minimum of two scholarly references. Your paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Week 3 Team Assignment

Part 1

One of the principles of public health practice is that leaders will consider ethical perspectives when developing policies, providing programs, and making decisions that affect the community. Leaders are also expected to recognize ethical situations and develop strategies to address ethical dilemmas. In this team exercise, you will serve as a member of a leadership team of a local public health department. The team exercise is as follows:

The public health department is currently providing a successful nutrition-focused program to a not-for-profit Area Agency on Aging (AAA) organization’s senior community center. Funding for this public health department’s outreach program is coming to an end. After extensive exploration, the organization is unable to secure continuing funding or fund the program through public health funds. When funding ends, the public health department will no longer be able to provide services and will face an ethical dilemma.

 As a team, prepare a 2-page briefing paper to be presented to the leadership of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) organization addressing the following:

• Briefly describe the ethical dilemma
• Include the ethical framework considered by the public health department
• Propose to the AAA options for how the nutrition-focused program might continue

Include a minimum of two external scholarly references in the briefing paper. Each member of the team must submit the team’s briefing paper to the grading area on Brightspace.

Part 2

An important skill for leaders is the ability to work effectively as a team member. Individually, submit a 1-page reflection paper on your experience working as a group addressing the following:

• Briefly describe your experience working with classmates in a team
• Describe whether there was equal participation by all team members. 
  • If not, what strategies did you use to engage inactive members or address this issue? 
  • If you did not address the issue, what barriers prevented you from doing so? 

• Imagine working as a team member within a similar professional group; what would you do differently, if anything?

DUE: Wednesday, end of Week 3, by 11:59 PM ET.

Week 4: Systems Thinking and Community Engagement

Learning Outcomes

• Apply systems thinking theories, methods, and tools to determine their applicability to public health care delivery systems
• Leverage community relationships and constituent partnerships to strategize methods for improving engagement

Learning Activities

Week 4 Discussion

Initial Post

Describe how community and constituent engagement is important in public health practice and delivery systems. Use an example to illustrate your point. How can public health leadership support engagement efforts? Support your writing with a minimum of two sources.

Response Post

In your reply post to one peer, compare your thoughts on community and constituent engagement with that of a peer. Use a minimum of one source to support your writing.

Week 4 Assignment

Re-read the Final Project Instructions. Write a 2-3 page paper describing a specific public health challenge that may be encountered by the new Executive Director of Healthy Initiatives. Using the module readings, select a theory, a method, and a tool you believe is applicable to addressing the public health challenge. Describe how the new Executive Director of Healthy Initiatives might apply the theory, method, and tool you selected to address the public health challenge. Use a minimum of two external references in writing your paper. The paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Week 5: Evidence-based Management, Human Resources, and Budgeting

Learning Outcomes

• Apply methods and tools for evidence-based decision-making to determine success factors for effective leaders
• Prepare an operating budget for a public health program

Learning Activities

Week 5 Discussion

Initial Post

Re-read the instructions for the Final Project. Describe an actual or hypothetical public health challenge that the new Executive Director of Community Initiatives may face requiring evidence-based leadership decision-making.

Select a different challenge than you identified in week 4. Use the EIDM “5-Ovals” Model presented in the video “Evidence-informed Decision-Making- A Guiding Framework for Public Health” video as a model to describe the challenge and possible decision-making process. Be certain to identify any community diversity, inclusion, and cultural considerations in the decision-making process and how you would address these considerations. Describe how the EIDM model is or is not adequate for decision-making. Support your post with a minimum of two external references.

Week 5 Assignment

Complete this week’s Evidence-based Management, Human Resources, and Budgeting Case Study and re-read the Final Project Instructions in the course. Using the information from the case study, readings this week, and additional research you will conduct, prepare operating budgets for each of the five new programs to be offered by Healthy Initiatives. As reviewed in the case study, the operating budgets should reflect a 12-month projection of anticipated revenue (already provided), salary costs, benefit costs, and non-salary expenses such as supplies, travel, and educational materials. Budgets need to present realistic salary and non-salary costs needed to provide the program.

Use the Program Operating Budgets template provided to develop the five operating budgets. Each budget (Diabetes Prevention, Community Immunizations, Health Promotion, Dental Health, and Environmental Health) is contained in separate tabs within the spreadsheet template.

Use a minimum of two external references in AMA format when preparing your assignment. References should be submitted in a separate Word document along with the Budget Excel Template.

Week 6: Strategic Planning, Organizational Mission, Vision and Values

Learning Outcomes

• Assess models of strategic planning to identify appropriate approaches for public health organizations
• Develop a public health organization’s mission, vision, and values to determine how they guide an organization’s planning process
• Develop SMART goals for public health programs

Learning Activities

Week 6 Discussion

Initial Post

In the Discussion Board area this week, submit a PDF of the PowerPoint slides (weeks 1-5) you intend to use in your final project to the discussion board. Make certain the slides are comprehensive enough so that your peers can gain a good understanding of what you intend to present.

Response Post

In your reply post, give specific feedback to one peer about their slides. Be specific and provide examples about the following:

• Appropriateness of the slides for the intended audience.
• Clarity of the presentation’s introduction to the organization for the intended audience.
• Clarity of the organization’s leadership roles and responsibilities and governance structure.
• Clarity of the approach to community and constituent engagement.
• Other relevant feedback to your peer.

Week 6 Assignment

Part 1

In preparation for the final project, develop a mission, vision, and values for Community Initiatives. Review the guide for writing a mission, vision, and values as you prepare your assignment. Make certain the mission, vision, and values you develop form the basis of future strategic planning initiatives for Community Initiatives.

Part 2

Develop two SMART goals and two SMART objectives for each of Healthy Initiatives’ five program areas listed below. The goals and objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound and reflect the strategic direction of Community Initiatives.

Use a minimum of 4 sources to support your writing. Sources should be formatted in AMA style.

Week 7: Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, and Mediation

Learning Outcomes

• Examine the concepts of conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation.
• Apply mediation and negotiation techniques successfully in a conflict situation

Learning Activities

No Week 7 Discussion

Week 7 Assignments

Part 1

You are the Executive Director of the local Public Health Department referenced in the weekly lecture. In a 1-page paper, describe in detail how you would approach the upcoming in-person negotiation session with the hospital Administrator about the proposed duplication of services.

• What specific negotiation strategies would you be prepared to use in the session?
• What goals would you set to achieve by the end of the negotiation session?
• What areas of agreement would you anticipate?
• What areas of disagreement would you expect?
• How will you prepare to address the areas of disagreement?

Support your writing with four scholarly sources. The paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Part 2

Assume that you, the Executive Director of the local Public Health Department, and the hospital Administrator were not able to negotiate a mutually acceptable resolution to the conflict about duplicative services.

Write a brief paper describing how you would initiate the use of mediation in the above scenario. Specifically,

• Which mediation strategies would you consider using in this conflict situation?
• How would you implement those strategies?
• What are the logistical considerations of a mediation approach to conflict resolution?

Support your paper with a minimum of two external references. The paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Final Project

Setting the Scene

Assume that you have been appointed the new Executive Director of Healthy Initiatives, a newly-formed non-governmental, not-for-profit public health organization by its Board of Directors. The organization will provide services not currently provided by the state’s public health department in an under-served tri-county area in the mid-western part of the U.S. The area includes both urban and rural communities. Through the generosity of community donations and substantial federal, state, and private grant dollars, the organization is fully funded for the next five (5) years.

One of your first leadership duties was to hire program directors who will manage the organization’s five new programs:

1. Diabetes prevention services
2. Community immunization services for adults and children
3. Health promotion, wellness, and nutrition services
4. Dental health preventive services for children and adults
5. Environmental health: air and water safety

As the new executive director of Healthy Initiatives, you will be providing a day-long leadership and management training for the new program directors.

Based upon what you have learned in this course, feedback from your instructor about your various assignments, and feedback from peers, develop a PowerPoint slide presentation and detailed speaker notes based upon essential leadership knowledge and skills needed by the program directors.

Assignment Components

For this assignment, you will submit three (3) components. Your presentation slides, speaker notes, and video presentation. The expectations for each are:

1. PowerPoint slides. Your PowerPoint slides should include the following:
   1. Introduction to the newly formed organization, Healthy Initiatives (Week 1)
   2. Mission, Vision, and Values of the new organization (Week 6)
   3. Leadership roles and responsibilities and governance structure (Board of Directors, Executive Director, and Program Directors) (Week 2)
   4. Leadership philosophy, ethics, and values that leaders are expected to adhere to (Week 3)
   5. Two SMART goals and two objectives for each of the 5 program areas (Week 6)
   6. Summary of operating budgets for each program (Week 5)
   7. Key constituents in the community and how Healthy Initiatives intends to address community engagement and possible partnerships (Week 4)
   8. A culture of evidence-based decision-making (Week 5)
   9. Positive workplace culture considerations through employee engagement and involvement (Week 5)
2. Speaker notes (10-12 pages) – Use the speaker notes template to document your notes.
3. Video Presentation. Using the introductory slide of your PowerPoint presentation, prepare a 5-7 minute video presentation introducing what will be covered in the day-long program for new program directors.

A minimum of six references in AMA format are required for your PowerPoint slides/presentation.

Week 8: Future Direction in Public Health and Considerations for Leadership

Learning Outcomes

• Articulate considerations in the future direction of public health practice
• Identify administrative and leadership implications for future public health practice considerations

Learning Activities

Week 8 Discussion

Initial Post

From your reading this week and additional research, identify what you consider to be the most significant future consideration in public health administration and leadership. Describe the issue. What are the key drivers related to this issue? Based upon what you have learned in this course, how might effective public health leadership impact the future direction?

Response Post

In your reply post, reflect upon the consideration identified by one of your peers. Identify at least two additional factors related to the issue identified by your peer that your peer has not considered.

Week 8 Assignment

In a 1-2 page reflection paper, identify two new topic areas you have learned about in this course and how you will be able to apply this learning in future courses or future public health career practice. How did this learning advance your understanding of public health administration and leadership practice? Support your writing with a minimum of two scholarly sources. The paper must be formatted in AMA style.

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

• Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
• Public Health Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/public-health/
• Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

• UNE Student Academic Success Center

Information Technology Services (ITS)

• ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.

Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.

Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.