Syllabus

Schedule

Course Schedule:

Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday. 

• Week 1: May 2 – May 9
• Week 2: May 9 – May 16
• Week 3: May 16 – May 23
• Week 4: May 23 – May 30
• Week 5: May 30 – June 6
• Week 6: June 6 – June 13
• Week 7:  June 13 – June 20
• Week 8: June 20 – June 24 (Sunday)

Weekly Schedule:

The assignment/discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Please make sure to review the full assignment prompts in Blackboard. There may be additional readings/videos that are not mentioned in this weekly summary, make sure to carefully review the modules in Blackboard.

Week 1: Health Behavior in Context (Setting the Stage)

Weekly Outcomes:

• Evaluate the magnitude of a health issue using data
• Identify factors affecting population health relative to a specific healthcare issue.
• Discuss how cultural values and practices can influence the design and implementation of a public health intervention.
• Advise classmates on strategies to identify stakeholders in a specific community regarding a specific healthcare issue.

Videos/Readings:

• Section 1: Overview, pp. 1-56
  • Chapter 1: Health Behavior in the Context of the “New” Public Health
  • Chapter 2: How Theory Informs Health Promotion and Public Health Practice
  • Chapter 3: The PRECEDE-PROCEED Planning Model
• Highfield L, Bartholomew LK, Hartman MA, Ford MM, Balihe P. Grounding evidence-based approaches to cancer prevention in the community: a case study of mammography barriers in underserved African American women. Health Promot Pract. 2014;15(6):904-14. doi: 10.1177/1524839914534685.

Lectures:

• Course Introduction 
• Chapter 1 
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3

Additional Resources:

• Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. 2004; 291:1238-1245.
• Johnson NB, Hayes LD, Brown K, Hoo EC, Ethier KA. CDC National Health Report: Leading Causes of Morbidity and Mortality and Associated Behavioral Risk and Protective Factors – United States, 2005-2013. MMWR. 2014; 63(Suppl):1-27.
• National Cancer Institute. Theory at a Glance: Application to Health Promotion and Health Behavior. 2005. Washington, D.C.: National Institutes of Health.
• Healthy People 2020
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Assignments

• Discussion: Introductions
• Group Discussion: Magnitude of health issue

Use the link in Module 1 to navigate to the sign-up page for the discussion group you will be in for the rest of this class. You will select one of the following group discussion topics:

Diabetes

Cervical Cancer

Suicide

Cardiovascular Disease

Once you have signed up for your group/health issue, you will then need to choose a specific population/community for your research and intervention project, which you will work with for the rest of the course. You may choose from the two communities provided, or you may select a different community of your choice. The community you select should be geographically specific and definable by demographic characteristics (age, ethnicity, gender, rural, urban, etc.).

Initial Post:

Write a description of the magnitude of the problem of your health issue. Synthesize data from government data sources and published research to support your discussion.  (Do not cite webpages written for the general public as references, even those written by CDC.) Discuss if the severity of the health issue varies by demographic factors.  

Select a community that you will work with throughout this course to research and propose an intervention to address the health issue within the community. You may choose from the two communities listed in the discussion, or select a different community. The community you select should be geographically specific and definable by demographic characteristics (age, ethnicity, gender, rural, urban, etc.).  It is fine if more than one group member chooses the same community.

Once you have chosen the community that you will work with during the course, briefly describe this community and how the demographics of your population may influence the expression of this health issue among your community.  Title your post with the health issue you are addressing and your community (e.g., Influenza/Pneumonia prevention in Sumter County, FL).

Response Posts:

Looking at your group’s initial posts, discuss how cultural or environmental factors may influence the process of developing a health intervention and how these influences may differ depending on the communities you are working with.  

The planning models discussed this week, PRECEDE-PROCEED and Intervention Mapping, are grounded in the principles of community-based participatory research. Based on your readings and your colleagues’ discussions, propose a strategy for identifying the key stakeholders in your communities, or for building partnerships within the community.  

Week 2: Finding and Writing About Evidence

Weekly Outcomes: 

• Search databases and critically analyze peer-reviewed literature
• Synthesize and incorporate scientific evidence into professional writing

Videos / Readings:

• Schafer EJ, Campo S, Colaizy TT, Mulder PJ, Ashida S. Influences of Experiences and Perceptions Related to Breastfeeding One’s First Child on Breastfeeding Initiation of Second Child. Matern Child Health J. 2017. 21;1288-1296. DOI 10.1007/s10995-016-2228-1.
• Kovalchick S, Mills JA. How to Read an Academic Article.  Powerpoint Presentation. https://www.iup.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=177848

Lecture:

• Finding and Writing About the Evidence, Part 1
• Finding and Writing About the Evidence, Part 2
• Finding and Writing About the Evidence, Part 3

Additional Resources:

• How to read a scientific paper

Assignments

• Whole Class Discussion: Evaluating the Shafer article

Note: This discussion is due on Friday. No response post is required for this board, but be sure to read your colleagues perspectives.

Read the Schafer et al. breastfeeding paper using the strategies discussed this week.

What did the author do well in the writing of the article?  

What makes this an effective article (if it is effective)? What would you recommend be revised to improve the article?

What value does this article have for you as a reader and public health professional?

In one sentence, describe a main point of the article that you could use in your public health work if you were developing an intervention to increase breastfeeding.

• Group Discussion: Finding and Writing About Evidence

Initial Post:

Select an article that presents evidence of the link between your health condition and one or more modifiable determinants of health. Describe the search terms you used to identify the article. Briefly summarize the main finding of the study, and then answer the following questions:

What did the author do well in the writing of the article?  

How could this article been revised to improve the article?

What value does this article have for you as a reader and public health professional?

Response Posts:

Select one of the articles presented by your colleagues (try to choose one that does not already have a response). Read it, and explain where you agree and/or differ with their analysis of the article. End your post with a one to two sentence synthesis of the main findings from the two articles (your article and your colleague’s article).

For your second post, reflect on the experiences this week of evaluating these articles. Discuss how you and your group can apply this experience to improve your own writing.   

Week 3: Value Expectancy & Fear Appeals

Weekly Outcomes: 

• Identify determinants of health for a specific healthcare issue
• Map determinants of health for a specific condition and population to the socioecological model

Readings/Videos:

• Textbook Chapter 4: Value-Expectancy Theories, pp. 59-72.
• Carmack CC, Lewis-Moss RK.  Examining the Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to Condom Use: The Effect-Indicator vs. Causal-Indicator Models. J Prim Prev. 2009; 30(6): 659–676.
• Textbook Chapter 5: Models Based on Perceived Threat and Fear Appeals, pp. 73-93.
• Askelson NM, Chi DL, Momany ET, Kuthy RA, Ortiz C, Hanson JD, Damiano JD. Encouraging early preventive dental visits for preschool-aged children enrolled in Medicaid: Using the Extended Parallel Process Model to conduct formative research. J Public Health Dent. 2014 January ; 74(1): 64–70. 
• Askelson NM, Chi DL, Momany ET, Kuthy RA, Carter KD, Field K, Damiano JD. The Importance of Efficacy: Using the Extended Parallel Process Model to Examine Factors Related to Preschool-Age Children Enrolled in Medicaid Receiving Preventive Dental Visits. Health Ed & Beh. 2015; 42(6): 805–813.

Lectures:

• Chapter 4 
• Chapter 5

Assignments

• Group Discussion: Modifiable determinants of health

When designing a theory-based health intervention, it is important to focus first on the modifiable determinants of health, and not go into the planning phase with a predetermined intervention.

Initial Post:

Identify the determinants of health related to your health issue, using peer-reviewed health literature to support.  In your discussion, consider both determinants of health risk and health protective behaviors as you write a well-organized and concise description of the data linking social and behavioral factors related to your health issue.  

Your post should provide a clear summary of the evidence linking your health issue to behavioral and environmental determinants.  It should be the equivalent to the introduction (background/rationale) section of a paper or proposal, explaining why the importance of addressing this health issue in your community.

Response Posts:

Using the determinants of health identified by your group, discuss how each determinant relates to the levels of the socioecological model.

Looking at the range of determinants of health identified by your group, discuss the relative changeability and importance of each of these health-promoting behaviors or conditions. How does this differ depending on the population and structure of your communities?

Week 4: Stage Models & Social Cognitive Theory

Weekly Outcomes: 

• Create change objectives for a specific healthcare issue
• Research and select interventions for target, modifiable determinants of health

Readings/Videos:

• Textbook: Chapter 6: Stage Models for Health Promotion, pp. 94-115.
• Textbook: Chapter 7: Social Cognitive Theory Applied to Health Behavior, pp. 116-136.
• Merkx, A., Ausems, M., de Vries, R., & Nieuwenhuijze, M. J. (2017). Come On! Using intervention mapping to help healthy pregnant women achieve healthy weight gain. Public Health Nutrition, 1-15. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980017000271

Lectures:

• Chapter 6 
• Chapter 7  (Slides are labeled Chapter 8 due to chapter number change in 2nd edition)

Assignments :

• Group Discussion: Performance and Change Objectives

Initial Post:

Building on your teams’ discussion of the modifiable determinants of health and related health-promoting behaviors & conditions, choose a personal behavior and identify two performance objectives, identify theoretical constructs that would be relevant to the specific objective, and create relevant change objectives. The articles you are evaluating for Assignment 1 will help you in this process.

Refer to Table 2 in the Merkx article for an example of the process but do not limit yourself to the constructs identified there. Your chart should include the performance objective, the personal determinants (these will relate to the theoretical constructs you have been studying), and the change objective related to both (what needs to change related to the personal determinant for the individual to achieve the performance objective).  

Present these in a chart, and describe the chart in detail using peer-reviewed references to support.  

Response Posts: 

Reading through your colleagues’ discussions discuss the appropriate theory(ies) that would be relevant to your team’s change objectives.

Read your colleagues discussions of the specific change objectives and relevant theories and theoretical constructs. Make an argument for which objective(s) should be the focus of your intervention.

Week 5: Intervention Mapping

Weekly Outcomes: 

• Search databases and critically analyze peer-reviewed literature
• Synthesize and incorporate scientific evidence into professional writing

Readings/Videos

• Chapter 13: Learning to Combine Theories: An Introduction to Intervention Mapping, pp. 241-252.
• Highfield L, Bartholomew LK, Hartman MA, Ford MM, Balihe P. Grounding evidence-based approaches to cancer prevention in the community: a case study of mammography barriers in underserved African American women. Health Promot Pract. 2014; 15(6):904-14. doi: 10.1177/1524839914534685. 
• Highfield L, Hartman MA, Mullen PD, Rodriguez SA, Fernandez ME, Bartholomew LK. Intervention Mapping to Adapt Evidence-Based Interventions for Use in Practice: Increasing Mammography among African American Women. Biomed Res Int. 2015:160103. doi: 10.1155/2015/160103. 

Lecture:

• Chapter 13 Intervention Mapping 

Additional Resources: 

• Bartholomew Eldredge LK, Markham CM, Ruiter RAC, Fernandez ME, Kok G, Parcel GS. Planning Health Promotion Programs: An Intervention Mapping Approach, 4th ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2016.
• Highfield L, Hartman MA, Bartholomew LK, Balihe P, Ausborn VA. Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Implementation of an Adapted Evidence-Based Mammography Intervention for African American Women. Biomed Res Int. 2015:240240. doi: 10.1155/2015/240240. 
• Highfield L, Rajan SS, Valerio MA, Walton G, Fernandez ME, Bartholomew LK. A non-randomized controlled stepped wedge trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-level mammography intervention in improving appointment adherence in underserved women. Implement Sci. 2015; 10:143. doi: 10.1186/s13012-015-0334-x.

Assignments

• Assignment 1: Evaluation of interventions addressing modifiable determinants of health

Use PubMed to search the peer-reviewed literature to identify at least 5 articles that present interventions used to address the modifiable determinants of health you identified.

In a table, list:

* the reference by title

* the health issue addressed

* modifiable determinant(s) of health (what the intervention is trying to change)

* specific theoretical constructs identified

* if the authors do not specify theoretical constructs or do not fully address theory, use an asterisk to indicate that you are identifying the applicable constructs

* theory or theories used (note if no theory was discussed by the authors)

Below the table, provide a 300-500 word review of these interventions.  Include in your discussion, an evaluation of whether there was a good fit between theory and the modifiable determinant(s), and based on the literature, which theory or theories are most relevant to addressing your health issue. The interventions should all be included in your references using proper AMA style.  This should not be a summary of each study, rather a synthesis of what interventions have been used, how they relate to theory, and your conclusion of which theory or theories are most relevant to your intervention development.  Remember in two weeks you will be submitting your final report with recommendations based in part on this analysis.

Create a PubMed clipboard document with abstracts for your 5 references and submit as a separate document for your instructor to review. See the instructions on how to download these.

Please submit as a Word document, not a text document.

• Quiz 1

Week 6: Social Marketing and Applied Technology

Weekly Outcomes:

• Research and select among communication strategies for healthcare interventions.
• Describe the use of technological applications in health interventions
• Discuss the role that ethics in designing health messages and interventions

Readings/Videos :

• Textbook, Chapter 8: Health Communication: Theory, Social Marketing, and Tailoring, pp. 137-159.
• Textbook, Chapter 11: Diffusion of Innovations Theory, pp. 197-213.
• Puhl R, Luedicke J, Peterson JL. Public Reactions to Obesity-Related Health Campaigns: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Prev Med 2013; 45(1): 36–48.
• Carter SM, Rychetnik L, Lloyd B, Kerridge IH, Baur L, Bauman A, Hooker C, Zask A. Evidence, ethics, and values: a framework for health promotion.  Am J Public Health. 2007 April; 97(4): 634–641.

Lectures:

• Chapter 8 (Slides are labeled Chapter 9 due to chapter number change in 2nd edition)
• Chapter 11 (Slides are labeled Chapter 10 due to chapter number change in 2nd edition)
• Lecture on Ethics 

Recommended Reading:

• Textbook, Chapter 10: Social Network Theory, pp. 180-196.

Additional Resources: These articles provide examples of technological applications used to promote healthcare, such as social media platforms, podcasts, fitbits, and smartphone apps, among others.

• Korda H, Itani Z. Harnessing Social Media for Health Promotion and Behavior Change.  Health Promot Pract. 2013;14(1):15-23.
• Bushar JA, Fishman J, Garfinkel D, Pirretti A. Enrolling Underserved Women in Health Programs: Results From Text4baby Outreach Campaigns. Health Promot Pract. 2018;epub.  doi: 10.1177/1524839918763589. 
• Cao B, Gupta S, Wang J, et al. Social Media Interventions to Promote HIV Testing, Linkage, Adherence, and Retention: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Med Internet Res.  2017;19(11):e394. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7997.

Assignments

• Whole Class Discussion: Social Marketing/Tailored Messaging

Initial Post:

Identify and share an example of a technological application that applies the concepts of social marketing &/or message tailoring for health promotion.  This example should relate to your groups’ health issue and/or modifiable determinants of health that you have identified.  If there is a visual representation of the intervention, please include it or a link to it in your initial post.  Include at least one peer-reviewed reference related to the intervention’s implementation and evaluation. Describe how this technological application was used to promote health. Your post should briefly describe the social marketing or tailored message, and include your analysis of whether this example is a successful strategy, explaining clearly why or why not.  Use the theories we have studied to support your analysis.  Your analysis of effectiveness may differ from the published reference; just make sure to support your analysis either way.

Response Posts: 

Select at least one of your colleague’s example. Did the message identified by your colleague present a culturally competent message?  If so, how?  If not, how could the message have been improved? Based on the readings and lectures, discuss the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.  

Select at least one different example shared in your group, and discuss the role that ethics should play in our work as we design health messages and interventions.  Was ethics clearly considered in the design of the messages that your colleague and you selected?  Refer to specifics about the studies to support your position.

Week 7: Applying to Theory Practice

Weekly Outcomes:

• Write letter of intent with an intervention plan to a funding agency proposing a healthcare intervention.

Required Readings/Videos:

• Textbook Chapter 15: Evaluating Theory-Based Public Health Program: Linking Principles to Practice, pp. 281-300
• Textbook Chapter 12: Translating Research to Practice: Putting “What Works” to Work, pp. 217-240
• Evans WD, Abroms LC, Poropatich R, Nielsen PE, Wallace JL. Mobile health evaluation methods: the Text4baby case study. J Health Commun. 2012;17 Suppl 1:22-9
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Evidence for Action Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health

Lectures:

• Chapter 15  (Slides are labeled Chapter 13 due to chapter number change in 2nd edition)
• Chapter 12  (Slides are labeled Chapter 14 due to chapter number change in 2nd edition)

Additional Resources:

• The Community Tool Box Best Change Processes
• Tools for Implementing an Evidence-Based Approach in Public Health Practice

Assignments

• Assignment 2: Letter of Intent

Based on the process you have followed through the discussions and assignments; write a double-spaced, 4-6 page Letter of Intent in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP) describing the health intervention you developed. Make sure you are writing to your intended audience.

Present a summary of your intervention, including:

* Magnitude of the health problem and how it affects your community

* Determinants of health related to your health issue

* Links of these determinants to theoretical constructs

* Review of relevant theory-based interventions, including

* The potential applicability of technological based applications

* Description of your proposed intervention, clearly identifying the theory(ies) on which it is based

* Include a brief discussion of how you will evaluate your theory-based intervention

* Conclude with a summary of your proposal and a discussion of how your work will contribute to the public health evidence base

* Incorporate reference material and cite using AMA style

Refer to the rubric for guidance on how your LOI will be graded.

Week 8: The Big Picture

Weekly Outcomes: 

• Evaluate intervention using ecological approach.

Required Readings/Videos:

• Textbook: Chapter 9: Ecological and Structural Approaches to Improving Public Health, pp 160-179
• Panter-Brick C, Clarke SE, Lomas H, Pinder M, Lindsay SW. Culturally compelling strategies for behaviour change: A social ecology model and case study in malaria prevention. Soc Sci & Med. 2006; 62:2810–2825.

Lecture:

• Chapter 9  (Lecture slides are labeled Chapter 11 due to a chapter number change in the 2nd edition. You will find that there are two theories discussed in the lecture that are not included in the revised version of the chapter: Social Action Theory, and Theory of Triadic Influence. They are included in this discussion because you may find them of interest. They are not included in the quiz.)

Assignments: 

• Quiz 2
• Optional Whole Class Discussion: Share Your Proposal

In previous semesters, students have expressed a desire to learn about other students’ work in the class. This discussion is optional and will not be graded, but you are encouraged to briefly describe your project to share with your colleagues. This can be structured as an approximately 250 word abstract of the information you prepared for your LOI.  As an abstract, you do not need to include references.

Again, you are not obligated to share your abstract or comment on your colleagues’ work, but feel free to do so.

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 Blackboard/Brightspace.
• Public Health Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/public-health/
• Library Tutorial: Find an article
• 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.

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 Turnitin Student quick start guide.

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.

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late 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.

UNE Online 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 UNE Plagiarism Policies.

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.