Syllabus

Master of Public Health

GPH 732 Community Assessment – Fall A 2017

Credits - 3

Description

This course examines the concepts, methods, and practices for assessing the health of a community. Topics include measuring community health status, developing community health profiles, identifying the determinants of health, and the utilization of community health assessment in developing public health interventions.

Course Format

This course is facilitated through Blackboard, UNE’s online learning management system. The course will be delivered in 8 weekly online modules, with each module beginning on Wednesday at 12:01 am and ending the following Wednesday at 11:59 pm, except for the last week (Week 8), which will begin on Wednesday and end on Sunday. Students will watch online lectures produced by the course instructor and field experts, engage in readings and other media provided by instructors, and will learn from one another through the discussion board and written assignments. Each section of this course will be facilitated by an instructor with significant professional and academic expertise in the area of study. Individual meetings with the course instructor will be up to the student to schedule

Materials

There is no text for this course. Links to weekly readings and other resources are provided in Blackboard.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

This course meets the following CEPH competencies:

1.

Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.

2.

Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.

3.

Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.

4.

Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.

22.

Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue

Assignments

Discussions

Your original contribution to a discussion must be submitted by Sunday at 11:59 PM EST of the week it is assigned. A response to a colleague must be completed by Wednesday at 11:59 PM EST of the week it is assigned. 

  • Weeks 1-8 (3 points each)
 24

Assignments

  • Weeks 2-6 Written Assignments (7 points each)
  • Weeks 2-6 Slides (3 points each)
  • Week 8 Written Assignment (5 points)
  • Week 7 Final Project (21 points)
 76

TOTAL

 100

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

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: Aug 30 – Sep 6
Week 2: Sep 6 – Sep 13
Week 3: Sep 13 – Sep 20
Week 4: Sep 20 – Sep 27
Week 5: Sep 27 – Oct 4
Week 6: Oct 4 – Oct 11
Week 7: Oct 11 – Oct 18
Week 8: Oct 18 – Oct 22

Weekly Schedule

*See Blackboard for required and suggested weekly readings.

________________________________________________________________

Week 1: Introduction to and Overview of Community Health Assessment

Weekly Outcomes

  • Compose a definition of “community” based on professional experiences and/or a review of the literature.

  • Compose a definition of “community health needs assessment” based on professional experiences and/or a review of the literature.

Lectures

  • Course Overview
  • Final Project
  • Week 1 Lecture: The “Community” in Community Needs Assessment

Assignments

  • Week 1 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 

________________________________________________________________

Week 2: The Use of Logic Models in Community Health Assessment

Weekly Outcomes

  • Apply a theoretical model for planning a community health assessment.

Lectures

  • Week 2 Lecture: Logic Models
  • Week 2 Lecture: PRECEDE-PROCEED
  • Week 2 Lecture: MAPP
  • Week 2 Lecture: MAP-IT

Assignments

  • Week 2 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 2 Assignment: Logic Models
  • Week 2 Assignment: Methodology Slides

________________________________________________________________

Week 3: Creating a Community Demographic and Socioeconomic Profile

Weekly Outcomes

  • Demonstrate ability to conduct qualitative data collection.

  • Identify the socioeconomic factors that may impact health in a community.

Lecture

  • Week 3 Lecture: Community Profile

Assignments

  • Week 3 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 3 Assignment: Personal Observation and Interview
  • Week 3 Assignment: Community Demographic and Socioeconomic Slides

________________________________________________________________

Week 4: Creating a Community Health Profile

Weekly Outcomes

  • Locate, analyze and use data on community health indicators to characterize the health status of a community.

Lecture

  • Week 4 Lecture: Health Profile

Assignments

  • Week 4 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 4 Assignment: Priority Health Problems and Comparison
  • Week 4 Assignment: Priority Health Problems and Comparison Slides

________________________________________________________________

Week 5: Selecting a Priority Health Issue or Problem

Weekly Outcomes

  • Explain the rationale for the selection of a health issue or problem.
  • Determine the relevancy of the health issue/problem to the community.
  • List and categorize community assets for addressing a health issue/problem.

Lecture

  • Week 5 Lecture: Priority Health Issues

Assignments

  • Week 5 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 5 Assignment: Chosen Priority Health Issue
  • Week 5 Assignment: Chosen Priority Health Issue Slides

________________________________________________________________

Week 6: Summarizing Community Health Assessment Results

Weekly Outcomes

  • Analyze and synthesize assessment results.
  • Summarize and use the results of the community profile to develop a community assessment report.

Lecture

  • Week 6 Lecture: Summarizing Community Health Assessment Results

Assignments

  • Week 6 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 6 Assignment: Summarization of Findings
  • Week 6 Assignment: Summarization of Findings Slides

________________________________________________________________

Week 7: The Community Assessment Report

Weekly Outcomes

  • Organize and plan an assessment report.

Lecture

  • Week 7 Lecture: The Assessment Report

Assignments

  • Week 7 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 7 Assignment: Final Project and Presentation

________________________________________________________________

Week 8: Communicating the Results of a Community Assessment

Weekly Outcomes

  • Develop a plan for communicating information about community health issues.

Lecture

  • Week 8 Lecture: Communicating the Assessment Report

Assignments

  • Week 8 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 8 Assignment: Memo

________________________________________________________________

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:

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:

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.