Syllabus

Graduate Programs in Public Health

GPH 745 Integrated Practicum: Practical Experience

Credits - 2

Description

Instructor: Nang H. Tin Maung, PhD, MPH
Email: ntinmaung@une.edu
Telephone: (207) 221-4952

Office Hours: The Course Instructor is available by making an appointment via email.

Course Goal: The goal of the practical experience is to apply concepts learned throughout the Master of Public Health (MPH) program in a public health practice setting, and to apply, develop, and employ skills such as leadership, professionalism, communication, and teamwork.

Course Description: The practical experience (sometimes called a field experience) is a required part of the MPH degree and is the first part of the Integrated Public Health Practicum. This component provides students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a public health environment and to work with experienced public health professionals. Working with an approved preceptor at an approved placement
site, students will develop goals for the practical experience and complete a defined project in a minimum of
120 hours. This will be an opportunity to develop practicebased skills that enhance individual career goals and demonstrate additional skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork.

Course Prerequisite Requirements: Successful completion of all MPH core and elective courses or an approved petition.

Students should have a practical experience site, preceptor and project approved prior to beginning the course.

Course Format: This course will be facilitated through a webbased format. Individual meetings with the Course Instructor will be up to the student to schedule. Course assignments will be submitted via the Blackboard learning management system.

Materials

There is no required textbook for this course.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Competencies: The practical experience will meet the following course competencies, which are in addition to projectspecific competencies as identified by the student and with input from the student’s site preceptor and the Course Instructor:

1A10. Uses quantitative and qualitative data
2A1. Contributes to state/Tribal/community health improvement planning (e.g., providing data to supplement community health assessments, communicating observations from work in the field)
2A6. Gathers information that can inform options for policies, programs, and services (e.g., secondhand smoking policies, data use policies, HR policies, immunization programs, food safety programs)
3A2. Communicates in writing and orally with linguistic and cultural proficiency (e.g., using ageappropriate materials, incorporating images)
4A5. Addresses the diversity of individuals and populations when implementing policies, programs, and services that affect the health of a community
5A3. Suggests relationships that may be needed to improve health in a community
5A5. Supports relationships that improve health in a community
5A6. Collaborates with community partners to improve health in a community (e.g., participates in committees, shares data and information, connects people to resources)
6B3. Applies public health sciences (e.g., biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, social and behavioral sciences, and public health informatics) in the delivery of the 10 Essential Public Health Services
6A5. Retrieves evidence (e.g., research findings, case reports, community surveys) from print and electronic sources (e.g., PubMed, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, The World Health Report) to support decision making
6A9. Contributes to the public health evidence base (e.g., participating in Public Health PracticeBased Research Networks, communitybased participatory research, and academic health departments; authoring articles; making data available to researchers)

Course Learning Objectives:

Apply public health evidence, principles, theories, practices, and/or research methods to a specific public health problem.
Integrate and apply public health skills learned within courses and prior professional experience, including but not limited to leadership, oral and written communication, and teamwork.
Model appropriate public health principles and values: compassion, critical thinking, diversity, excellence, innovation, participation, collaboration, professionalism, and social justice.

Assignments

Identify & Develop Goals, Objectives, and Competencies. This form should be developed with input from the site preceptor. Goals should be broad and overarching, as related to your practical experience project. Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resultsfocused, and (realistically) Timebound. Tasks must support the objectives and the objectives must support the goal. Include project deliverables. The final version of this form is due by the end of the first week of class. The site preceptor must sign before it is submitted. Submit via email to the instructor before the course or in Blackboard after the course begins.

Submit Avatar Photo & Practical Experience Project Description. In the Blackboard Discussion section, upload a photo that you would like to use as your class avatar as well as the location/description of your practical experience to the ZeeMap, which will then show all students completing their practical experiences and their locations. This is due by the end of the first week of class.

Submit Quarterly Reports. After every 30 hours of Practical Experience work, students will share their progress towards completing their project goals through the submission of Quarterly Reports. Students should plan in advance to meet with their preceptor every 30 hours to discuss progress, future plans and complete the Quarterly Report. Each report will provide enough information to determine that adequate progress is made on meeting approved goals, objectives, and tasks. Original signatures are required on the report. This form is available in Blackboard and completed reports should be submitted via Blackboard.

Participate in Discussion Posts. Students will submit one discussion post per week. At the beginning of each month, students will make an original post on an assigned topic. In each of the remaining weeks of the month, students will read and post a response to peers’ posts. Topics will be assigned on Monday and all posts are due by 11:59PM (Eastern Time or your local time, whichever is later) on the Sunday of the week they were assigned. Late posts will not receive a credit. Original posts should be ~250 words and replies can be shorter.

Submit Final Report. This report should provide a clear description of what was accomplished during your practical experience and what lessons you learned. It should be 5-7 pages long, size 12 font with double spacing and one inch margins. Products developed at your site should be attached. The report should contain no typographical or grammatical errors. This report is due three days prior to the last day of the session, or after the 120 hours are completed, whichever occurs first.

Ensure completion of Preceptor’s Student Evaluation. The form can be downloaded in Blackboard. Students should provide their preceptor with the form and ensure its completion. Preceptors should return the completed evaluation to the instructor via email no later than three days prior to the last day of the session.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown


Identify and Develop Goals, Objectives, and Competencies	5
Submit Avatar Photo and Practical Experience Project Description	5
Submit Quarterly Reports	40
Participate in Discussion Boards	20
Submit Final Report	20
Ensure Completion of Preceptor's Student Evaluation	10
Total:	100

Grade	Point Range
High Pass	90-100
Pass	80-89
Fail	79 and below

Schedule

By September 8th:

Submit final goals, objectives, and competencies document.
Upload avatar photo and location/practical experience description to ZeeMap.

Every 30 hours of Practical Experience work:

Submit quarterly reports in Blackboard.

Every Week by 11:59pm on Sunday:

Submit discussion posts in Blackboard related to the assigned topic.

By December 17th:

Submit final report in Blackboard.
Ensure completion and submission of Preceptor’s Student Evaluation form.

All assignments, including 120 hours of field work, must be completed to receive a passing grade.

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:

Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
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.