Advanced Policy Analysis offers the opportunity for students to develop and complete their own analysis of a public health issue that intersects with government actions as partial fulfillment of the requirements for their MPH degree. All MPH students must create a high quality written product, synthesizing public health competencies. Based on their selected topic, students will analyze data related to a real-world problem and present their findings in their ILE project report – a high quality written document. Readings and lectures will provide further education and guidance, and all assignments are designed to guide students through the analysis and writing process. At the end of the course, students will have a final report of their program evaluation.
PC 1. Synthesize and incorporate scientific evidence into professional writing
PC 2. Search databases and critically analyze peer-reviewed literature
PC 3. Develop strategies for qualitative and quantitative data management.
FC 1. Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
FC 2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
FC 3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
FC 4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
FC 8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies
FC 12. Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
FC 14. Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
FC 15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
FC 19. Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
Assignment: CDC – policy analysis training
Assignment: Set up 1:1 progress meetings
Assignment: Literature review worksheet
Assignment: 1:1 progress meeting with your instructor
Discussion: Summary literature sources
Assignment: Summary characteristics public health issue
Assignment: Identifying Key Stakeholders
Discussion: Strategies for connecting with Stakeholders
Assignment: Stakeholder summaries
Assignment: Findings of environmental scan
Assignment: 1:1 progress meeting with your instructor
Discussion: Jurisdictions
Assignment: CDC – policy analysis framework: overarching questions
Assignment: Key Questions – Health Impact
Assignment: Key Questions – Feasibility
Assignment: Key Questions – Economic and Budgetary Impacts
Assignment: 1:1 progress meeting with your instructor
Assignment: Rating of Policy Options
Assignment: no assignment due this week
Assignment: Draft ILE report
Assignment: Abstract
Assignment: 1:1 progress meeting with your instructor
Assignment: Final ILE Paper
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignments | Points |
Week 1 Assignment: CDC - Introduction to Policy Analysis in Public Health | 6 |
Week 1 Assignment: Schedule 1:1 meetings with Instructor | 1 |
Week 2 Assignment: Literature review spreadsheet | 4 |
Week 2 Assignment: 1: 1 Progress Meeting with your instructor | 1 |
Week 2 Discussion: Literature Review Sources | 1 |
Week 3 Assignment: Summary characteristics public health issue | 3 |
Week 4 Assignment: Identifying Key Stakeholders | 3 |
Week 4 Discussion: Strategies for connecting with Stakeholders | 1 |
Week 5 Assignment: Stakeholder summaries | 3 |
Week 6 Assignment: Environmental scan | 3 |
Week 6 Assignment: 1: 1 Progress Meeting with your instructor | 1 |
Week 6 Discussion: Jurisdictions | 1 |
Week 7 Assignment: CDC - policy analysis framework: overarching questions (2 parts, 1.5 points each) | 3 |
Week 8 Assignment: Key Questions - Health Impact | 3 |
Week 9 Assignment: Key Questions - Feasibility | 3 |
Week 10 Assignment: Key Questions - Economic and Budgetary Impacts | 3 |
Week 10 Assignment: 1:1 progress meeting #3 | 1 |
Week 11 Assignment: Rating of Policy Options | 3 |
Week 13 Assignment: Draft ILE report | 15 |
Week 14 Assignment: Abstract | 10 |
Week 14 Assignment: 1:1 progress meeting with your instructor | 1 |
Week 15 Assignment: Final ILE Report and Abstract | 20 |
Week 16 Assignment: Poster | 10 |
Total Points | 100 |
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 |
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 16, which ends on Sunday.
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 Discussion:
Welcome to GPH 751. Begin by introducing yourself to the class, and share what you hope to learn in this course, and how this course may support your current and or future public health work.
Note: for this and all discussions, posts are expected to be typed or pasted directly into Blackboard, not submitted as attachments.
Week 1: Assignment 1 – CDC Course – Introduction to Policy Analysis in Public Health
This week, you will watch a 90-minute online course developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Introduction to Policy Analysis in Public Health. This online course will introduce you to the policy process, and provides specific instruction on the policy analysis component of the process. The course content will give you a better understanding of what policy analysis is, its application in public health, and how it can contribute to public health’s role in policy*. The goal of completing the online course is to give you a better understanding of how to apply the CDC Evaluation Framework, and how to conduct a Public Health policy analysis on your own.
At the end of the course, there is a course summary page (=Lesson 7) with 5 graphics. Please view and print each 1-page graph lesson’s summary. You will need the 1-page summaries as a reference as you complete your policy analysis.
Last, screenshot the final page of the training that indicates “Congratulations! You have completed the Introduction to Policy Analysis in Public Health course!” Upload your screenshot as your assignment submission.
(*The findings and conclusions in the course are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of CDC).
Week 1: Assignment 2 – Schedule 1:1 Meetings with Instructor
Reach out to your instructor via email to set up 1:1 meetings throughout the course.
Please provide days and times you are available to meet with your instructor in week 2, week 6, week 10, and week 14.
(Note: Ideally, you should pick a day and time that will work for you during each of the four weeks, i.e. Tuesday mornings at 11 am, or Wed afternoon at 4.30 pm, etc.)
Week 2 Discussion:
Initial Post:
Discuss 350 words (or less) the sources utilized for your literature review, and keywords used in your search.
Response Post:
In your responses to peers give suggestions for additional literature sources and keywords to support the literature review.
Week 2 Assignment: Literature Review Spreadsheet
Complete the Literature Review Template Spreadsheet. Share 10 articles relevant to your public health topic, and in the worksheet, highlight:
Week 2: 1:1 With Your Instructor
This week you will have your first 1:1 meeting with your instructor to discuss your research progress.
Week 3 Assignment: Summary Characteristics Public Health Issue
To understand how to best address the problem of your public health issue, it helps to define the characteristics of your issue as specifically as possible. Therefore, this week you are asked to write a summary (max 500 words and double spaced) highlighting the following characteristics of your public health issue
Week 4 Discussion: Strategies for Connecting with Stakeholders
Initial post:
Identify 3 to 5 key stakeholders for your policy analysis. Explain why the selected stakeholders are valuable for your policy analysis, and what evidence they may be able to share with you regarding the issue.
Response Post:
For at least 2 peers, based on your peers’ initial post, suggest an additional stakeholder.
Week 4 Assignment: Identifying Key Stakeholders
Using Table 1.1, Identifying Key Stakeholders from the self-study guide as a template, create a table that identifies stakeholders in the three broad categories: those affected, those involved in operations, and those who may use the evaluation results of your policy analysis. Then identify key stakeholders needed to improve credibility, implementation, advocacy, or funding/authorization decisions.
Whenever possible, list the person’s first and last name, role, and organization. Not all stakeholders in the first part of the worksheet must be listed in the second part. Stakeholders may be listed in more than one category.
In the same document, develop a shortlist of questions to use when meeting with your stakeholders. Questions should be relevant, useful, and encourage stakeholder engagement (e.g. open-ended). For example:
Week 5 Assignment: Stakeholder Summaries
Share your stakeholder experiences; describe how you were able to connect with your stakeholders, identify the topics discussed (questions asked), and synthesize the evidence you collected from your stakeholder re. the issue, what were the key takeaways from each of your stakeholder discussions.
Limit your summary per stakeholder to 300 words and use double space.
Week 6 Discussion: Jurisdictions
Initial post:
Briefly list 3 or 4 jurisdictions you plan to include in your environmental scan and explain why you selected these jurisdictions.
Response Post:
Recommend an additional jurisdiction to your peer, and explain why this may be of interest.
Week 6 Assignment: Environmental Scan
Use the Environmental Scan Worksheet to share the evidence collected.
Week 6: 1-1 With Your Instructor
This week you will have your second 1:1 meeting with your instructor to discuss your research progress.
Week 7 Assignment, Part 1: Summaries of Policy Options
Part 1:
Through your literature review, stakeholder interviews, and environmental scan you have gathered evidence and learned about possible policy options relevant to your policy issue. For this week’s assignment you are asked to condense your findings and make a comprehensive list with each of the possible policy options you have identified, and briefly describe each of the policy options.
You will need to have a minimum of 4 policy options
Each policy description needs to be brief, max 250 words, and double spaced.
Week 7 Assignment, Part 2: Policy Analysis Framework – Key Questions
For the next 5 weeks, you’ll be working in a google spreadsheet to complete the Policy Options worksheet.
First, you’ll need to make a copy of the spreadsheet and save it to your own google account. Clicking this will automatically make a copy. Name this document with the following convention: LastName Policy Options Worksheet. You will be working within the same spreadsheet for the next 5 weeks.
This week, you will start narrowing your 4 policy options down to 2 options that you feel are most relevant. Then, in the spreadsheet, you will need to answer the 10 overarching “CDC Framing Questions” for those 2 policy options. In answering the questions you may pull from additional sources and types of evidence. Please note, not all questions may be appropriate for the issue you identified. You need to use the policy option worksheet to record the answers to the overarching framing questions.
Week 8 Assignment: Key Questions – Health Impact
This week, you will be focusing on answering the questions listed for the first of the three interrelated criteria outlined in the CDC Framework: (1) health impact. In answering the public health questions for your policy options you may pull from additional sources and types of evidence. Please note, not all questions may be appropriate for the issue you identified. Use and submit your work in the Policy Options Worksheet for this week’s assignment.
Week 9 Assignment: Key Questions – Feasibility
This week, you will be focusing on answering the questions listed for the second of the three interrelated criteria outlined in the CDC Framework: (2) feasibility. In answering the feasibility questions you may pull from additional sources and types of evidence. Please note, not all questions may be appropriate for the issue you identified. Use and submit your work in the Policy Options Worksheet for this week’s assignment.
Week 10 Assignment
This week, you will be focusing on answering the questions listed for the last of the three interrelated criteria outlined in the CDC Framework: (3) economic and budgetary impacts. In answering the economic and budgetary impact questions you may pull from additional sources and types of evidence. Please note, not all questions may be appropriate for the issue you identified. Use and submit your work in the Policy Options Worksheet for this week’s assignment.
Week 10: 1:1 With your Instructor
This week you will have your third 1:1 meeting with your instructor to discuss your research progress.
Week 11 Assignment: Rating of Policy Options
This week, you will be focusing on rating your policy options for Public Health Impact, Feasibility, and Economic and Budgetary Impact. Your ratings should be based on the evidence collected in your earlier weeks. You may also add empirical data, if available, such as: cost-effectiveness figures related to the policy option, number of lives saved, reduction in admissions, increased participation…etc. Use and submit your work in the Policy Options Worksheet for this week’s assignment.
Submit a clean draft of your ILE project report, including the introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
Your report should be 4000 words plus appendices. Be sure to refer to the grading rubric to make sure that you have completed all of the requirements for this assignment.
Week 14: Abstract
Submit your abstract. Make sure to include the components of an APHA abstract and follow the maximum word guidelines.
Week 14: 1:1 With your Instructor
This week you will have your fourth (and final) 1:1 meeting with your instructor to discuss your progress.
Week 15: Final ILE Report and Abstract
Submit your final paper and abstract.
Week 16: Poster
Submit a poster of your ILE Project Report (using APHA’s “better-poster” guidelines).
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Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page
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:
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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
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.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
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.
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:
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.