Syllabus

Schedule

Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET). Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 PM ET, with the exception of Week 16, which ends on Sunday. 

Course Dates

Week 1: May 8 – May 15
Week 2: May 15 – May 22
Week 3: May 22 – May 29
Week 4: May 29 – Jun 5
Week 5: Jun 5 – Jun 12
Week 6: Jun 12 – Jun 19
Week 7: Jun 19 – Jun 26
Week 8: Jun 26 – Jun 30
Week 9: Jul 3 – Jul 10
Week 10: Jul 10 – Jul 17
Week 11: Jul 17 – Jul 24
Week 12: Jul 24 – Jul 31
Week 13: Jul 31 – Aug 7
Week 14: Aug 7 – Aug 14
Week 15: Aug 14 – Aug 21
Week 16: Aug 21 – Aug 25

Please make sure to review the full assignment prompts in the course. Make sure to carefully review the modules in the course.

Week 1: Course Introduction and Stakeholder Engagement

Learning Outcomes

• Identify key stakeholders
• Identify types of evidence by stakeholder
• Recognize the importance of stakeholder engagement
• Assess the roles of stakeholders in public health

Learning Activities

• Week 1 Assignment: Identifying Key Stakeholders

Using the Worksheet 1A – Identifying Key Stakeholders section from the CDC’s Program Evaluation Guide as a template, identify stakeholders in the following three broad categories:

• those affected;
• those involved in operations; and,
• those who will use the evaluation results.

Then identify key stakeholders needed to improve credibility, implementation, advocacy, or funding/authorization decisions. In the same document and using the list of questions under the “What to Ask Stakeholders” section as a guide, develop a shortlist of questions to use when meeting with your stakeholders. Questions should be relevant, useful, and encourage stakeholder engagement (i.e. open-ended).

• Schedule 1:1 Meetings with Your Instructor

Week 2: Literature Review

Learning Outcomes

• Identify relevant peer-reviewed trustworthy sources and evidence-based research
• Identify key aspects of peer-reviewed journal articles
• Explore health equity implications of research

Learning Activities

• Week 2 Assignment: Literature Review

You will collect and synthesize data on the following characteristics of the public health issue:

• The burden of the issue (how many people does it affect)
• The frequency of the issue (how often does it occur)
• The severity of the issue (how serious is the problem)
• The scope of the issue (the range of outcomes it affects)

Building on your previous literature review in GPH 744, complete the Literature Review Template by adding 7 additional peer-reviewed sources relevant to your public health topic. Add the five sources from your GPH 744 Week 8 Literature Review to the template as well. The template should include a total of 12 relevant sources published no longer than seven years ago.

• 1:1 Meeting with your Instructor

Week 3: Conducting Key Stakeholder Interviews

Learning Outcomes

• Proactively schedule interviews with key stakeholders using appropriate communication channels
• Demonstrate effective communication and interviewing skills to obtain comprehensive information from interviewees
• Establish rapport, maintain focus, and manage time effectively during interviews

Learning Activities

• Week 3 Assignment: Learning Journal Entry 1
  • How has the work you have done thus far impacted your perspective on your topic?
  • How might your approach to your future ILE work need to expand in the future?

Week 4: Logic Model & Evaluation Questions

Learning Outcomes

• Write evaluation questions that focus on the evaluation and inform decisions related to methods and analysis
• Use peer-reviewed literature and stakeholder input to inform decisions about the focus of the evaluation
• Explain the benefits and limitations of outcome (effect) evaluations
• Develop evaluation questions to guide data collection and analysis methodology
• Utilize stakeholder input and existing research to inform program evaluation needs

Learning Activities

• Week 4 Assignment: Logic Model 

Submit a logic model of the program that you are evaluating which visually depicts the inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact. It should include the primary resources and all major activities necessary to implement the program. Use arrows to demonstrate the relationships between specific elements.

• Week 4 Assignment: Evaluation Questions

Submit your 4-7 evaluation questions for review.

Week 5: Background Section Outline

Learning Outcomes

• Discuss the prevalence, impact, and risk factors associated with a public health topic including the relevant social determinants of health
• Identify health disparities among the priority population served by a health promotion program
• Identify the gaps in the existing literature

Learning Activities

• Week 5 Assignment: Background Section Outline

Background Section Outline

Submit a detailed outline of your background section using this template. The sections should address each bullet point briefly. This outline will be expanded later in the course to become the background section of your final evaluation summary report. Remember to include your citations.

I. Introduction

• Define the public health issue in clear and concise terms
• Briefly state the significance of the issue and its impact on population health

II. Etiology and Risk Factors

• Explain the underlying causes of the public health issue
• Identify the key risk factors associated with the issue
• Discuss the interplay between individual, social, and environmental determinants of the issue

III. Epidemiology and Burden of Disease

• Describe the distribution and prevalence of the public health issue in different populations
• Discuss the trends and patterns of the issue over time
• Quantify the impact of the issue in terms of morbidity, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years

IV. Public Health Significance

• Emphasize the importance of addressing the public health issue
• Discuss the potential consequences of inaction or inadequate intervention regarding health equity
• Highlight the economic and social costs associated with the issue

V. Existing Interventions

• Describe a couple of existing interventions that address the public health issue
• Evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of existing approaches
• Discuss the need for further research, development, and implementation of effective interventions

VI. Describe the program you are evaluating

• History of the program
• Who they serve

Week 6: Logistics and Protocols

Learning Outcomes

• Establish protocols for data collection and/or use of existing data

Learning Activities

• Week 6 Assignment: Data Collection Logistics

Complete Worksheet 4B – Data Collection Logistics from the CDC’s Self-Study Guide. Answers should be clear and succinct, providing enough detail so the reader understands how the data will be/was collected and is assured that proper protections are in place to ensure credibility and confidentiality.

Be sure to address issues related to: 

• Permissions
• Data acquisition
• Organization
• Storage 
• Expenses
• Details specific to your type of data collection (e.g. quantitative or qualitative)

If you are collecting quantitative data, include at least 2 dummy tables. For qualitative data collection, include 3 to 5 sample codes and their definitions.

• 1:1 Meeting with your Instructor

Week 7: Methodology

Learning Outcomes

• Develop and implement a data security plan
• Develop an evaluation design to answer evaluation questions around a complex public health issue
• Create an equitable data collection plan that includes respect for participants and considerations related to social determinants of health
• Develop a data analysis plan appropriate for the type of data collected
• Implement strategies to minimize bias and ensure the accuracy and reliability of data collected and analyzed

Learning Activities

• Week 7 Assignment: Outline of Methodology Section – Data Collection & Analysis

Submit a detailed outline of your methodology section, which is essentially your evaluation plan.  The outline should include the following:

Data Collection

• Evaluation design
  • Evaluation questions listed
• Data collection plan 
  • Instrument design
  • Participant criterion
    How do you plan to distribute your instrument or conduct qualitative interviews/focus groups?
• Data storage: Where will the data be stored?
• Data access: Who will have access to the data?
• Data retention: How long will the data be retained?
• Data disposal: How will the data be disposed of when it is no longer needed?

Data Analysis (Remember this is your data analysis process, not your findings)

• Method/s you will use
• Any software programs used for analysis
• Steps to combat evaluator bias
• Limitations
• Dissemination of findings

Week 8: Data Collection Instruments

Learning Outcomes

• Determine which type of data analysis is most appropriate to answer evaluation questions
• Develop an equitable data collection instrument appropriate for the selected evaluation design and priority population
• Formulate clear and concise questions to capture relevant information needed for a program evaluation
• Identify the key components of a data collection instrument
• Integrate asset-framing in data collection instrument design

Learning Activities

• Week 8 Assignment: Data Collection Instruments

Please submit all data collection instruments you developed for your ILE project and will use to collect participant data (surveys, focus group guides, key informant interview guides, etc.).

• Week 8 Assignment: Learning Journal Entry 2

Please answer the following questions.  

• How has your perspective changed regarding the role of key stakeholders in community health and wellness?
• Identify areas where your researcher bias may have entered into the data collection and analysis.
• How might you address those moving forward in your ILE work?

Week 9: Data Collection – Organizing and Cleaning Data

Learning Outcomes

• Examine and apply best practices for data collection, storage, and management
• Describe common obstacles and possible solutions for data collection
• Clean raw data to prepare for analysis
• Maintain data according to appropriate security standards

Week 10: Data Cleaning & Analysis

Learning Outcomes

• Conduct basic analysis of qualitative data
• Identify the pros and cons of the use of qualitative data in program evaluation
• Conduct basic quantitative analysis of evaluation data

Learning Activities

• 1:1 Meeting with your Instructor

Week 11: Findings

Learning Outcomes

• Effectively analyze and interpret data from data collection
• Structure and present findings in a clear, concise, and organized manner
• Convey the significance of findings and their implications for public health practice, policy, and health equity

Learning Activities

• Week 11 Assignment: Outline of Finding Section

Submit an outline of your findings sections using the following template. This is not an all-inclusive outline. This outline is to help organize your thoughts on your findings and is not necessarily the structure of your final finding section. Do not submit charts, graphs, tables, and data visualizations in this template but as you are working through the outline consider where they may better convey your findings in your final evaluation summary report.

I. Introduction

• Very briefly reiterate what you have done thus far. State the main findings of the study

II. Findings by Evaluation Question

• For each evaluation question, present the relevant findings. Use clear and concise language, avoiding technical jargon.

III. Health Equity Considerations

• Discuss how the findings relate to health equity issues among the audience served by the program you are evaluating. Identify any disparities in program effectiveness or outcomes across different population groups. Include assets among the priority population that may increase program effectiveness and reduce health disparities.

IV. Significance and Implications

• Discuss the significance of the findings for public health practice, policy, and research.

V. Limitations

• Acknowledge any limitations of the study, such as limitations in the data collection instrument/s, methods, or analysis Discuss how these limitations may affect the interpretation of the findings. Suggest ways to address these limitations in future research
• Week 11 Assignment: Learning Journal Entry 3

Please answer the following questions: 

• What surprised you about your findings?
• How has your perspective expanded regarding your topic as it relates to the priority population served by the program you are evaluating?

Week 12: Discussion Section

Learning Outcomes

• Identify and address intervention strengths and barriers
• Write a clear and concise discussion section that is supported by evidence from the data
• Synthesize evidence to develop innovative recommendations to address a complex public health issue
• Discuss the role of a health promotion program on health equity among a priority population

Learning Activities

• Week 12 Assignment: Full Draft of Discussion Section

Submit a full draft of the discussion section of your paper, including your conclusion.

Week 13: Submit Draft ILE Project Report

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate the ability to incorporate feedback from faculty and peers
• Produce a well-written, comprehensive, and evidence-based evaluation report that addresses all of the required components
• Discuss the significance of the program on population health and suggest future recommendations
• Identify implications of the findings for improving population health outcomes and reducing health disparities

Learning Activities

• Week 13 Assignment: Full Draft

Submit a full draft of your paper as a Word document, including a title page, and ensure all aspects of your draft are formatted to meet AMA 11th formatting, including page numbers, line spaces, and heading format.

Week 14: Presentation Slides

Learning Outcomes

• Develop a clear and concise presentation
• Create effective visuals to support a presentation
• Refine presentation skills and deliver a polished and professional presentation
• Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue

Learning Activities

• Week 14 Assignment: Submit Presentation Slides

Important things to consider when putting your presentation together:

• Define new /unfamiliar terms upfront
• Demonstrate your understanding of systems thinking, as integrated into the CDC Evaluation Framework, in your presentation
• Include reference to and/or note innovative/new stakeholder insights that influenced your work
• Follow CDC accessibility guidelines
• 1:1 Meeting with your Instructor

Week 15: Submit ILE Project Report and Conduct Oral Presentation

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate the ability to incorporate feedback from faculty and peers to improve the quality of the summary report
• Produce a well-written, comprehensive, and evidence-based evaluation report that addresses all of the required components
• Discuss the significance of the program on population health and suggest future recommendations
• Identify implications of the findings for improving population health outcomes and reducing health disparities
• Critically reflect on public health proficiencies gained throughout the program

Learning Activities

• Week 15 Assignment: Final ILE Project Report
• Week 15 Assignment: Oral Presentation

Week 16: Getting Your Work Out There

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the importance of publishing in reputable academic journals
• Gain the tools and knowledge to navigate the publication process, including identifying appropriate publication venues, crafting compelling manuscripts, and engaging with peer reviewers
• Develop strategies to strategically share work among the broader professional public health community
• Critically reflect on the process of synthesizing knowledge and skills to produce a comprehensive final public health paper

Learning Activities

• Week 16 Discussion: Journal Selection Tools

Initial post:

Watch the video: Using a Journal Selector Tool
Choose a free selection tool and submit the abstract from your final paper to discover a list of academic journals that may be a good fit for your work. Choose one of the journals and in 400-500 words, explain why you chose the journal and what impact you think your work could have if published in that journal.

Peer responses are optional.

• Week 16 Assignment: Learning Journey Entry 4

Please answer the following questions.

• Describe an ah-ha moment you had during the ILE process.
• How has your perspective expanded regarding how public health program effectiveness can be driven by social determinants of health?

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.