Course Title: Course Number: PHCO 0505 Course Location: Health Education and Behavioral Science in Public Health School of Public Health, Newark, SSB Course Date & Time: Course Instructor: Tuesdays, 5:30PM to 8:30PM Diane R. Brown, PhD, Professor Health Education and Behavioral Science, SPH- 743 SSB Phone: 973 972 4383 (NWK) Phone: 732 235 2866 (PISC) browndi@sph.rutgers.edu Office Hours: Teaching Assistant: HEBS Secretary: By Appointment Tobe Erike Email: Tce15@sph.rutgers.edu Phone: 516-301-8994 Markeeta Watts 732 235 9725 wattsmm@sph/rutgers.edu Course Description: The primary purpose of this course is to introduce MPH students to the concepts, principles, and methods of health education and behavioral science. Health education is introduced as one of the core public health functions, together with professional roles and requirements of health educators. The course reviews the practice of health education/health promotion, including the theories of health behavior change, methods of needs assessment, setting goals and objectives, program planning and implementation, and evaluation. Students will be required to perform tasks frequently requested of health educators, and will be introduced to nationally endorsed competencies of certified health education specialists. Selected Department Competencies Addressed: Each Department identifies competencies for each degree offered. The competencies addressed in this course provide competences for the MPH and the doctoral degrees in the Department of Health Education and Behavioral Science. These competences are to: Assess and delineate health education and promotion needs of diverse populations using various strategies. Design and evaluate health education and promotions in diverse settings. Evaluate health education and promotion materials and methods. Page 1
Describe and apply health education models and theories used in public health programs Please visit the Department webpages on the School of Public Health s website at http://sph.rutgers.edu/ for additional competencies addressed by this course for other degrees and departments. Course Objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1. Articulate the role of health education/health promotion in addressing public health problems. 2. Describe the role of health education agencies and critical stakeholders in the public health systems framework 3. Identify and apply basic health behavior theories and models to developing health education programs. 4. Undertake methods of needs assessment and understand their importance in various populations 5. Describe methods for effectively planning and implementing health education programs 6. Critically assess written health education materials 7. Broadly apply methods for evidence-based program evaluation. Course Requirements and Grading: 1. Active Class Participation and Assignments 15% 2. Health Educator Job Advertisement Analysis 5% 3. Mid-term Exam 30% 4. Critique of Health Education Materials 5% 5. Program plan 20% 6. Final Exam 25% 100% Course Requirements Specified 1. Attendance/Participation/Assignments. Students are expected to attend class and participate fully in class activities, particularly the review and discussion of articles. Attendance will be taken at each class. Homework assignments are to be turned in on time and will be documented. Page 2
***It is required that all students complete the web based training entitled Orientation to Public Health. Students must turn in their certificate by the end of the semester; this will count towards your class participation. The course can be found at: http://www.phtc-online.org/learning/pages/catalog/oph/ 2. Health Educator Job Advertisement Analysis. Locate a job announcement for a health educator. Compare the job/skills competency requirements listed in the advertisement with the skills/competencies outlined by CHES for MPH graduates in Health Education and Behavioral Science. Are the advertisement skills consistent with CHES competencies? Why or why not? What is missing from the advertisement in terms of CHES competencies that you believe should be listed? Your response should be about one page. DUE FEBRUARY 17 th. 3. Midterm Examination. A midterm examination will be based on readings and lecture materials. It will consist of multiple choice, short answer and essay exam questions. 4. Critique of Health Education Materials. Choose a health topic and population of interest to you. Select and evaluate at least two written health education materials (brochure, website, flier, etc.) using an outline provided in class and in the reading material. Apply the SMOG test and note its implications. Be prepared to talk about the analysis in class. DUE APRIL 7th 5. Program Plan Students will work in a group to prepare a health promotion project that covers the description of the health issue and the population, objectives of program, needs assessment activities, implementation, and evaluation. Students are encouraged to select topic and population early and to develop aspects of their program plan as these are covered in class. There will be a formal PowerPoint presentation required for this assignment. The presentation of the program plan is scheduled for APRIL 28 th. 6. Final Examination. A final examination will be based on readings and lectures presented in the second half of the semester. It will not be comprehensive. Assignment Standards: 1. Lateness. Assignments turned in after the official collection period is considered late. Unless the instructor and student come to an arrangement at least one week before class, there is a 1% point penalty for written work turned in late. Page 3
Assignments are collected at the beginning of class. If you need to turn in something after the date due, please discuss it with the instructor to avoid point penalty. 2. Grammar/Spelling. If more than 8 gross punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors occur in the written assignments, they will be returned with no grade. These can be resubmitted within one week with a 5% penalty or the student can accept a failing grade. There is a formal policy on plagiarism in the college catalog that will be the policy for the class. 3. Citations. Preferred citation style for references in written assignments will be American Psychological Association (APA). Please use this APA citation style for electronic references. 4. Course Materials. Students are responsible and will be held accountable for all assignments and materials given out during missed classes Text and Readings: Required reading materials will include a combination of chapter texts, articles, websites and other pertinent sources. The required text is listed below. Other readings will be assigned and made available to students. Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer; 6th edition; James F. McKenzie, Brad L. Neiger, Rosemary Thackeray; Pearson; 2014 Although homework assignments are generally reviewed in class, students should log into Moodle weekly to check their assignments, obtain reading and resource materials. Assignments will be posted in Moodle at least a week in advance and handouts from class lectures will be posted after the class. http://moodle.rutgers.edu Additional/Supplemental Readings/Resources: will be assigned and listed in Moodle. Page 4
Course Schedule: Date Topic Readings and Assignments 1/20/2014 Course Introduction and overview 1/27/2014 Public Health Foundations Whatispublichealth.org - flash presentation What is Public Health chapter - Moodle Healthy People 2020 - Moodle 2/03/2014 Health Education and Health Educators McKenzie Chap. 1 Potvin article: Integrating Social Theory into Public Health Practice 2/10/2014 Role of Theory in Health Behavior change McKenzie - Chap. 7 Behavioral Change Theory: Intrapersonal NCI: Theory at a Glance JOB ADVERTISEMENT ASSIGNMENT DUE 2/17/2014 Behavioral Change Theory: Interpersonal McKenzie - Chap. 7 2/24/2014 Behavior Change Theory: Multilevel McKenzie - Chap. 3 Models for Program Planning Page 5
3/03/2014 Ascertaining Needs McKenzie- Chap. 4 Cultural Competency 3/10/2014 Midterm Exam 3/17/2014 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS 3/24/2014 Social Marketing McKenzie - Chaps. 3 & 11 Health Education Materials 3/31/2014 Goals and Objectives McKenzie - Chap. 6 HEALTH ED. MATERIAL CRITIQUE DUE 4/07/2014 Program Planning and McKenzie- Chap. 2 Implementation McKenzie - Chap. 12 4/14/2014 Evaluation McKenzie - Chaps. 13-14 4/21/2014 Group presentation-program plans 4/28/2014 Final Exam LAST DAY TO SUBMIT ORIENTATION TO PUBLIC HEALTH CERTIFICATE Page 6
School of Public Health Honor Code: The School of Public Health Honor Code is found in the student bulletin (sph.rutgers.edu/academics/catalog/index.html ). Each student bears a fundamental responsibility for maintaining academic integrity and intellectual honesty in his or her graduate work. For example, all students are expected to observe the generally accepted principles of scholarly work, to submit their own rather than another s work, to refrain from falsifying data, and to refrain from receiving and/or giving aid on examinations or other assigned work requiring independent effort. In submitting written material, the writer takes full responsibility for the work as a whole and implies that, except as properly noted by use of quotation marks, footnotes, etc., both the ideas and the works used are his or her own. In addition to maintaining personal academic integrity, each student is expected to contribute to the academic integrity of the school community by not facilitating inappropriate use of her/his own work by others and by reporting acts of academic dishonesty by others to an appropriate school authority. It should be clearly understood that plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and can lead to sanctions up to and including separation from the Rutgers School of Public Health. Policy Concerning Use of Recording Devices and Other Electronic Communications Systems: When personally owned communication/recording devices are used by students to record lectures and/or classroom lessons, such use must be authorized by the faculty member or instructor who must give either oral or written permission prior to the start of the semester and identify restrictions, if any, on the use of mobile communications or recording devices. Page 7