Overview
Understanding Public Health introduces you to ways of thinking and perspectives that form the foundations of public health. These include examining the received wisdom of public health from the last 200 years such as different models of health and theoretical frameworks, and critiquing the approaches used in the past. You will be introduced to the social-ecological model of health that forms the basis of community-based and community-led public health. As such, you will consider the different types of leadership required for various approaches to public health practice and consider your own positionality. You will explore the differences between evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence and how these types of evidence can apply to the various approaches in public health. Finally, you will be introduced to strengths-based and disease prevention approaches as they are applied in public health.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2020
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Teaching reflection, team meetings, student feedback
Assessments: too many assessments (6); confusion about formative and summative assessments and first assessment due too early in the term (week 3).
Assessments will be redesigned.
Feedback from Teaching reflection, team meetings, student feedback, broader feedback
Many students had very poor academic writing skills. Critical thinking and reflection were very new concepts. Students were unfamiliar with academic integrity standards of Australian universities.
Generic academic skills will be embedded into teaching in 2020, with the support of the Academic Learning Centre, to help prepare students to undertake Masters Level coursework.
Feedback from Teaching reflection, team meetings, student feedback, broader feedback
Moodle site was difficult to navigate - particularly Gradebook/assessments.
The Moodle site to be redesigned to be more user friendly, particularly the Gradebook/assessment.
Feedback from Team meetings, teaching reflection
In week one many students came to class unprepared and did not know they were supposed to read and listen to the lecture on the Moodle site before attending the tutorial.
During week 1 students will be orientated on how to navigate the Moodle site, submit assessment on the Moodle site, and what support is available.
- Analyse the history of public health and its changing philosophical, theoretical and practice models over the last 200 years
- Critique the ethics associated with different scales and approaches to public health, particularly in relation to First Nations Peoples
- Discuss the impact of a social ecological model of health on public health practice
- Differentiate between transactional and collaborative leadership and the related implications for public health practice
- Reflect on own positionality regarding approach to health practice and relationships with others, especially those from different backgrounds
- Distinguish between practice-based and evidence-based approaches used in public health and relate each to different models of health and approaches to practice
- Justify taking a strengths-based or disease prevention approach to public health practice.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||
| 2 - Group Work - 40% | |||||||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 20% | |||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||||
| 4 - Research | |||||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 2 - Group Work - 40% | ||||||||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 20% | ||||||||
Textbooks
The new public health
Edition: 4th (2015)
Authors: Baum, F
Oxford University Press
Melbourne Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
ISBN: 978-0-19-558808-8
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
Paper and eBook copies are available at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
w.madsen@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to the unit
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Reflecting on past practice
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for reading details
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
History of public health and key milestones of past 200 years
Chapter
Baum (2015), Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Download Workbook
Module/Topic
History of public health: changes in models
Chapter
Baum (2015), Chapter 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Practice implications of medical model of public health
Chapter
Baum (2015), Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Practice implications of community approach to public health
Chapter
See Moodle for readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Social-ecological model of health
Chapter
See Moodle for readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public health ethics: overview
Chapter
See Moodle for readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Allocation into groups for group work assessment
Workbook Due: Week 8 Tuesday (5 May 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Public health ethics: working with First Nations Peoples
Chapter
See Moodle for readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public health leadership
Chapter
See Moodle for readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Strengths-based or disease prevention approaches to public health
Chapter
See Moodle for readings
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Reflecting on future practice
Chapter
See Moodle for reading
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
A workbook has been written for weeks 3-7 that contains learning activities to support tutorial discussions and to develop critical thinking. You need to complete the pre-tutorial activities prior to attending the tutorial (face-to-face or asynchronous on Moodle). Based on the discussions held within the tutorials each week, you are required to write a 200 word critique for submission for grading. That is, while you are required to submit your entire workbook, most of the grading is focused on the critiques at the end of each week.
Week 8 Tuesday (5 May 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Monday (18 May 2020)
There are 3 criteria: 1) how consistent critiques are with the tutorial discussions each week (40%); 2) how logical and cohesive the analysis is in the critiques (40%); and 3) completion of all activities within the workbook (20%).
A detailed breakdown of the marking rubric across all grades is available on the Moodle site.
- Analyse the history of public health and its changing philosophical, theoretical and practice models over the last 200 years
- Discuss the impact of a social ecological model of health on public health practice
- Distinguish between practice-based and evidence-based approaches used in public health and relate each to different models of health and approaches to practice
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
2 Group Work
In weeks 8-11, you will work in small groups to complete a wiki. Each group will have one of four scenarios they will use to complete four pages in their wiki related to: 1) the context of the scenario; 2) the public health ethics associated with the scenario; 3) the potential leadership approaches; and 4) whether a disease-prevention or strengths-based approach is appropriate.
Week 12 Tuesday (2 June 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Monday (15 June 2020)
There are 5 group assessment criteria and one individual criteria associated with this assessment. The group criteria include: 1) how comprehensively and meaningfully the context is outlined (10%); 2) the critique of the public health ethical issues relevant to the scenario (20%); 3) the critique of the leadership issues relevant to the scenario (20%); 3) the critique of the strengths-based or disease-prevention approach relevant to the scenario (20%); and 4) use of and acknowledgement of sources.
The individual criteria (20%) relates to the contributions (instigation of ideas and consistency in contributions) each student makes to the wiki.
A more detailed breakdown of the marking rubric across the grades is available on Moodle.
- Critique the ethics associated with different scales and approaches to public health, particularly in relation to First Nations Peoples
- Differentiate between transactional and collaborative leadership and the related implications for public health practice
- Justify taking a strengths-based or disease prevention approach to public health practice.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
3 Reflective Practice Assignment
Throughout the term, you are encouraged to make a learning log entry each week. You need to select and submit five (5) learning log entries that demonstrate your learning relative to:
1) Your own health practice;
2) Your relationship with others.
While there is no word limit on each learning log entry, your total across the five entries should not exceed 2500 words. You should submit entries from different times in the term.
Review/Exam Week Tuesday (9 June 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Monday (15 June 2020)
There are four assessment criteria for this assessment: 1) the level of critical examination of thoughts and perspectives relative to own health practice (30%); 2) the level of critical examination of thoughts and perspective relative to relationships with others (30%); 3) the use of readings and other literature to deepen reflexivity (30%); and 4) the acknowledgement and number of sources used (10%).
A more detailed breakdown of the marking rubric across the grades is available on Moodle.
- Reflect on own positionality regarding approach to health practice and relationships with others, especially those from different backgrounds
- Communication
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
