Course Coordinator: Catherine Chittleborough
Phone: +61 8313 1684
Email: publichealth1a@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace

Learning and Teaching Team
Phone: +61 8313 2128
Email: undergrad_enq@adelaide.edu.au

1	Describe a public health problem and how it is measured using basic epidemiological terminology, and in terms of person, place, and time
2	Evaluate how social determinants and other risk factors for communicable and chronic disease influence personal and population health
3	Identify the major causes of morbidity (sickness) and mortality (deaths) in Australia
4	Calculate basic epidemiological measures and understand their use
5	Evaluate the roles and functions of diverse stakeholders, including government departments and health systems, in defining and responding to public health issues
6	Analyse ethical concerns that arise in the field of public health
7	Identify, critique, synthesise, report and reference appropriate public health literature
8	Participate constructively, as an individual or within groups, in tutorials and practicals

CORE TEXTS
A hard copy of the Public Health 1A Handbook is provided to all students at the beginning of semester one. It is also available on  MyUni.

The Course Reader lists the chapters of the text to be read for each topic and contains additional readings which expand on material in the textbook and frequently form the basis for tutorial discussion. You will need access to this book of readings, either in hard copy or online in MyUni, from the first week of semester.

Hard copies of the Course Reader are moderately priced and available for  purchase from the Image and Copy Centre. You can order and pay for your course reader at the Online Shop, and then pick up your hard copy from the Image and Copy Centre, Level 1 Hughes Building.

The required textbook is: Fleming ML, Parker E. Introduction to Public Health. 3rd ed. Australia. Elsevier; 2015. The second edition of  this text (published in 2012) is an appropriate alternative. There are only a few differences between the second and third edition.  Copies are available from Unibooks, Encompass Books and Ramsay’s Bookstore. All students should obtain a copy of this text. A free,  online version of the second edition of the textbook is available at https://www.clinicalkey.com.au/. Enter “introduction to public  health” into the search on the home page.

Success in studying Public Health, and, indeed, in much university study, depends on reading widely and learning to respond critically   to what you read. A list of recommended resources that will be useful for studying Public Health, in addition to the text book and the  book of readings, will be provided in the course Handbook.

MyUni is the primary entry point to online learning at the University of Adelaide. MyUni provides students and staff with access to  course materials, discussion forums, announcements, and many other features to help manage learning and teaching. You can connect to MyUni on or off campus from an internet-connected computer using a Web browser. The URL is: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/ Login to this resource using your Username and Password. Once logged on to MyUni, you will find the information displayed is customised to present only details relevant to you and the online content for courses that you are studying.

For enquiries, contact MyUni Support https://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/
Phone: (08) 8313 3000
E-mail: helpdesk@adelaide.edu.au
The Helpdesk is available for extended hours during the week or through voicemail.

You will use MyUni for a number of purposes:

· Accessing announcements about changes in scheduling, course information etc. please check MyUni regularly as they contain  important announcements that are relevant to your study in this course.
· Accessing lecture notes as a pdf and, if recording is possible in the allocated lecture theatre, as an audiofile.
· Completing the Maths Diagnostic Test and on-line quizzes.
· Accessing online modules that form part of the lecture and practical series.
· Posting questions. Neither the course coordinator nor the tutors will respond to emails sent to their university email address  containing questions of an academic nature (e.g., about assignments), the answers to which would be of interest to other  students. Such questions must be posted to the Discussion Board. Students are strongly encouraged to provide answers to each  other’s questions on the Discussion Board. The course coordinator and senior tutor will check the Discussion Board to correct any  inaccuracies in the information provided by fellow students. Only questions of a more personal nature such as requests for extension should go directly to the coordinator.
·Submitting written assignments. Two written assignments are to be submitted online into a program called Turnitin. Further  instructions about how to submit assignments to Turnitin will be provided on MyUni closer to the assignment due dates.  

There are a number of teaching and learning modes in this course.

Lectures – The course lectures provide basic factual information and concepts about public health. They introduce key concepts in public health, supported by material in the text book and readings. Many lectures provide opportunity for interaction, discussion and questions. Some online modules will form part of the lecture series.

Practicals – Practical classes provide a problem-oriented investigation of some of the key course concepts and information. In practicals students will apply lecture material, through discussion, problem-solving sessions, videos, debates, exercises etc.

Tutorials – Lectures are supported by interactive tutorials designed to develop and clarify topics covered in lectures. These are  generally problem-solving sessions designed to clarify, discuss and apply public health concepts. Tutorials provide an opportunity to try out your ideas, develop your capacity for critical thinking, and clarify uncertainties, in a supportive environment.

Assessment - Quizzes throughout the semester aid students in monitoring their understanding of specific topics. Assignments provide an opportunity to undertake in depth analysis of some key concepts of the course. Finally, the exam will assess the extent to which students have developed their understanding through the course.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

As a 3-unit course, Public Health IA will require approximately 12 hours of work per week, including attendance at lectures (2 hours),  attendance at a tutorial (1 hour), and attendance at a practical (1 hour). Eight of the 12 hours per week is private study, which is study outside of your regular classes. This workload expectation falls within the University of Adelaide’s guidelines of an overall workload for full-time students of 48 hours per week [CC1] over a 13-week semester, or 156 hours per 3-unit course, regardless of the course duration.

Eight non-contact hours per week should be private study, including:
Pre-reading (including lecture material and pre-class activities such as online modules) - 1 hour
Tutorial tasks – 1 to 2 hours
Completion of assignments and revision - 6 hours

A detailed timetable of classes and assessment tasks will be available in the course Handbook, and on MyUni. The topics covered in
lectures, tutorials and practicals include:

· An introduction to public health

· Sources of information about public health issues

· Chronic conditions, infectious diseases and risk behaviours that are public health issues

· Epidemiological measurement of public health issues using counts, prevalence, incidence, rates and risk

· Surveillance of public health issues

· Determinants of public health issues

· Values and controversy in public health

· Population and high-risk approaches in public health

· Public health and the Australian health system

N/A

SGDE is being implemented in Public Health 1B, Semester 2.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Maths Diagnostic Test	Formative	0%
Assignment 1	Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 6, 7
Assignment 2	Summative	20%	1, 2, 3, 4, 7
Quizzes	Summative	15%	1-4, 6-7
Tutorial participation	Summative	10%	1-8
Exam	Summative	45%	1-7

Attendance and participation at all tutorials is required; 10% of your overall mark is based on the quality of your tutorial participation. Tutorials will extend and apply the material presented in lectures and in the readings. The final exam will test your understanding of tutorial topics, among other things.

All practical material is examinable and you are expected to participate actively. An attendance sheet will be completed every week.  More importantly, the practicals provide an opportunity for you to process and assimilate the material from the lectures and readings, and apply your learning to specific situations. Active participation will not only lead to greater enjoyment and learning, but will  definitely assist you in the exam.

In tutorials and practicals, it is expected that all students contribute to discussion. Public health can be controversial, therefore  opinions may be expressed that are counter to our own. You are expected to be respectful of others' points of view even though they may differ from your own. Each student has the right to hold and express views that are not conventional, provided that they are not personal attacks on individual students and they do not vilify groups of people (i.e. people from different ethnic or religious groups, or those with different sexual preferences).

Maths Diagnostic Test (Formative).
This test comprises approximately 26 questions, and is to be completed online via MyUni. This is a diagnostic tool to help students establish that they have the basic numerical and mathematical skills to continue in this course. Students are directed to  supplementary materials for questions they do not answer correctly. If they do not achieve 50%, they should read this material and retake the test until they do achieve 50% or greater. The purpose of this test is also to initiate contact with the Maths Learning Centre for those students who require additional numeracy support. Staff at the MLC will contact students who achieve  less than 50% to offer support that aims to make the semester easier for students.

Assignment 1 (10%), 700 words.
This written assignment will assess students’ understanding of one of the great public health achievements over the past century  and describe changes that have contributed to improvement in this public health issue. Students will use information from journal articles, published reports, and internet sources, and reference these appropriately.

Assignment 2 (20%), 1700 words.
This written assignment will assess students’ understanding of how public health issues are measured, and students’ ability to  identify, critique, synthesise, report and reference appropriate public health literature and interpret key epidemiologic measures of health and disease.

Quizzes (15%).
Quizzes will comprise mainly multiple choice questions and will be completed online. Some quizzes will be included in online  modules that will form part of some lectures and practicals.

Tutorial participation (10%).
Attendance and participation at all tutorials is required. Tutorials will extend and apply the material presented in lectures and in the readings. The criteria for attendance and participation marks, which will apply from Week 2, are as follows:
1 mark is allocated for attending and actively participating in one tutorial.
If a student is absent, he/she will receive 0 for that tutorial.
Attendance only, without preparation and participation, may receive 0.5 marks for that tutorial.
A tutorial which is not attended but for which the student submits a medical certificate will not be counted for marking.

Exam (45%).
Details will be provided in the final week. All aspects of the course are examinable: lectures, tutorials, practicals, and assignments, the textbook and other readings from the course. The course learning outcomes should be used as a guide for preparing for the  examination. Students will be expected to integrate information and critically analyse public health issues.

Extensions
All extensions for assignments must be requested, at the latest, by the last working day before the due date of submission.   Extensions will generally be granted only on medical or genuine compassionate grounds.  Supporting documentation must be  provided at the time a student requests an extension.  Without documentation, extensions will not be granted.  Late requests for  extension will neither be accepted nor acknowledged.

Only the Course Co-ordinator(s) may grant extensions.

Supporting documentation will be required when requesting an extension. Examples of documents that are acceptable include: a  medical certificate that specifies dates of incapacity, a police report (in the case of lost computers, car & household theft etc.), a  letter from a Student Counsellor, Education and Welfare Officer (EWO) or Disability Liaison Officer that provides an assessment of  compassionate circumstances, or a letter from an independent external counsellor or appropriate professional able to verify the  student’s situation.  The length of any extension granted will take into account the period and severity of any incapacity or impact  on the student.  Extensions of more than 10 days will not be granted except in exceptional circumstances.

Late submission
Marks will be deducted when assignments for which no extension has been granted are handed in late.

All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merits.  In the case of late assignments where no  extension has been granted, 5 percentage points of the total marks possible per day will be deducted.  If an assignment that is 2  days late is awarded 65% on its merits, the mark will then be reduced by 10% (5% per day for 2 days) to 55%.  If that same  assignment is 4 days late, the mark will be reduced by 20% (5% per day for 4 days) to 45%, and so on.

The School of Public Health reserves the right to refuse to accept an assignment that is more than 7 days late.

Assignments submitted after the due date may not be graded in time to be returned on the listed return dates.

Students submitting examinable written work who request (and receive) an extension that takes them beyond the examination  period are advised that there is no guarantee that their grades will be processed in time to meet usual University deadlines.
 
Resubmission
If a student is dissatisfied with an assessment grade they should follow the Student Grievance Resolution Process  <https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/grievance/process/>.  Students who are not satisfied with a particular assessment result should raise their concerns with Course Co-ordinator(s) in the first instance.  This must be done within 10 business days of the  date of notification of the result.  Resubmission of any assignment is subject to the agreement of the Course Co-ordinator(s) and  will only be permitted for the most compelling of reasons.