CONCLUSIONES

The review and analysis of the degree and track/concentration competencies resulted in changes in the curricula. Some of the changes were specific to a particular program and others were across several programs in the College. Faculty members defined courses and learning experiences where

competencies would be measured, identified learning objectives, and refined the curricula based on outcomes. For example,

 Faculty in the Exercise & Sport Science program added a 3-credit course (IST 520) to address responsible conduct of research to the doctoral program.

 Faculty in the Public Health programs developed a new course (H 100 Introduction to Public Health) to address the competencies in public health that were introduced as a new requirement for all undergraduate students in non-public health disciplines (see Criterion 2.10). The

competencies are:

a) understand the methods by which public health identifies potential causes of population health status, and identifies potential targets for interventions, and

b) describe the fundamental roles of public health and how those roles are operationalized in public health organizations, funding, workforce, and regulations.

 Faculty in the Public Health programs also developed courses that addressed the competencies in public health that were introduced as a new requirement for all graduate students in non-public health disciplines (see Criteria 2.8 and 2.11). The 2 graduate public health courses are H 523 Foundations of Public Health and H 525 Principles of Epidemiology. The associated competencies are:

a) understand and recognize how human sciences, social and behavioral factors and the environment influence public health (H 523), and

b) understand the fundamental epidemiological methods used in public health practice and research (H 525).

OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences Page 99 2.6.e. Description of the manner in which competencies are developed, used and made available to students.

Development and Use of Competencies. Track and program coordinators led the process whereby program faculty reviewed and revised competencies if they already existed or created them if programs lacked competencies. In Fall 2011, coordinators attended a 4-hour workshop led by a consultant on competency-based education that addressed terminology, implementation, and identification of competencies using resources such as Bloom’s/Dave’s Taxonomy. The Program Coordinators then worked with track and program faculty to generate competencies or revise existing competencies. In some cases the faculty subscribed to competencies that were promulgated by recognized public health organizations such as the Epidemiology faculty who subscribed to the competencies advanced by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologist.

Consensus building was achieved by placing the faculty-generated competencies online and soliciting feedback to an electronic survey from students, faculty and community stakeholders. The survey asked respondents to rate a specific set of competencies on such factors as usefulness in understanding what graduates will be able to do, workforce preparedness of graduates after acquiring the stated

competencies, importance of graduates acquiring the stated competencies, and support for the stated competencies as a whole. Respondents were also provided the opportunity to offer suggestions for further developing individual competencies that were presented, inserting critically important

competencies that were omitted, and sharing any final comments. We received 648 complete responses. These responses represent input from OSU undergraduate students (n=329), OSU graduate students (n=98), OSU faculty (n=76), and community stakeholders including internship preceptors, alumni and employers (n=145). The program coordinators, in conjunction with the faculty, reviewed the feedback and made modifications where appropriate to produce the final competencies.

The competencies are used to

 guide curriculum development and decision-making concerning what constitutes valuable learning experiences, and

 communicate reasonable expectations for a student graduating from a particular program of study.

It is important to note that during the self-study, OSU continues as a member of the OMPH Program that is operating as a single collaborative program until the separation occurs in June 2014. The MPH degree at OSU continues to be accredited under the OMPH Program. Because of the collaborative program, 1) the public health core competencies for the OMPH Program must remain unchanged and identical at all 3 campuses until 2014, 2) the 5 core classes must remain interchangeable at all 3 campuses until 2014, and 3) students will continue to be able to take classes through the intercampus registration process until 2014. Thus, at this time the program faculty members at OSU are unable to revise the core competencies for our MPH Program. After accreditation as a stand-alone College, faculty members plan to review and revise the core competencies for the OSU MPH Program.

Made Available to Students. A number of strategies have been adopted to ensure the competencies are available to students including:

 The competencies are included in the Graduate Student Handbook for each major.

 Links to the competencies are located on the websites that describe the various undergraduate and graduate programs available in the College.

 Each course syllabus includes a uniform resource locator (URL) address that links students to an online portal through which they can locate the competencies associated with a particular degree/major/option, concentration or track (RF C2.A.). Per College policy, the template for

OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences Page 100 designing a course syllabus in the College has been revised to incorporate this URL address as a component of all syllabi utilized in the College.

 The URL address for accessing competencies has been placed on MyDegrees, which is an electronic tool used by undergraduate students for course planning, advising, and degree verification that helps students track their progress while at Oregon State University.

2.6.f. Description of the manner in which the school periodically assesses changing practice or