2.3.a. Identification of the means by which the school assures that all professional degree students have a broad understanding of the areas of knowledge basic to public health. If this means is common across the school, it need be described only once. If it varies by degree or specialty area, sufficient information must be provided to assess compliance by each program. The College of Public Health (College) ensures that students have a broad understanding of basic public health knowledge in several ways. First, all Master of Public Health (MPH) Program students, regardless of concentration area, are required to take the seven core courses. These courses have been reviewed by faculty and the former MPH Instructional Programs Committee to assess the means and extent to which they address the five areas of knowledge basic to public health and are aligned with the core public health competencies.
Table 2.3.a.1. Areas of Knowledge Addressed by Core MPH Courses
CEPH Basic Area of Knowledge UNMC MPH Core Course
Biostatistics CPH 506 Biostatistics I
Epidemiology CPH 504 Epidemiology: Theory and Application Environmental Health Sciences CPH 503 Public Health, Environment, and Society Health Services Administration CPH 502 Health Services Administration
Table 2.3.a.2. MPH Core Courses with Course Descriptions
MPH Core Course Course Description
CPH 506 Biostatistics I (Biostatistics concentration students take CPH 516 instead of CPH 506.)
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to understand and apply biostatistical methods needed in the design and analysis of biomedical and public health investigations. The major topics to be covered include types of data, descriptive statistics and plots, theoretical distributions, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, and one-way analysis of variance. A brief introduction to correlation and univariate linear regression will also be given. The course is intended for graduate students and health professionals interested in the design and analysis of biomedical or public health studies.
CPH 504 Epidemiology: Theory and Applications
The objective of the course is to understand the application of survey and research methodology in epidemiology, especially in the community setting. Theoretical aspects will be taught as an integral part of understanding the techniques of study design and community survey. Concepts to be covered include measure of disease occurrence, measures of disease risk, study design, assessment of alternative explanations for data based findings and methods of testing or limiting alternatives. Students will be expected to address an epidemiological question of interest to them, first developing the hypothesis, doing a literature search, then developing a study design and writing in several stages, a brief proposal for the study.
CPH 503 Public Health, Environment and Society
The purpose of this course is to introduce the students to environmental factors including biological, physical and chemical factors, which affect the health of a community. The main focus of the course will be the effects of exposures that have been associated with human health and environmental problems in the Midwest, specifically water and air pollutants related to animal feeding operations, arsenic in ground water, pesticides, lead and radiation. The effects of global warming, ergonomic problems in the meat packing industry and occupational and environmental problems in health care will also be discussed.
CPH 502 Health Services Administration
This course is designed to be an introduction to the management of health services organizations and systems in the United States. Specifically, this course will introduce students to the types of health services organizations and health systems in the United States, the context surrounding the administration of these
organizations and delivery of health care services, and the skills needed to manage a health services organization within this setting.
CPH 501
Health Behavior The purpose of this course is to study the theoretical foundations of health behavior. Students will develop an understanding of the determinants of health behavior, the models and theories that provide a framework for predicting health behavior, and the strategies employed to bring about behavioral changes for health and disease prevention in individuals and group.
CPH 500 Foundations of Public Health
This is an introductory survey course, which will ensure that all MPH students, within their first full year of study, are exposed to the fundamental concepts and theories which provide the basis for the body of knowledge in the field of public health. This course will prepare students to work in public health with a sound theoretical, conceptual and historical basis for their work.
CPH 505 Applied Research in Public Health (Biostatiistics concentration students take CPH 517 instead of CPH 505.)
This course will assist students to develop the basic skills to conduct applied research to address contemporary problems in public health. The course will emphasize proposal writing, data collection, research design, statistical analysis, computer application, and writing of research reports. Unique problems associated with data collection in public health settings such as public health departments, neighborhood health centers, and community based organizations will be addressed. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs will be explored. Considerable emphasis is placed on evaluation of public health research published in scholarly publications. A research proposal/capstone service-learning proposal is written as one of the course requirements.
Table 2.3.a.2. MPH Core Courses with Course Descriptions
MPH Core Course Course Description
CPH 516 Biostatistical Methods I (for Biostatistics Concentration)
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to understand and apply biostatistical methods needed in the design and analysis of biomedical and public health investigations. The major topics to be covered include types of data, descriptive statistics and plots, theoretical distributions, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, non-parametric methods, and one-way analysis of variance. A brief introduction to correlation and univariate linear regression will also be given. Interpretation of subsequent analysis results will be stressed. Concepts will be explored using the biomedical and public health literature, class exercises, exams, and a data analysis project. Statistical analysis software, SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.), will be used to implement analysis methods.
CPH 517
Design of Medical Health Studies (Biostatistics Concentration)
This course is designed to prepare students to understand and apply principles and methods in the design of biomedical and public health studies, with a particular emphasis on randomized, controlled clinical trials. The major design topics to be covered include sample selection, selecting a comparison group, eliminating bias, need for and processes of randomization, reducing variability, choosing endpoints, intent-to-treat analyses, sample size justification, adherence issues, longitudinal follow-up, interim monitoring, research ethics, and non-inferiority and equivalence hypotheses. Data collection and measurement issues also will be discussed. Communication of design approaches and interpretation of subsequent analysis results also will be stressed. Concepts will be explored through critical review of the biomedical and public health literature, class exercises and a research proposal.
The MPH program is competency-based. All courses in the five core knowledge areas were established by the MPH Instructional Programs Committee in collaboration with course faculty. Competencies were later established for newly developed courses, Foundations of Public Health and Applied Research in Public Health. Overall assessment of core competencies was completed in 2007 and 2010, based on a three-year review cycle. Assessment of coverage consisted of instructors indicating whether each competency pertaining to their course received “major emphasis” or “minor emphasis,” or was “not addressed.” The 2010 compiled
assessment was reviewed by the College Curriculum Committee to reveal any gaps in
competency coverage. The Director of Master’s Programs and course instructors collaborated on syllabus revision.
Additionally, any new course development or substantive change to an existing course requires a review of the competencies addressed by that particular course. Core and concentration courses are evaluated each semester by students enrolled in the course. Course surveys are sent to the course faculty, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the College. Department Chairs conduct an annual review of faculty, including an emphasis on teaching evaluations. Results of the review are sent to the College Dean.
Faculty utilize an array of educational methods to ensure that students receive a firm grounding in the five core areas of public health. These methods include case studies, individual projects, group projects, database analysis, individual and group presentations, research papers, guest speakers, community fieldwork, midterm and final exams, lecture, and small group and general class discussion.
Lastly, employers of MPH graduates are surveyed annually to assess how well graduates demonstrate their mastery of competencies on the job. The Curriculum Committee reviews the surveys, and items that are apparently lacking are addressed with instructors.
Academic performance in course work is an indicator of how well students gain knowledge. MPH students must maintain an overall grade point average of at least a B (3.00) in their program of study. As emphasized in the Academic Standing Policy and at new student orientation, no grade lower than a B minus is acceptable in a core course, and no more than one grade of C is acceptable in concentration or elective courses for an MPH student. This policy is intended to help ensure that students maintain high academic standards in their course of study and acquire a broad understanding of the knowledge basic to public health. As noted in Table 2.7.b.1., the grade point averages (GPAs) for current students is well above 3.00. The Academic Standing Policy is included as Appendix 2.3.a. and is also available in the College of Public Health Student Handbook
(http://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/docs/coph_student_handbook.pdf). The Academic Standing Policy as it applies to PhD and MS students may be found at the Office of Graduate Studies
website (http://app1.unmc.edu/gradstudies/index.cfm).
The MPH Program, in keeping with the mission to prepare students from Nebraska and the surrounding region, strives to offer its core and concentration courses in a format that can be accessible to working professionals outside the Omaha metropolitan area. The program recognizes that offering distance education is important in order to make the program more accessible to students in remote areas who may want to stay and practice within their communities.
Students in the MPH Program who access core and concentration course work via a distance format do not experience a different model or course format than students in the face-to-face classroom. See Table 2.3.a.3., below, for a description of the distance delivery modalities used in the MPH Program.
Table 2.3.a.3. Distance Delivery Modalities
Distance Delivery Modality Description
IP (Internet Protocol)
Videoconferencing A real time video/audio class or meeting between two or more users or between two or more locations. Videoconferencing for educational applications (classes) are full motion video and complete audio in real time. The University of Nebraska distance learning system connects the four main campuses and several University facilities through the state. Primary locations are UNMC, UN- Lincoln, UNO, UN at Kearney, and Scottsbluff.
Live Video Streaming Audio and video is streamed live in real time anywhere to student(s) who have a broadband Internet connection and a computer system with Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Real Player, or Quick Time installed. The student is given access to the video stream and will hear and see the class as if physically present in the classroom. The video and audio are both one-way. For instructor – student interaction . the instructor connects by telephone via a telephone bridge or the Web Conferencing option. The live video stream ends when the class concludes and is not saved.
Archived Video Streaming The class is digitally recorded for retrieval at a later time. The recording can be accessed within 24 hours directly from a folder in the instructor's Blackboard course or from the ITS Video Services video storage server. Through the Blackboard course, the class recording can be made available for the length of the semester, or for as long as the instructor wants it saved. The archived streams saved on ITS Video Service’s server can be accessed through the Codian VCR immediately following the conclusion of the class or event via a web browser. Archived class sessions are generally available for the semester. Students who want to access archived streams need to have a high speed Internet connection, Internet Explorer, and either Windows Media Player or Quick Time. The video stream will be one-way audio and video. Students access the archived video frequently to review lectures they may have missed or wish to watch again.
Blackboard Blackboard is a Web-based course-management system designed to allow students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online or use online materials and activities to complement face-to-face teaching. Blackboard enables instructors to provide students with course materials, discussion boards, virtual chat, online quizzes, an academic resource center, and more. The degree to which Blackboard is used in a course varies. For example, instructors may supplement an on-campus class by putting their syllabus and handouts on their course sites. In contrast, other courses may be conducted entirely through Blackboard, without any on-campus sessions.
2.3.b. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met. This criterion is met.
Strengths
• The MPH Program operates under the NU requirements for contact hours per credit hour, as
well as the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) requirements.
• Competencies are rigorously developed and assessed from a variety of sources, including
the College faculty. The faculty approve the final list of competencies, which is reviewed and revised as the curriculum requires.
• The faculty provide an array of learning opportunities for students to apply theory and
practice.
Challenges
• Attaining a reasonable number of competencies, but not so many that they do not become
unwieldy and cumbersome to manage, is a challenge.
• Assessment is an intensive but valuable process.
• It is a challenge to maintain awareness among faculty of the need for and importance of a
competency-based curriculum.
• A universal challenge in public health education is the ability to evaluate competencies that
are not of a cognitive nature. The Curriculum Committee and the faculty have been engaged in dialogue to ensure a more comprehensive approach to student evaluation to include affective and psychomotor (action) domains.
Opportunities
• Having competencies in place for some time allows us to develop alternative mechanisms to
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2.4. Practical Skills. All professional degree students must develop skills in basic public