PUB HLTH 7083 - Public Health Practicum A (P/T)

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

Students are required to undertake a project whilst placed or employed in an approved public health agency. Day to day supervision will be provided by the agency, and the project must address an issue of public health significance. A logbook of activity must be kept, and the assessment is on the basis of a written project report, oral presentation, logbook entries and the supervisor's report.

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Course Details

Course Code	PUB HLTH 7083
Course	Public Health Practicum A (P/T)
Coordinating Unit	Public Health
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Assessment	Written project report, oral presentation, logbook entries and supervisor's report

Course Staff

Dr Rebecca Tooher
Phone: +61 8313 1316
Email: rebecca.tooher@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace

Learning and Teaching Team
Phone: +61 8313 2128
Email: postgrad_enq@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

1	Identify the roles of public health practitioners within the workplace
2	Articulate their experience in applying public health skills and evidence based practice within the workplace
3	Describe the functions of a specific agency and related professional groups, and the role of the public health practitioner within this context
4	Effectively communicate their increased knowledge of a specific area of public health practice, gained through the negotiation, development and implementation of an appropriate work-based project
5	Demonstrate enhanced skills in communicating concisely and effectively in formats appropriate to the workplace
6	Demonstrate the development of the non-technical skills and knowledge required for effective participation in the workplace
7	Reflect on their practice with a view to life-long honing of workplace interpersonal skills, articulation of professional skills and the active pursuit of professional development

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1-5
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	2-7
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	4-7
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	5-7
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	4-6
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	7
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	1, 3, 4, 6, 7

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Refer to coordinator

Recommended Resources

N/A

Online Learning

N/A

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course provides the opportunity for individually negotiated work integrated learning. In consultation with the course coordinator, the student locates a suitable workplace and supervisor, and negotiates a learning agreement regarding the placement and a proposal regarding a specific project of value to the workplace, to be undertaken during the placement.

Workload

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

The practicum is the equivalent of two 3-unit courses, with a commitment of around 24 hours per week (or part-time equivalent). Attendance at the work place for two to three days per week is expected, with additional research, reading and preparation of reports as required under the learning agreement and project proposal. The full-time practicum may be compressed to allow full time attendance at the workplace if this better suits the student and the workplace. Part-time enrolment allows for a longer placement of fewer hours per week.

Learning Activities Summary

Learning activities are specific to the student and workplace, but the following activities are common to all Practicums.

	Topic	Description
1	Orientation	Orientation to the organisation Explanation of work policies, procedures and expectations Access to resources such as a computer workstation
2	Learning agreement	time and attendance requirements to which the students will be held accountable Specific skills to be developed or knowledge to be gained Opportunities for involvement in a diverse range of organisational activities related to public health proposed dates for meetings to discuss progress and ensure expectations of all parties are being met
3	Project proposal	Selection of a project of value to the organisation, suitable to the skills and anticipated development of the student Methodology, timelines, resources required and available (including consultants)
4	Project implementation	According to the specific requirements of the project, and in ongoing consultation with workplace supervisor and course coordinator
5	Oral Presentation of project results	Select an appropriate audience that maximises the value of the project Make necessary arrangements Design and deliver the presentation
6	Project report	Select a format that maximises value of the project Ensure necessary resources are available Complete according to negotiated timelines

Specific Course Requirements

Student must have the University’s insurance form signed by workplace supervisor and Head of School prior to starting placement and lodge the Learning Agreement (see Handbook) within two weeks are starting the placement. Some workplaces may have specific requirements to be met before placement, for example a police check or OHS&W online course.

Small Group Discovery Experience

N/A

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
Project Proposal	Formative	N/A	1-7
Journal	Summative	10%	1-3, 6, 7
Oral Presentation	Summative	15%	4-6
Learning agreement / Workplace supervisor feedback	Summative	15%	1-7
Project report	Summative	60%	1-7

Assessment Related Requirements

N/A

Assessment Detail

Journal
The journal documents progress towards fulfilment of the learning agreement, including documenting activities undertaken, problems encountered and skills developed, in addition to reflection on the role of the public health practitioner in the specific context, and self-reflection regarding the learning that is occurring and future professional development requirements.

Oral presentation
A brief (15 minute) presentation regarding the results of the workplace project shall be delivered to an appropriate audience: this may be a group within the workplace, a public health (or other) conference, or a group of peers and academics at the University.

Learning agreement/Workplace supervisor report
The learning agreement is individually designed for the perceived learning needs of the student, and the potential provided by the placement, following the guidelines in the Handbook, and signed by the student, workplace supervisor and course coordinator. The workplace supervisor will discuss progress with the student at least once around the midpoint of the placement, and complete the supervisor’s report in consultation with the student.

Project report
The project report may be presented in standard format as per the Handbook (Title page, Executive Summary, Introduction, Background/Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion/Recommendations) or in another format as appropriate to the topic and the workplace (eg training manual, journal article, literature review, website). There is no formal word limit, but the output from the practicum – including the project report – must be in line with a 6 unit postgraduate course. If a standard format is followed, the expectation would be of 8 – 10,000 words.

Submission

The logbook and project report should be submitted directly to the course coordinator by email, in pdf, Word or other standard format, or, if in hard copy, to the administrative officer. The placement supervisor should email their report to the course coordinator.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Grade Descriptors

	High Distinction	Distinction	Credit	Pass	Fail
General description	Outstanding or exceptional work in terms of understanding, interpretation and presentation	A very high standard of work which demonstrates originality and insight	Demonstrates a high level of understanding and presentation and a degree of originality and insight	Satisfies the minimum requirements	Fails to satisfy the minimum requirements
Reading	Strong evidence of independent reading beyond core texts and materials	Evidence of reading beyond core texts and materials	Thorough understanding of core texts and materials	Evidence of having read core texts and materials	Very little evidence of having read any of the core texts and materials
Knowledge of topic	Demonstrates insight, awareness and understanding of deeper and more subtle aspects of the topic. Ability to consider topic in the broader context of the discipline	Evidence of an awareness and understanding of deeper and more subtle aspects of the topic	Sound knowledge of principles and concepts	Knowledge of principles and concepts at least adequate to communicate intelligently in the topic and to serve as a basis for further study	Scant knowledge of principles and concepts
Articulation of argument	Demonstrates imagination or flair. Demonstrates originality and independent thought	Evidence of imagination or flair. Evidence of originality and independent thought	Well-reasoned argument based on broad evidence	Sound argument based on evidence	Very little evidence of ability to construct coherent argument
Analytical and evaluative skills	Highly developed analytical and evaluative skills	Clear evidence of analytical and evaluative skills	Evidence of analytical and evaluative skills	Some evidence of analytical and evaluative skills	Very little evidence of analytical and evaluative skills
Problem solving	Ability to solve very challenging problems	Ability to solve non-routine problems	Ability to use and apply fundamental concepts and skills	Adequate problem-solving skills	Very little evidence of problem-solving skills
Expression and presentation appropriate to the discipline	Highly developed skills in expression and presentation.	Well developed skills in expression and presentation.	Good skills in expression and presentation. Accurate and consistent acknowledgement of sources.	Adequate skills in expression and presentation	Rudimentary skills in expression and presentation. Inaccurate and inconsistent acknowledgement of sources.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator