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HPER 431: Community Health Education Intervention Strategies and Methods
Spring 2010
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Office Hours:
Class Time/Locale:
John J. Brusk, MPH
Adjunct Faculty/Doctoral Associate, College of Education
HPER Offices
john.brusk@wmich.edu
by appointment
Tuesday & Thursday 11:00 – 12:15pm / SRC 3017
Course Purpose
This course is designed to prepare students with skills necessary to implement health education
programs within the context of community health settings. Emphasis will be placed on a
variety of community health education methods and strategies including but not limited to
educational presentation and material development, mass media and media advocacy,
legislative action and involvement, community organization, and working with groups.
Required Text
Bensley, R. J., & Brookins-Fisher, J. (Eds.). (2008). Community health education methods: A
practal guide (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
ISBN-10: 0763755338
ISBN-13: 978-0763755331
Course Requirements
Assignment
Scheduled Presentations
Field Work Experiences
Educational Brochure/Learner Verification
Public Service Announcement
Press Release
Midterm Exam
Legislative and Media Advocacy Project
Final Exam
Assignment Descriptions
Date Due
ongoing
Jan 19 / Feb 2
March 9
March 11
March 11
March 18
April 20
April 26
Total Points
10
20
30
10
10
40
30
50
200
1. Presentations: Students will present work on both individual and group assignments several
times throughout the term. The purpose of this assignment is to provide the opportunity for
students to practice oral communication skills.
2. Educational Brochure: ach student will design and develop a computer-generated educational
brochure on a health topic or program. The contents of the brochure must be designed
specifically for a health education agency and should be based on information obtained from
the agency. A readability index and learner verification test must be turned in with the
brochure. The same agency should be used for the brochure, public service announcement, and
press release assignments.
3. Public Service Announcement (PSA): A PSA will be written to correspond to a health
awareness announcement. Students are to base the PSA on an issue associated with the
previously selected agency and topic.
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4. Press Release: Students are to write a press release based on an event or issue associated
with the previously selected agency and topic.
5. Field Work: The purpose of these field related assignments is to ensure students have a
“sampling” of practical community health experiences. For the first field work assignment,
students will select a partner and prepare a short presentation on the following question:
“What should the priority of the WMU Health Promotion and Education Office in terms of how
they expend their available resources”. You and your partner will present a 5 minute response
during the following class period. For the second field work assignment, each student is
required to participate/attend at least one of the following community health activities: health
fair, coalition meeting, professional association meeting, professional workgroup meeting,
professional presentation, one one-on-one interview with a health educator, or a governing
board meeting. Students will informally share with the entire class what they learned from the
experience. Students should select an activity from an agency they would like to continue
working with for the remainder of the semester.
6. Legislative and Media Advocacy Project: This assignment is a group project and will consist
of student groups of no more than three. Each group will develop a media advocacy campaign
that centers on a current legislative issue. Methods for influencing legislators must be the
central focus of this project. A final group grade will be determined based on the applicability
and creativity of the advocacy campaign in relation to the legislative issue and the contribution
of group members.
7. Exams: The midterm will be a take-home exam. Topics and chapters covered in class will be
covered by the exam. The final exam will cover the topics presented during the second half of
the semester and will not be a take home exam.
Grading
Grade
A
BA
B
CB
C
DC
D
E
Points
190-200
180-189
170-179
160-169
150-159
140-149
130-139
129 or less
Miscellaneous
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
If you have been tested for or suspect that you have a learning disorder (e.g., dyslexia),
please see me to make any adjustments necessary for examinations, etc.
If you miss any class period, it is your responsibility to get notes from another student
and to see me regarding materials handed out during the class period.
Make-up examinations will be in essay format. If a missed examination or assignment is
not prearranged, a 25% late penalty per day will be deducted.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please call me or come see me during
my office hours and I will help you as much as possible.
A student must be passing the class with a C or better in order to receive an incomplete
(I) grade.
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6.
7.
8.
Students absent during group project days will lose 1 point per day from their individual
project grade.
For all assignments and examinations, points will be deducted for spelling errors,
grammatical errors, and poor quality.
Students are responsible for adhering to all aspects covered within the
“Student Rights and Responsibilities” section, particularly that addressing
“Academic Honesty,” contained within the WMU Undergraduate Catalog.
Please refer to that section of the catalog if you are not already completely
familiar with it.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Formulate and employ a wide range of educational methods and techniques.
2. Assess individual learning styles.
3. Assess individual literacy.
4. Assess the learning environment.
5. Apply individual or group process methods as appropriate to given learning situations.
6. Select methods that best facilitate practice of program objectives.
7. Analyze learner and community characteristics, legal aspects, feasibility, and other
considerations influencing choices among methods.
8. Critically analyze technologies, methods, and media for their acceptability to diverse groups.
9. Identify existing sources of health-related databases.
10. Analyze the role of health educator as liaison between program staff and outside groups
and organizations.
11. Organize and facilitate groups, coalitions, and partnerships.
12. Stimulate development of cooperation among personnel responsible for community health
education programs.
13. Develop plans for promoting collaborative efforts among health agencies and organizations
with mutual interests.
14. Access principal on-line and other database health information resources.
15. Assemble educational material of value to the health of individuals and community groups.
16. Apply communication theory and principles in the development of health education
materials.
17. Evaluate the worth and applicability of resource materials for given audiences.
18. Compare different methods for distributing educational materials.
19. Evaluate the state-of-the-art of health education.
20. Describe major responsibilities of the health educator in the practice of health education.
21. Employ a wide range of strategies for dealing with controversial health issues.
22. Analyze social, cultural, demographic, and political factors that influence decision makers.
23. Utilize a wide range of techniques for communicating health and health education
information.
24. Demonstrate proficiency in communicating health and health education needs.
25. Demonstrate both proficiency and accuracy in oral and written presentations.
26. Use culturally sensitive communication methods and techniques.
27. Apply community organization and ecology models and theory to promote community
health.
28. Investigate avenues for influencing legislative initiatives.
29. Design and employ effective media and legislative advocacy concepts for influencing
legislation.
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30. Facilitate emerging group processes.
31. Design and conduct focus group strategies for assessing health attitudes and needs.
32. Coordinate and facilitate meetings.
33. Develop strategies for empowering community health.
34. Analyze community social capital and determine how it can be used in disease prevention
efforts.
Course Topics
Unit I: Introduction to Community Health Methods
A. The community health setting
1. health education settings
2. what does a health educator do?
B. Types of community health methods
1. educational presentations
2. educational materials
3. mass media
4. media advocacy
5. legislative action and involvement
6. working with groups
7. policy and legislation
Unit II: Educational Methods
A. Application of learning theory principles
1. general principles of learning and behavioral change
2. special populations
3. self-directed learning
B. Learning/teaching styles
1. Learner characteristics
2. Learning styles
3. Teaching styles
C. Types of instructional programs
1. awareness
2. prevention
3. support group
4. behavior change
5. in-service training
D. Presentation skills
E. Printed educational materials
1. types of printed materials
2. readability and learner verification
3. posters, displays, and bulletin boards
4. pamphlets, brochures, and flyers
5. newsletters
Unit III: Health Marketing and Mass Media Methods
A. Marketing and public relations
B. Working with radio and television
1. public service announcements (PSAs)
2. interview/talk shows
C. Working with the press
1. press conference
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2. press release
3. newspaper interviews
D. Media advocacy
Unit IV: Community Organization and Structure
A. The community health setting
B. Theories and models of community organization
C. Social capital
D. Assessing community needs
E. Asset mapping
F. Building partnerships
G. Consultative relationships
C. Community empowerment
Unit V: Legislative Action and Involvement
A. Legislative framework
B. Influencing legislators
1. education of population
2. group lobbying
3. letter-writing campaigns
4. media advocacy
C. Action alerts
Unit VI: Working With Groups
A. Serving on coalitions
1. coalition building
2. coalition management
3. coalition outcomes
B. Facilitating meetings
1. preparing an agenda
2. meeting formats
3. time management issues
4. working with controversial issues
C. Working within a group
1. group cohesiveness
2. differentiation in groups
3. developing group effectiveness
a. membership
b. sub-grouping
c. confrontation
d. individual differentiation
e. collaboration
4. group problem solving
D. Facilitating support groups
1. group behavioral change theories
2. establishing a client-facilitator relationship
3. listening skills
4. ethical standards
Unit VII: Technology Tools
A. Internet-based learning modules
B. Internet-based PSAs and press releases
C. Email communication
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Class Schedule
Week
Tuesday
Thursday
1
1/12 – Introduction (chapters 1 – 3)
1/14 – Field Work I – Practicing
Presentation Skills with Peers
2
1/19 – Presentation Skills and Methods
(chapters 7 & 8) – Field Work I DUE
1/21 – Presentation Skills and Methods
(chapters 7 & 8)
3
1/26 – Agency Selection / Community Health
Experience
1/28 – Field Work II – Agency Selection
4
2/2 – Community Health Experience /
Printed Materials – Overview (chapter 9) –
Field Work II DUE
2/4 – Printed Materials – graphic design /
brochure development / learner verification
(chapter 9)
5
2/9 – Social Marketing (chapter 5)
2/11 – Health Communication and Tailoring
Messages (chapter 4)
6
2/16 – Working with Media – PSAs (chapter
10)
2/18 – Working with Media – Press release /
press kit (chapter 10)
7
2/23 – WORK DAY
2/25 – WORK DAY
8
3/2 – Spring Break (NO CLASS)
3/4 – Spring Break (NO CLASS)
9
3/9 – BROCHURE DUE / PRESENT
BROCHURES / Working with Media –
Reporters & Interviews
3/11 – Social Capital – PSA & PRESS
RELEASE DUE / PRESENT
10
3/16 – Legislative Issues (chapter 13) /
Midterm Exam Review
3/18 – Midterm Exam
11
3/23 – Review Results to Midterm Exam /
Legislative and media advocacy (chapters 13
& 14)
3/25 – Legislation and media advocacy
(chapters 13 & 14)
12
3/30 – Working with groups – Group process
(chapter 11)
4/1 - Working with groups – coalition building
(chapter 12)
13
4/6 - Working with groups – Facilitating
meetings (chapter 11)
4/8 – Working with groups – Facilitating
support groups (chapter 6)
14
4/13 – Technology tools
4/15 – Technology tools
15
4/20 – LEGISLATIVE AND MEDIA
ADVOCACY PROJECT DUE /
PRESENTATION
4/22 – Final Exam Review
FINAL
EXAM
Monday
April 26 – 8:00-10:00AM