Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
for Courses Numbered 5000 and Higher
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
Submission guidelines are posted to the GCC Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gcc/index.cfm
1. Course prefix and number:
MPH 6028
2. Date:
11/21/2012
3. Requested action:
X
New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from
to
#
Required
X
#
Elective
4. Method(s) of delivery (check all boxes that apply for both current/proposed and expected
future delivery methods within the next three years):
Current or
Proposed Delivery
Method(s):
X
On-campus (face to face)
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
X
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
5. Justification. Identify the committee or group (e.g., Graduate faculty of the Department of
English) that conducted the assessment of curriculum and student learning. Explain why the
unit wishes to offer or revise the course. Include specific results from the unit assessment that
led to the development or modification of the course. If applicable, cite any accrediting
agency/ies and reference the specific standard/s.
Currently, the Department of Public Health (DPH) does not offer a course in survey
methodology. Since surveys are an important data collection process for both public
health research and surveillance, the DPH Curriculum Committee and faculty support the
development of an elective course devoted to the theories and best practices related to the
conduct of population-based probability surveys, as well as the analysis of data from such
surveys. This course will fill a curriculum gap for training students on use of data,
enhancing their employment marketability at the MPH level, and will be an offering for
PhD Epidemiology program.
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
6. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
MPH 6028. Introduction to Survey Methodology (3) P: MPH 6020, BIOS 7021, or
consent of instructor. Overview of principles and practices of population-based survey
research, including methods, sampling designs, questionnaire development, sources of
error, and analysis of survey data.
7. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
N/A
8. Course credit:
Lecture Hours
3
3
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
Lab
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Studio
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Practicum
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Internship
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
s.h.
3
Total Credit Hours
9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:
20
10. Changes in degree hours of your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
MPH
No changes
11. Affected degrees or academic programs, other than your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
Psychology
Sociology
Have no changes
12. Overlapping or duplication with affected units or programs:
Not applicable
of notification to the affected academic degree programs is
X Documentation
attached.
13. Council for Teacher Education (CTE) approval (for courses affecting teacher education):
X Not applicable
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
s.h.
s.h.
14. University Service-Learning Committee (USLC) approval:
X Not applicable
Applicable and USLC has given their approval.
15. Statements of support:
a. Staff
X Current staff is adequate
Additional staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):
b. Facilities
X Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):
c. Library
X
Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):
d. Unit computer resources
X
Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
e. ITCS resources
X
ITCS resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Software
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
16. Course information (see: Graduate Curriculum and Program Development Manual for
instructions):
a. Textbook(s) and/or readings: author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and
city/state/country. Include ISBN (when applicable).

Groves RM, Fowler FJ, Couper MP, Lepkowski JM, Singer E, Tourangeau R.
2009. Survey Metholology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 9780470465462

Selected readings from research literature, including but not limited to articles
from the American Journal of Public Health and Public Opinion Quarterly.
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012

Examples of data sets that may be used for class analyses include: Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveys and Youth Risk Behavior Surveys.
b. Course objectives for the course (student – centered, behavioral focus)
If this is a 5000-level course that is populated by undergraduate and graduate students,
there must be differentiation in the learning objectives expected.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe components of the survey process and best practices for survey
research,
2. Identify and evaluate survey methods described in public health research and
surveillance literature,
3. Create sampling weights for analysis of data from a two-stage sampling design,
4. Conduct analyses of data from a population-based probability survey, using
appropriate statistical software (e.g., SAS survey procedures),
5. Interpret and evaluate estimates calculated from a population-based probability
survey, and
6. Develop the protocol for a population-based probability survey, including
sampling design and questionnaire.
c. Course topic outline
The list of topics should reflect the stated objectives.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Overview of the survey process
Target populations and sampling frames
Sampling designs (up to two-stage)
Data collection methods
Questionnaire design and question wording
Interviewing using standardized questionnaires
Survey errors
Weighting and data analysis
Hands-on analysis of data from population-based surveys using SAS
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
d. List of course assignments, weighting of each assignment, and grading/evaluation system
for determining a grade
Assignments/Grading
1. Class participation – 10 points/percentage
2. Assignments – 40 points/percentage
3. Quizzes – 20 points/percentage
4. Development of a survey proposal, including sampling design, questionnaire,
interviewer instructions, and data analysis plan – 30 points/percentage
Grading Scale
90-100 points/percentage = A
80-89 points/percentage = B
70-79 points/percentage = C
Below 70 points/percentage = F
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012