Susan M. Radius, PhD, MCHES
Professor & Program Director
Meghan M. Bailey, MS, CHES
Lecturer & Internship Supervisor
Theresa K. Jackson, PhD, MPH, CHES
Public Health Scientist
Army Institute of Public Health
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
National Convention
Session 331
Charlotte, NC
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Susan M. Radius, PhD, MCHES
Meghan M. Bailey, MS, CHES
Theresa K. Jackson, PhD, MPH, CHES

The following personal financial relationships
with commercial interests relevant to this
presentation existed during the past 12
months:
◦ No relationships to disclose
◦ To explore the relationship between students’
academic performance and internship outcomes
◦ To evaluate extent to which students are gaining
exposure to selected NCHEC competencies
◦ To guide recommendations for undergraduate
curricula and internship programs
Health Care in the US
• Evolution of US health care system
• Financing and delivery of health care in US
Curriculum & Planning
• Introduction to program planning in community and school health settings
Instructional Methods in Health Education
• Instructional techniques for community and school health settings
• Techniques emphasize adolescent and adult learners
Organization, Implementation, & Management of Health Education Programs
• Techniques for managing health education programs
• Real world experience in program design
Measurement & Evaluation in Health Education
• Program evaluation methods
• Common data collection and analysis techniques
• Preparation of evaluation reports

Evaluations
◦ Midterm & Final
◦ 53 questions related to
professionalism,
personal attributes,
organization skills, and
communication skills

Two indicators
assigned for each
NCHEC competency
NCHEC Area
Evaluation Indicators
1. Assess needs, assets,
and capacity for health
education
•Access, use, and evaluate reliable health resources
•Uses knowledge of learning styles
2. Plan health education
•Develops goals and objectives prior to beginning project
•Establishes priorities for completion of responsibilities
3. Implement health
education
•Demonstrates teaching skills
•Uses effective and appropriate strategies to meet
objectives
4. Conduct evaluation
and research related to
health education
•Read and interpret research information
•Develops/selects appropriate evaluation plans
5. Administer and
manage health
education
•Grant writing skills
•Participates effectively in groups as a leader
6. Serve as a health
education resource
person
•Knows how and where to refer clients
•Responds appropriately to questions from
clients/students
7. Communicate and
advocate for health and
health education
•Demonstrates promotional and publicity skills
•Demonstrates culture, gender, and racial sensitivity

Cumulative GPA

Majors’ course grades
Internship Evaluation Indicators
Pearson
p-values
II. Develops goals and objectives prior to
beginning project
.215
.015
II. Establishes priorities for completion of
responsibilities
.183
.038
IV. Develops and selects appropriate evaluation .242
plans
.026
V. Participates effectively in groups as a leader
.222
.024
VII. Demonstrates promotional and publicity
skills
.201
.039

No statistically significant associations
Internship Evaluation Indicator
Pearson
p-values
II. Establishes priorities for completion of
responsibilities
.200
.023
II. Develops goals and objectives prior to beginning
project
.180
.042
III. Uses effective and appropriate strategies to meet
objectives
.227
.01
IV. Develops and selects appropriate evaluation plans
.214
.051
IV. Read and interpret research information
.202
.034
V. Participates effectively in groups as a leader
.207
.036
VI. Responds appropriately to questions from clients
and students
.180
.044
VII. Demonstrates promotional and publicity skills
.221
.023
Overall evaluation
.177
.046
Internship Evaluation Indicator
Pearson
p-values
III. Uses effective and appropriate strategies to
meet objectives
.173
.05
IV. Develops and selects appropriate evaluation .222
plans
.043
VII. Demonstrates promotional and publicity
skills
.037
.203
Internship Evaluation Indicator
Pearson
p-values
IV. Develops and selects appropriate evaluation .279
plans
.01
V. Grantwriting skills
.01
-.025
Internship Evaluation Measure
Pearson
p-values
II. Develops goals and objectives prior to
beginning project
.176
.047
II. Establishes priorities for completion of
responsibilities
.246
.005
III. Uses effective and appropriate strategies to
meet objectives
.189
.032
Overall Evaluation
.171
.053
Internship Evaluation Measure
GPA
207
315
425
430
432
II. Develops goals and objectives prior to beginning
project
X
X
X
II. Establishes priorities for completion of
responsibilities
X
X
X
III. Uses effective and appropriate strategies to
meet objectives
IV. Develops and selects appropriate evaluation
plans
X
IV. Read and interpret research information
V. Participates effectively in groups as a leader
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
VI. Responds appropriately to questions from
clients and students
Overall evaluation
X
X
V. Grantwriting skills
VII. Demonstrates promotional and publicity skills
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

I. Access, use, and evaluate reliable health resources

II. Uses knowledge of learning styles

III. Demonstrates teaching skills

VI. Knows how and where to refer clients

VII. Demonstrates culture, gender, and racial sensitivity

Would you consider hiring?

Agency supervisors
◦ Generous evaluators
◦ Biased; self-fulfilling prophecy
◦ Misinterpret evaluation items
◦ Different interpretations of indicators across diverse sites

Students
◦ Self-select placements in areas of strength
◦ Maturity
◦ Self-select major

Faculty
◦ Number of course instructors
◦ Easy vs. more rigorous graders

Courses
◦ Upper-level vs. lower-level abilities
◦ Cumulative GPA includes transferred grades



Not all NCHEC competencies
represented on instrument
Instrument inconsistent in
ability to capture qualities of
interest
Selected NCHEC indicators
may reflect other or >1
competency
Not all courses relate
to success in internship
measures
Not all competencies
relate to success in
courses
Despite quantity of
significant correlations,
no strong correlations
emerged

Professionals & Agencies
◦ Agencies should continue to evaluate transcripts as
part of the hiring process in health education.

Academic Institutions
◦ Professional preparation programs may need to
adapt to address NCHEC competencies in a practical
way.
◦ Internship experiences should complement other
health education experiences – including the
classroom.

Share evaluation with preceptors, faculty colleagues and
students

Consider internship assessment tools that are more reflective
of NCHEC

Cultivate preceptor understanding of program, NCHEC, etc.

Communicate to students that doing well can help to excel as
health educator

Communicate to students that grades are NOT everything

Encourage faculty to incorporate NCHEC-related activities in
coursework
Dr. Susan Radius
Professor and Program Director
sradius@towson.edu
Meghan Bailey
Lecturer
mbailey@towson.edu
Dr. Theresa Jackson
Public Health Scientist
US Army
For more information, please visit:
http://www.towson.edu/healthscience/healthed/internships/