Claremont Graduate University
Master of Public Health Program
CGH 307: Public Health Capstone
Fall 2012
Facilitator:
Darleen Peterson, PhD, MPH, MCHES
675 W. Foothill Blvd., 2nd Floor
Claremont, CA 91771
Phone: (818) 621-7222 (cell)
Fax: (818) 952-2915
E-mail: darleen.peterson@cgu.edu
Description
The main purpose of the Capstone is to provide the culminating, integrative curricular experience for
students enrolled in Claremont Graduate University’s Master of Public Health program during their last
semester prior to graduation. As such, the course draws on students’ prior training in the five core areas
of public health (i.e., Social and Behavioral Science, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Services and
Environmental and Occupational Health), their additional required course work in Health Promotion,
Education & Evaluation, Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Leadership and Management and
their “real world” experience gained in the field prior to their graduation. More than just providing a
review of the MPH curriculum, however, the Capstone is designed to challenge students to reflect and
integrate their training and experience with the goal of developing their own individual point of view
regarding the role of public health in contributing to the improvement of the health and well being of
populations in the United States, as well as abroad.
Objectives
Because the Capstone course pulls together the training students have received in all their prior
coursework and field experience, it provides the opportunity to round out the development of the full
set of competencies viewed as essential for masters-prepared graduates in public health. As such, this
course is structured to accomplish four objectives:
1. Provide students with a means of self-assessment, indicating how core and concentrationspecific competencies were achieved, through master’s courses and fieldwork, community
service, and paid work experience
2. Demonstrate to the graduate faculty that students have attained a basic knowledge base and
skill set within the core public health areas
3. Provide information that will be used by the Council on Education in Public Health to assess the
curriculum’s effectiveness in providing students with the opportunities necessary to become
competent in the core public health areas and in specialized areas
4. Offer a means whereby students can market themselves to potential employers, showcasing
their professional development, accomplishments and abilities.
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Requirement 1: The MPH Portfolio
The capstone serves as the culminating experience for the MPH program. In order to complete the
culminating experience, students submit a portfolio that becomes the property of the program. The
portfolio is a compendium of documents that demonstrate accomplishments during the MPH degree
program in the School of Community and Global Health. It contains a collection of work that exhibits
students’ efforts, progress, achievements, reflections and self-assessment in one or more areas. The
portfolio tracks and collects in one location many of the materials produced during the master’s
coursework. Thus, the portfolio ties together courses, fieldwork, volunteer, and paid work experience
with specific core competencies of the MPH program.
Portfolio development is a process that allows students to collect, select, reflect, build on and showcase
their work and experiences through the entire degree program. The portfolio requirement allows
students to review the general public health competencies and the competencies in their specific field of
concentration. Students will reflect on how they attained these competencies through a combination
of coursework, fieldwork, employment, community service, and other experiences. Students will also
evaluate their fieldwork experiences, and identify general and specialization competencies that were
enhanced during this experience. The materials in this section will help develop and maintain the
portfolio that is submitted during the capstone course. The portfolio consists of academic, professional
and service accomplishments and may include major course projects, reports, presentations,
publications and other samples of work that is completed. The portfolio provides concrete evidence of
your learning in graduate school and provides you with writing samples and other examples of your
skills to share with potential employers.
Contents of the Portfolio
Purchase a large, sturdy 3-ring binder. Divide the binder into the key sections listed below. It will also be
useful to maintain a set of electronic versions of these documents, including scans of hard copy
material. Below is a list of contents and the percentages they are worth.
1. Title page (N/A%)
This page contains general information about the student.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Full name
Contact information (address, phone, e-mail, fax)
Area of specialization (track): HPEE, ABE, or LM
Date matriculated into the program
Advisor’s name
Capstone faculty member name
2. Table of contents (N/A%)
3. Professional Mission Statement and Goals (5%)
a. Mission Statement
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Compose a paragraph describing who you are in terms of your aspirations, characteristics and
guiding principles. Think about what the meaning of public health is for you and your role as a
public health professional – in other words, demonstrate your commitment to the field.
b. Goals
List at least three statements concerning what you hope to achieve professionally in the short
and long-term and how the MPH degree will help you fulfill your goals.
4. Resume (10%)
Minimum requirements include:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Name
Contact information
Education completed
Public health and other relevant work experience (in chronological order)
Honors and awards (chronological order)
Special skills
5. Experience in Public Health (10%)
This section provides documentation and evidence of commitment and experience in the field of public
health. While the extent of student’s experience in public health activities may vary; some minimum
requirements should be verified.
Required
a. Certification of Human Subjects Protections Training from NIH (go to
http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php). Include a copy of your training certificate.
b. Identification and description of at least one professional conference you have attended.
c. Evidence of membership in at least one professional public health organization. Include a copy
of your membership card or joining letter from the association.
If applicable
d. A chronological list of any paid public health experiences you have had. Include dates, agency
name & address, your supervisor’s name, credentials & title, your title and responsibilities. Also
include a brief description of you activities/responsibilities.
e. Description of any leadership positions you have held. Examples may include serving as an
officer within a student association, professional association or board.
f.
Identification and description of at least one professional conference you have attended.
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6. Core competencies (25%)
The core competencies describe what a fully-prepared graduate of our program should be able to do.
The core competencies have been selected by the faculty. They are covered in the core courses, and are
linked to specific learning objectives in each core course. As the MPH core competencies are
interdisciplinary, many of them are covered in the concentration courses, as well. This section of the
portfolio provides documentation and evidence of competence in the 10 core competencies required to
graduate from our program. Note: If you have substituted any courses within the MPH curriculum with
courses in other programs, concentrations or directed research units, please include a copy of the syllabi.
MPH Core Competencies, adopted from Council of Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, 2009
ID #
MPH 1
Domain(Skills)
Analytic /Assessment
MPH 2
MPH 3
Policy Development/Program Planning
Communication
MPH 4
Cultural Competency
MPH 5
Community Dimensions of Practice
MPH 6
Basic Public Health Sciences
MPH 7
MPH 8
Financial Planning/Management
MPH 9
MPH 10
Leadership & Systems Thinking
Competency
Assess the health status of populations and their related
determinants of health and illness (e.g., factors contributing
to health promotion and disease prevention, availability and
use of health services).
Develop a plan to implement policy and programs.
Communicate in writing and orally, in person, and through
electronic means with linguistic and cultural proficiency.
Consider the role of cultural, social and behavioral factors in
the accessibility, availability, acceptability and delivery of
public health services.
Describe the role of governmental and non-governmental
organizations in the delivery of community health services
Apply the basic public health sciences (including, but not
limited to biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health
sciences, health services administration, and social and
behavioral health sciences) to public health policies and
programs.
Conduct a comprehensive review of scientific evidence
related to a public health issue, concern or intervention.
Interpret the organizational structures, functions, and
authorities of local, state, and federal public health agencies
for public health program management
Prepare proposals for funding from external sources.
Incorporate ethical standards of practice as the basis of all
interactions with organizations, communities and individuals
In your portfolio, each competency will contain its own matrix. To illustrate, the matrix for core
competency #1 appears below.
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Competency #1: Assess the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and
illness (e.g., factors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention, availability and use of
health services).
List the course/s that
helped you attain the
competency.*
List the corresponding course
Explain. Provide a description with
learning objectives that helped you specific examples that demonstrates
achieve the competency.**
how you achieved each competency.
* There is no limit on how many courses you may list. For each course, provide course number, name, semester and year.
**Objectives appear on the course syllabus.
***If the same assignment fulfills more than one competency, simply reference the competency number in subsequent entries.
Please include copies of your assignment indicating which part(s) addressed the competency.
7. Concentration-specific competencies (20%)
The program offers graduate degrees in four concentrations: Health Promotion, Education and
Evaluation, Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Leadership and Management. Each
concentration, in turn, has its own competencies. These concentration-specific competencies specify the
skills graduates in a specific area should have upon in order to receive the MPH degree. This section of
the portfolio provides documentation and evidence of competence in your specific track. Note: If you
have substituted any courses within the MPH curriculum with courses in other programs, concentrations
or directed research units, please include a copy of the syllabi.
Each of your concentration-specific competencies will contain its own matrix. For example, the matrix
for competency #1 in the Health Promotion, Education and Evaluation appears below.
Competency #1
Assess individual and community needs for health education.
List the course/s that
helped you attain the
competency.*
List the course learning
objectives that helped you
achieve the competency.**
Explain. Provide a description with
specific examples that demonstrates how
you achieved each competency.
* There is no limit on how many courses you may list. For each course, provide course number, name, semester and year.
**Objectives appear on the course syllabus.
***If the same assignment fulfills more than one competency, simply reference the competency number in subsequent entries.
Please include copies of your assignment indicating which part(s) addressed the competency.
Competencies by Specialty Area, adopted from NCHEC & ASPH
Specialty Area
Health Promotion,
Education & Evaluation
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ID #
HPEE 1
Competency
Assess individual and community needs for health education.
HPEE 2
HPEE 3
HPEE 4
HPEE 5
Plan health education strategies, interventions and programs.
Implement health education strategies, interventions and programs.
Conduct evaluation and research related to health education.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs.
Competencies by Specialty Area, adopted from NCHEC & ASPH
Specialty Area
Applied Biostatistics &
Epidemiology
ID #
HPEE 6
HPEE 7
ABE 1
ABE 2
ABE 3
ABE 4
ABE 5
ABE 6
ABE 7
ABE 8
ABE 9
ABE 10
Leadership &
Management
LM 1
LM 2
LM 3
LM 4
LM 5
LM 6
LM 7
LM 8
LM 9
LM 10
LM 11
LM 12
LM 13
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Competency
Serve as a health education research person.
Communicate and advocate for health and health education.
Describe the roles that epidemiology and biostatistics serve in the discipline
of public health, and be able to describe a public health problem in terms of
magnitude, people, time, and place.
Apply proper terminology and definitions used in biostatistics and
epidemiology
Identify key sources of data for biostatistical and epidemiologic studies.
Apply appropriate measurement scales, concepts of probability, random
variation, and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
Apply descriptive techniques and commonly used inferential statistical
methods to summarize public health data.
Describe preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical
methods when assumptions are not met.
Explain the importance of biostatistics and epidemiology for informing
scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues.
Comprehend ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection,
maintenance, use and dissemination of data and other epidemiological
information.
Interpret, articulate, and critique results of statistical and epidemiological
analyses found in public health studies.
Develop written and oral presentation based on epidemiological students and
statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay
audiences, and prepare manuscripts for the peer-reviewed literature.
Describe the attributes of leadership in public health.
Describe alternative strategies for collaboration and partnership among
organizations, focused on public health goals.
Demonstrate team building, negotiation, and conflict management skills.
Articulate an achievable mission, set of core values, and vision.
Engage in dialogue and learning from others to advance public health goals.
Demonstrate transparency, integrity, and honesty in all actions.
Use collaborative methods for achieving organizational and community
health goals.
Apply social justice and human rights principles when addressing community
needs.
Develop strategies to motivate others for collaborative problem solving,
decisionmaking, and evaluation.
Apply the principles of program planning, development, budgeting,
management and evaluation in organizational and community initiatives.
Apply quality and performance improvement concepts to address
organizational performance issue.
Apply "systems thinking" for resolving organizational problems.
Demonstrate leadership skills for building partnerships.
8. Community service (5%)
This section provides documentation and evidence of community involvement and service outside of the
academic environment.
a. List a minimum of two examples of community involvement while a student in the MPH
program. State the organization and dates of service.
b. Provide a brief description of your activities and two-three sentences reflection on your
involvement and how it may relate to the field of public health.
9. Fieldwork (15%)
This section provides documentation and evidence of the student as a reflective public health
practitioner. Fieldwork includes aspects of your participation in a supervised field training experience.
Minimum requirements include:
a. List of fieldwork placement(s). Provide the dates of placement, preceptor (name, credentials,
title), your responsibilities, and a description of tangible products of the fieldwork experience.
b. Thoughts about your fieldwork experiences, including:
i.
Reflections on the extent to which your course work at CGU prepared you for
the fieldwork experience.
ii.
Reflections on the quality of on-site supervision you received during your
fieldwork. Was someone generally available to answer your questions and
provide feedback (even if you didn’t seek it)? Discuss the usefulness and value
of the feedback you received.
iii.
Reflections on the overall quality of the fieldwork. Were there particular skills,
knowledge or lessons that you acquired unexpectedly? Explain. Was the
fieldwork a good educational experience – why or why not? How did it provide
you with a better sense of the skills needed for employment in the profession?
Discuss recommendations for improving your fieldwork experience. What were
the most valuable lessons you learned? Explain why you would or would not
recommend that other students conduct fieldwork with the same department
or agency.
c. Include a copy of your Supervised Field Training poster presentation emanating from your
fieldwork experience. (PowerPoint slides are acceptable.)
10. Final Reflective Statement (5%)
At the end of this process, you should have a thorough understanding of what you gained through the
pursuit of your graduate degree in public health. Use this section to summarize your overall level of
experience in the MPH program. Reference growth that may have occurred both in and out of the
program requirements (e.g., required MPH coursework versus involvement in professional organizations
and service).
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Requirement 2: Final Paper
Each student will develop a scholarly paper based upon those projects undertaken as part of the
supervised field training experience. The final paper provides another opportunity for the student to
identify the manner in which core and concentration specific competencies were mastered. The paper
shall be no less than 20 pages (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) excluding graphs, charts,
etc and is expected to include the following content:
1. Introduction (25%)
a. Specific aims
-What are the specific objectives of the work? Who will benefit from it?
b. Problem statement
-What is the significance, magnitude, and importance of the public health issue in the
local and national context?
c. Review of science knowledge, evidence, experience and justification of the motivation
for your approach.
-Search published information sources to convey the breadth of knowledge of the subject
area, the historical and theoretical contexts of the work and how successfully similar
work has been undertaken. Include references in APA or AMA format.
d. Local background
-Historical, demographic, epidemiologic, and organizational context in which this work is
being conducted
2. Methods/Project Activities (25%)
a. Description of the approach and steps used to achieve your aims (e.g., needs
assessment, policy analysis, epidemiological analysis, financial management, program
planning, evaluation, curriculum development, etc)
b. Description of any data analysis or evaluation that was involved (i.e., selection of
subjects, data collection and analysis)
c. Discuss stakeholder involvement, if applicable
3. Results of the Project (25%)
a. What was accomplished?
-Provide a description/summary of the products/activities you produced or were
responsible for.
b. Appropriate use of tables, charts and other graphics to illustrate results
4. Discussion and Reflection (25%)
a. Impact/effect of this work on the community
b. Implications of your work for (1) the agency and (2) practice/research in the larger field
of public health
c. Strengths and weakness of your work
d. What would you have done differently knowing what you know now?
e. Recommendations for future projects
f. Core and concentration competencies that were strengthen
g. How did this experience compare with your expectations and goals?
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Grading
The portfolio and paper are weighted equally. Students will be given a grade of Satisfactory (S) or
Unsatisfactory (U). Quality of work must reflect a “B” or better (80% out of 100%) to receive a
satisfactory mark. Both the portfolio and final paper are graded by a faculty committee comprised of
the Program Director the student’s concentration Director using a standardized rubric.
Faculty have developed procedures for remediating less than satisfactory performance on the capstone
experience. Students will receive an individual assignment crafted by their concentration director and
the MPH program director. Questions will be devised based upon those competencies that were not
met. Students will be given a written exam, which will be graded by both faculty members. Any
unsatisfactory responses will be addressed in an oral examination. Students have one opportunity to
pass the individual assignment.
Due Dates
The final paper and all portfolio contents must be submitted to the instructor in at the Claremont
Administrative offices by 5:00 p.m. according to the following schedule:
Semester
Spring 2012
Summer 2012
Fall 2012
2012 Due Dates
May 7
August 22
December 10
Students failing to meet these deadlines in the semester in which they register for CGH 307 will receive
a grade of Incomplete (IN) for the semester. The IN will be removed once all deliverables have been
received. Students have one calendar year from registration in CGH 307 to complete the course
requirements.
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Grading Rubric for Capstone Projects
Instructions to Reviewer: Score the portfolio and final paper, according to the provided standards, by placing your
score for each criterion in the “Score” column (3=effective, 2=acceptable, 1=unsatisfactory). Avoid using pluses,
minuses, or other non-integer scores. Use the space in the “Comments” column to note specific items for praise or
improvement.
Portfolio Requirement
Level
Criterion Dimension
(3)
Effective
Addresses all
requirements
completely and
thoughtfully
(2)
Acceptable
Addresses most
requirements
completely and
thoughtfully
(1)
Unsatisfactory
Addresses few
requirements
completely and
thoughtfully
____Content Choice
Samples shows
student progress
towards meeting
competencies
Samples shows some
student progress
towards meeting
competencies
Random selection
choice
____Organization/Presentation
Very few grammar
and punctuation
errors; layout is
easy to navigate
Some grammar and
punctuation errors;
layout is sometimes
confusing to navigate
Several grammar
and punctuation
errors; layout is
difficult to navigate
____Personal Reflection
Accurate
evaluation of
experience in
terms of strengths
and weaknesses
Somewhat superficial
evaluation of experience
in terms of strengths
and weaknesses
Lackluster interest
in experience
____ Total Score
Use the space below for additional comments.
____Quality of Content
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Comments
Final Paper Requirement
Criterion
Dimension
____Organization
____Scholarship
(3)
Effective
__Highly logical
Level
(2)
Acceptable
__Generally
logical
Ideas Connected
__Tightly Linked
__Linked
__Not consistently
linked
Transitions Clear
__Smooth and
highly effective
transitions
__Clear &
effective
__Some unclear &
ineffective
Introductions &
Conclusions
Related
__Highly
effective to the
whole
__Well related
to the whole
__Vaguely or
unrelated to the
whole
Public Health
Issue & Specific
Aims Connected
__Insightfully
linked to the
state of the
field
__Linked to the
state of the
field
__Not well placed in
context of the state
of the field
__Insightfully
supported by
evidence
__Supported by
evidence
__Lacking evidence
__Highly
objective
__Objective
__Subjective
__Fully
acknowledged
& integrated
with results
__Some parts
are
acknowledged
& integrated
with results
__Course concepts
are largely ignored
or misinterpreted
Data Selection
Effective
__Effectively
represents
findings
__Partially
represents
findings
__Does not
accurately
represent findings
Data Format
Effective
__Highly
effective
choices
__Generally
appropriate
choices
__Inappropriate
choices
__Extremely
clear & selfexplanatory
__Highly
__Somewhat
clear
Aspect
Overall Logical
Organization
Assertions
Supported
Interpretations
of Findings
Objective
Incorporates
Relevant Course
Concepts
____Data
Presentation
Data
Presentations
Clear
____Style &
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Sentence
__Generally
(1) Unsatisfactory
Comments
__Frequently not
logical
__Generally difficult
to follow
__Highly ineffective
Criterion
Dimension
Mechanics
____ Total Score
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Aspect
Structure
Effective
(3)
Effective
effective
Level
(2)
Acceptable
effective
(1) Unsatisfactory
Comments
Punctuation,
Spelling,
Grammar
__Free of errors
__Minimal
errors
__Several errors
Paragraphs
Logical &
Connected
__Highly logical
__Generally
logical
__Ideas and
statements are
often disorganized
Journal Style
Guidelines
Consistent
__Highly
consistent
__Consistent
__Inconsistent
Overall Writing
__Highly
__Fairly concise
Concise
concise
Use the space below for additional comments.
__Verbose