This document provides the syllabus for an introductory epidemiology course offered online through the University of South Florida's College of Public Health. The 3-credit course introduces epidemiologic concepts and methods used to study the distribution and determinants of health in populations. It will be taught through online modules, assignments, and exams. The instructor is Dr. Kathleen O'Rourke and teaching assistants are also listed. The required textbook and learning objectives/competencies are outlined, as well as the assessment strategies including exams, assignments, and activities. Grading policies and the scale are defined.
This document provides the syllabus for an introductory epidemiology course offered online through the University of South Florida's College of Public Health. The 3-credit course introduces epidemiologic concepts and methods used to study the distribution and determinants of health in populations. It will be taught through online modules, assignments, and exams. The instructor is Dr. Kathleen O'Rourke and teaching assistants are also listed. The required textbook and learning objectives/competencies are outlined, as well as the assessment strategies including exams, assignments, and activities. Grading policies and the scale are defined.
This document provides the syllabus for an introductory epidemiology course offered online through the University of South Florida's College of Public Health. The 3-credit course introduces epidemiologic concepts and methods used to study the distribution and determinants of health in populations. It will be taught through online modules, assignments, and exams. The instructor is Dr. Kathleen O'Rourke and teaching assistants are also listed. The required textbook and learning objectives/competencies are outlined, as well as the assessment strategies including exams, assignments, and activities. Grading policies and the scale are defined.
This document provides the syllabus for an introductory epidemiology course offered online through the University of South Florida's College of Public Health. The 3-credit course introduces epidemiologic concepts and methods used to study the distribution and determinants of health in populations. It will be taught through online modules, assignments, and exams. The instructor is Dr. Kathleen O'Rourke and teaching assistants are also listed. The required textbook and learning objectives/competencies are outlined, as well as the assessment strategies including exams, assignments, and activities. Grading policies and the scale are defined.
This course is an introduction to epidemiologic concepts and methods used
to evaluate the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations.
Credit hours:
Pre-Requisites:
None
Co-Requisites:
N/A
Location:
online
Instructor Information:
Instructor
Name:
Office Location:
EPB 2108, MDC 56
Office Hours:
Wednesday 2-4pm
Phone:
(813)974-3240
E-mail:
korourke@health.usf.edu
Preferred Contact Method:
Teaching Assistant Information:
Syllabus
Dr. Kathleen ORourke,
Ph.D.,M.P.H.
Reply Policy: TA 1
Communicate first via e-mail
Only use the health.usf email address above. Do not send to mail.usf email address. Emails sent to mail.usf address will not be answered. Within 72 hours TA 2 TA 3
Malinee Neelamegam COPH 2116
Office/mailing address
Fridays 11am-12noon
Office hours
mneelame@health.usf.edu
Email address
Only use the health.usf
email address above. Do not send to mail.usf email
e-mail
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida
Required Materials:
Recommended Materials:
Course Format:
Syllabus
address. Emails sent to
mail.usf address will not be answered. 24 hours weekdays 24 hours weekdays 48 to 72 hours weekend Required Text book: 1.Aschengrau A & Seage GR. Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health. Third Edition (2013). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003.
Optional Exercise book:
1. Oleckno, William A. Essential Epidemiology, Principles and Applications. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc., 2002. 2. Gordis, L. Epidemiology, 5th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders: http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/pdf/HSC_GradTextbook_OrderForm. pdf Web-based; computer-aided instruction; weekly units; exercises and assignments. Individual and group assignments, online office hours
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida Learning Objectives: (Objectives must be numbered)
1. Describe the history of epidemiology and its contributions to public health;
2. Develop a population-based perspective of disease and other health-related events; 3. Recognize ethical issues in epidemiologic research; 4. Identify the need for data-based research on diverse cultural groups; 5. Learn the methodology used to study the distribution and determinants of health-related events in 6. populations; 7. Discern the differences between experimental and observational study designs; 8. Calculate and interpret measures of health status and measures of association; 9. Distinguish between association and causation. Describe the criteria used to evaluate causal 10. associations; 11. Apply the basic methodology related to the design and conduct of observational and experimental 12. epidemiologic studies; 13. Recognize the roles of chance, bias and confounding in the interpretation of epidemiologic results; 14. Explain the difference between confounding and effect-modification; 15. Systematically begin to critically evaluate the epidemiologic literature; 16. Discern the basics of the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Outline the methodology to investigate 17. an epidemic outbreak and techniques for disease surveillance; 18. Acquire the basic skills of applied epidemiologic techniques in screening for disease control.
Syllabus
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida Assessment Strategies: (Strategies must be numbered) 1.Exams (2) 2. Practice Activities a. Assignments b. Group activities c. Quizzes d. Individual activities 3. Occasional extra point activities
Each module has a document identifying all the components of the module. In general, students should do the pre-activities at the start of a module. There are a variety of materials available for you to use, including interactive lectures, textbook readings, non-graded practice activities, optional videos, and module quizzes. Collectively these materials will allow you to understand the class materials. If at any time, you are having difficulty understanding the materials, please contact the TAs. You should complete all the module activities before taking the quiz.
The majority of modules last a week but several of them have an extended time period to allow you to complete all the materials. The first weeks due dates are extended to allow for add/drop but the initial discussion post MUST be done by Thursday at 5:00 as it is used to measure First Day of Attendance. Students not completing this assignment will be dropped from the class, and it is a pain to get back in.
Also please sign into a group as soon as possible. The students who tend to sign into groups late also tend to be the poorest contributors so if you wait until we assign you to a group, you will likely be in a group of low performers. Be advised!!
Due dates are listed in Canvas. Exams have an extended time period of availability so we expect you can complete them during that time. Those who leave exams until the last minute and then cannot complete them will get little sympathy and consideration. Students not fulfilling group projects in a timely manner will get even less sympathy. You have a responsibility to your group and we take that very seriously.
Late assignments: All quizzes, group discussion posts, and exams must be completed by the due date. In valid special circumstances, with the instructors permission, late submissions of assignments must be made
Syllabus
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida NO LATER THAN 5 DAYS after the due date on canvas and will be subjected to a 25% grade deduction.
Syllabus
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida
This course meets the following MPH Core Competencies.
Learning Objectives
Competency
Assessment Strategies
1.a Apply the study of patterns of death, disease, and disability to the prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) of health issues
2,14
1,2,3
2. Apply public health ethical principles.
1,2,3
1,2,5,6,7,8,10, 11,13
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
5,7,9
1,2,3
This course meets the following MSPH Core competencies.
1. Critically evaluate scholarly research in public health in terms of scientific rigor, appropriate use of methods and measures, and contribution to science. 2. Apply the study of patterns of death, disease, and disability to the prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) of health issues. 3. Apply ethical principles guiding the conduct of research on human subjects This course meets the following MHA Core competencies. A.5. Build analytic thinking acumen.
Syllabus
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida
Grading Scale and Criteria:
Grading Policies:
Grading Events: At the end of the course, each student will have an Average Score, which is obtained by summing the number of points earned on each grading event, (e.g. initial exam, exam II, and practical activities) and then dividing by the total number of points possible in the course. The number of points possible for each grading event is listed below (Table 1). A letter grade will then be determined according to Table 2 below for a given Average Score. Table 1. Points possible for each grading event Grading Exam 1 Exam 2 Final Assignments event Take & Quizzes & Home Rate this Unit Project Surveys Points 40 40 30 275 Total points possible = 385 points Table 2: Grading Scale A B C D F 90-100% 80 - <89% 70-79% 60-69% <60% >347 308-346 270-307 231-269 <231 Practice Activities/Assignments Practice activities will include various assignments and quizzes relevant to practice of epidemiological concepts. These activities will include practice of real life epidemiological issues, practice of concepts learned in each module and quizzes based on important topics. For specific activities for each week please check Canvas. It is expected that all activities will be completed by the due date. Where necessary, peer activities will also include a peer assessment of the other students. Exams The two exams are online (see table above for number of points possible in each exam and the Canvas for dates). See policies regarding administration of examinations. The second exam will be cumulative (i.e., includes material from the entire course). Students are welcome to use a calculator during examinations. All examinations are to be solely the work of the student. All exams are open book. Exams will last last 3 hours. Students must be aware that they are responsible for entering the exam during the open period with sufficient time to complete the exam before the submission deadline. For example, Exams 1 allows 3 hours for completion and should be entered no later than 3 hours before the submission deadline to have the full 3 hours available to complete the exam. Students who enter later will only have the time from entry until the submission deadline to complete the exam. [For example, when the submission deadline is 11:59 PM EST; students must enter no later than 9:59 PM EST]. The instructors reserve the right to re-examine any student either orally or in writing should an issue of academic misconduct arise related to any course grading event.
Syllabus
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will be given only under special circumstances such as documented illnesses or emergencies. If you need to change the time you take any exam, you MUST notify the professor in charge of that segment at least 24 hours before the exam. Students are required to provide appropriate documentation, which will be determined acceptable by the instructor, before being allowed to take any make-up exam. If you miss any exams, you must notify the Professors by e-mail no later than by noon of the Friday that follows. Exams that are missed because of lack of reading instructions or other events that are not considered of an urgent nature cannot be retaken and will receive a score of zero. Extra credit opportunities: Throughout the course there will be several extra credit opportunities. Specific activities related to extra credit will be described in lectures and in assignments. Students are responsible to read lectures and assignments carefully and submit extra-credit assignments in timely manner. COURSE POLICIES Online Attendance & Participation:
Permission to Use Lectures:
Changes to syllabus
Instructor Expectations:
Incomplete Policy:
Syllabus
Students are strongly urged to review all lectures, complete reading
assignments and to attend review complete practice activities. Be sure you carefully monitor the due dates. See Institutional Policies section for Emergency Preparedness for Academic Continuity. All unauthorized recordings of class are prohibited. Recordings that accommodate individual student needs must be approved in advance and may be used for personal use during the semester only; redistribution is prohibited. The Professors of this course do not allow students to download lectures or save them for use after the semester is over. This syllabus may be changed or amended due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event of a university closure, alterations in course content and/or structure may be necessary and any changes will be conveyed via CANVAS. Students are expected to use netiquette when accessing the Discussion boards. Netiquette guidelines: http://eta.health.usf.edu/publichealth/standards/syllabus/Online_Netiquette.pdf Course Assistance: For questions related to course content- students can either post to the content forum located on the discussion board, or contact the TAs via email through the CANVAS course website. You MUST sign all emails! [Do NOT use your personal email account to send emails to TAs. Use your .health account]. If an email regarding course content is sent to the instructor, it will immediately be forwarded to the TA, which will slow down the response time. For questions related to changes in exam dates, or problems regarding confidentiality, contact the professor in charge (Dr. ORourke). See the COPH policy: http://publichealth.usf.edu/academicaffairs/academic_procedures.html
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida Schedule Change Policy:
Any changes to the course schedule will be posted on Canvas..
STUDENT RESOURCES Library Resources:
USF Library: http://www.lib.usf.edu/
Shimberg Health Sciences Library: http://library.hsc.usf.edu/ Shimberg Health Sciences Library Tutorials: http://guides.lib.usf.edu/instructional_links (follow links under Instructional Services section)
Turnitin: http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/submitting-a-paper Using Turnitin in Canvas: http://guides.instructure.com/s/2204/m/4212/l/64908how-do-i-submit-a-turnitin-assignment
Using a virtual desktop, remotely access to the College of Public Health Computer Labs for a specialized list of software packages. For directions on how to access these resources visit: https://documents.health.usf.edu/display/UHID/How+to+Access+the+COPH+Virtu al+Computer+Labs+Remotely Browse the USF Application Gateway (apps.usf.edu) where there are over 40 different software applications to use, just by logging in with your USF netID. For more info, http://www.usf.edu/it/class-prep/downloads.aspx
Syllabus
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College of Public Health
University of South Florida Accommodations:
Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with
Students with Disabilities Services to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give reasonable notice prior to requesting an accommodation. For more information, visit: http://www.usf.edu/sds
Course Calendar
Students are strongly urged to review all lectures, complete all exercises and complete all reading assignments. Students are responsible for downloading assigned journal articles at the Shimberg Health Sciences Library. (Check previous page under Additional Resources>Library Resources). Students must complete required readings, and are strongly urged to work with their wiki group. These additional resources provide an opportunity to further discuss concepts and practice methods that are discussed in lectures and texts. We have found that students can enhance their learning opportunities when they belong to study groups that meet (virtually or in-person) regularly throughout the semester. For specific weekly readings, assignments, quizzes and due date. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date Module Schedule Aug 22-29, 2016
Module 1 Introduction to Epidemiology
Note: (some assignments due in the next week to allow for add drop) 1) Vaccination assignment 2) Introduction post 3) Quiz 1
Aug 28-Sept 4, 2016
Module 2: Disease Frequency
1) Pre-quiz (need to complete to open the module) 2) High Risk Assignment 3) Quiz 2
INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES The most recent version of the Institutional Policies information can be found on the Academic Affairs Forms page at http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/forms.html (Summer 2012)
