PHARM 7016EX - Public Health Issues and Approaches to Addiction

External - Trimester 2 - 2015

This course/module provides an introduction to basic concepts and research methods in Public Health and Epidemiology as they relate to the study of addictions, as well as an in-depth consideration of the personal, social, economic, and cultural burdens/costs associated with drug and alcohol abuse and dependence. Individual and community-based risk and protective factors related to addictions and primary and secondary prevention efforts aimed at reducing the addictions-related public health burden are also a focus. An online lecture format featuring presentations by leading researchers and policymakers in the field of addictions will be used, along with readings, online discussions, and writing assignments. The aim is to: (1) gain a greater understanding of the enormous costs of addictions at every level of society; and (2) introduce students to some of the current thinking and programs related to the primary and secondary prevention of addictions.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHARM 7016EX
Course	Public Health Issues and Approaches to Addiction
Coordinating Unit	Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology
Term	Trimester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	External
Units	4
Contact	Online
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Available to M.SciAddictSt, GradCert & GradDip in International Addiction Studies students only
Assessment	Assignment, discussion board participation and exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Femke Buisman-Pijlman

This course is taught by Associate Professor from Virginia Commonwealth University (USA).

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Schedule
Week 1	Topic 1 / Assignment 1
Week 2	Topic 2
Week 3	Topic 3 / Assignment 2
Week 4	Topic 4
Week 5	Topic 5
Week 6	Topic 6 / Assignment 3
Week 7	Topic 7
Week 8	Topic 8 / Assignment 4
Week 9	Topic 9
Week 10	Topic 10
Week 11	Exam

Please find above an example of the timetable; for the actual dates please refer to the course handbook.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Understand basic concepts of public health and epidemiology.
2	Demonstrate how to identify risk and protective factors related to addiction.
3	Describe the personal, social, economic and cultural burdens associated with addiction.
4	Evaluate different prevention efforts toward addiction.
5	Critique research literature.
6	Work in an interdisciplinary international group in an online environment

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1-4
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	2
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	3
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	5-6
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	5-6
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	5-6
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	4-6
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	3,6

Learning Resources
Required Resources
The Master of Science in Addiction Studies Programme curriculum has been designed to be self-contained. You will be provided with the following study aids for each course/module:
- Lectures: Lectures are provided online. Lecture duration varies between 30 and 90 minutes. The lectures outline and exemplify core concepts necessary to grasp the topic. Your readings will expand on material presented in these lectures. Lecture handouts are provided online in PowerPoint pdf files that can be viewed, downloaded or printed out.
- Course Handbook/Syllabus: A course handbook/syllabus is available online for each course. These contain specific information about the course/module including course learning objectives, assessments and course timetable.
- Topic Outlines: Topic outlines are provided online for each study topic and include learning objectives, title of the concept lecture, list of readings and revision questions for each topic. The revision questions are provided at the end of each topic outline and are intended to help you revise the content of the topic. You do not need to provide your answers to us.
- Readings: A series of suggested readings are listed in the Topic Outline. Some of these are essential (i.e., their content may be assessed) and others are optional. Readings may be provided in the VCU library course reserve or online (in the form of pdf files or as links to relevant websites). Additional or further readings are not a compulsory component but are a useful addition to the core content. The online readings include both journal articles and book chapters chosen from a variety of sources, which may also represent a wide range of disciplines necessary for the examination of drug-related issues.
- Discussion Board: The Discussion Board is a useful tool for exchanging information and ideas and is an important part of your summative assessment. You will be expected to discuss study topics with other students, but you can also discuss problems you may encounter while studying. A set number of contributions is compulsory.
- Online Tests: The online tests are self-assessments designed to help you determine your progress. The tests are provided for most of the topics, and their completion may be compulsory in some courses/modules. However, the mark for the tests usually does not contribute to the overall mark for the course/module. You may be required to attempt each test at least once in order to be eligible to sit for the examination, but you are encouraged to take the tests as many times as you wish until you are satisfied with the result. In addition to the correct answers, brief individual feedback is provided for some of the tests. Please note that these tests are not included in the topic outline.
- Blackboard – Online Education Service: Blackboard provides online access to course study material (handbook, topic outlines, lectures, lecture notes, readings and assignments/tests), Programme Guidelines and Policies and related forms, announcements, grades (your own and class average), Discussion Board, student email and other online tools.
Online Learning

The International Programme in Addiction Studies is delivered entirely online; no campus attendance is required. The programme is available to students from all countries, however, online lectures, assignments and correspondence are in English only.
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
STUDY MATERIAL

Each week new material is released that you will work through. Your first focus should be on the Topic outline as this describes what you need to master on a certain topic and what information is available to you. Each study topic is comprised of the following components:
- learning objectives
- revision questions
- concept lecture
- readings
- quiz to test your understanding (not graded)
- discussion forum
Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The expected work load for the course is 20 hours a week. This will be spent on reviewing the video and reading material, doing the revision quizzes, engaging in discussion and preparing for the assessments.

Learning Activities Summary

The following topics may be covered:

Topic 1: Introduction to Public Health and Epidemiology Terms
Topic 2: Research Designs
Topic 3: Human and Social Costs of Addiction
Topic 4: Global Patterns of Addiction
Topic 5: Harms Related to Addiction
Topic 6: Etiology, Risk and Protective Factors
Topic 7: Family Disorganization and Harms
Topic 8: Prevention of Addiction
Topic 9: Crime and Addiction
Topic 10: Workplace Issues - Impaired Health Care Professionals

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due (approx).	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Online Tests	Formative	Weeks 1-10
Discussion Board participation Summative Week 11 20%	Summative	Week 11	20%
Written Assignments x 4	Summative	Weeks 1,3,6 & 8	40%
Written Examination	Summative	Week 11	40%

Assessment Detail

FORMATIVE

Formative assessment in this course/module includes online quizzes that are designed to help you learn and increase your level of understanding of the course/module material. The quizzes will be taken online on a weekly basis. Feedback will be provided in the form of model answers or comments and quiz scores (you will see your own results for each question in the quiz and the class average). You can attempt the quizzes multiple times, if you wish. Since this assessment is formative, the scores for these quizzes do not contribute to your final grade for the course/module, however their completion is required (at least one attempt to answer each question). Once you have completed all the quizzes you will receive permission to take the written examination for the course/module.

SUMMATIVE

Discussion Board
Your Discussion Board participation will contribute 20% of the final grade for this course/module as indicated above. There will be 10 discussion topics offered by the course instructor. For full credit, you MUST participate in at least 7 of the discussions. The goal is to develop a dialogue among students and faculty so responses, thoughts, new information posted in response to other students postings are of key importance. Your postings will be assessed for each topic.

Written Assignment
You will be required to complete four written assignments. These must be done on your own with no input from others, whether students or not. You may use your notes and the Internet. Assignments will be available on Thursday of Weeks 1, 3, 6 and 8. Assignments will be available on Blackboard and due back by e-mail within 4-5 days – depending on the assignment.

Written Examination
The examination will be an open-book take-home exam that will be given to you on the last regular “class” date, and will be due 5 days later. The exam will consist of 5 to 7 essay and short answer questions focusing on the application and integration of concepts and information learned in the course/module.

Submission

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

You will receive and submit your written assignments electronically via the Assignment section in Blackboard or via email if you are instructed to do so. In each course where written assignments are required, you will receive specific instructions as to the manner in which you will be expected to make assignment submissions.

EXAMINATION

Several courses use exams that can be either supervised written exams or computer-based open book exam. These exams will have a specific time at which they need to be completed. The duration and mode of the examination may vary by course/module at the discretion of the course/module director.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
As this course is part of a joint degree, the IPAS program handbook holds the most important information. Normal University regulations may not apply as another university will be your host university.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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