PUB HLTH 1004 - Flies, drains & Ebola: human health & environment

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

Do you care about the environment we live in? Are people exposed to physical hazards, chemical or biological toxins where they live or in their workplace? Why are we seeing an emergence of major infectious diseases such as Ebola, flu pandemics, anthrax bioterrorism, and diseases associated with climate change affecting populations worldwide? This introductory course will examine a range of environmental hazards and how these can be key determinants of health for individuals and in populations. Through a simulated outbreak, case examples and a field visit, students will explore infectious disease ? how they arise, are monitored and controlled. With contributions from experts, this course will equip you with the tools to be able to systematically characterise an environmental hazard and assess risks to human health at individual and global levels. Students will learn about the management of public health emergencies, including pandemic preparedness and response. Environmental health is multi-disciplinary and in this course students will be introduced to the sciences as well as taking a population health approach to understanding the issues. The disciplines of toxicology, ecology, infectious disease microbiology and public health will be applied to characterise human health risks and the application of interventions in the prevention and control of environmental health problems.

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Course Details

Course Code	PUB HLTH 1004
Course	Flies, drains & Ebola: human health & environment
Coordinating Unit	Public Health
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Adriana Milazzo

Course Coordinator: Adriana Milazzo
Phone: +61 8313 0199
Email: adriana.milazzo@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace, Adelaide

Learning and Teaching Team
Phone: +61 8313 2128
Email: undergrad_enq@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

1	Describe the challenges of contemporary and emerging local, national, and global environmental health challenges
2	Describe preventive approaches for assessing and controlling environmental problems that affect the health of populations
3	Apply approaches to the prevention and control of infectious diseases
4	Describe the conceptual framework of health disaster preparedness and management
5	Apply at an introductory level scientific methods to safeguard the population’s health against environmental threats

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)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	2, 4, 5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1-5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	N/A
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	N/A
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There is no set textbook for this course. All resources will be available via MyUni.

Recommended Resources

All resources will be available via MyUni.

Online Learning

MyUni is the primary entry point to online learning at the 成人大片. MyUni provides students and staff with access to course materials, discussion forums, announcements, and many other features to help manage learning and teaching. You can connect to MyUni on or off campus from an internet-connected computer using a Web browser. The URL is: Login to this resource using your Username and Password. Once logged on to MyUni, you will find the information displayed is customised to present only details relevant to you and the online content for courses that you are studying.

For enquiries, contact MyUni Support /myuni/
Phone: (08) 8313 3000
E-mail: helpdesk@adelaide.edu.au
The Helpdesk is available for extended hours during the week or through voicemail.

You will use MyUni for a number of purposes:
Accessing announcements about changes in scheduling, course information etc. please check MyUni regularly as they contain important announcements that are relevant to your study in this course.

Accessing lecture notes as a pdf and, if recording is possible in the allocated lecture theatre, as an audiofile.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course will introduce students to the concepts and principles of environmental health sciences within a population health framework. A blended learning approach will be adopted whereby students will engage in on-line interactive modules on key concepts and principles. Students will participate in collaborative and experiential learning in class to draw on this content in order to synthesise, analyse, apply and evaluate approaches for assessing and controlling environmental threats that affect the health of populations, including emerging infectious diseases. In addition, students will hear from expert researchers and environmental health scientists and practitioners who will be invited to attend seminars and be part of an expert panel at the end of the semester.

The course will be delivered in 3 hours of seminars per week consisting of lectures and discussion, presentation by guest speakers, and will include a field trip and workplace visit.

Workload

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

Contact hours: 3 hours per week plus readings, assignments and other preparation.

Learning Activities Summary

Seminars will cover the following topics:

· contemporary and emerging environmental health issues
· environmental and occupational health hazards
· diseases and injuries associated with environmental hazards
· environmental toxicology
· epidemiology
· environmental and occupational risk assessment and management
· global burden of infectious diseases
· environmental determinants of health
· surveillance of environmental health issues and infectious diseases
· infectious disease control strategies
· human-animal interactions and health implications
· infectious disease microbiology
· environmental and social impacts of climate change on human health
· disaster preparedness and management

Each student will be required to attend two field visits:

· a workplace visit illustrating occupational health hazards, risk assessment and control strategies
· an environmental field visit addressing the prevention of infectious diseases (eg. wastewater treatment plant, waste disposal and recycling centre)

Guest speakers from government and non-government organizations will be invited to present at the seminars and include:

· SA Health
· Local Government
· SafeWork SA
· SA State Emergency Service
· Bureau of Meteorology
· Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
· Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists
· Environmental Health Australia

At the end of the semester an expert panel will be convened to discuss the challenges associated with emerging or contemporary environmental and infectious disease health issues.

Specific Course Requirements

Students will undertake a field trip and a workplace visit to illustrate the hazards and preventive approaches. The University’s standard insurance policy will cover students for these activities as they are linked to a credit bearing course.

Small Group Discovery Experience

N/A

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	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning course objective(s) being addressed
Work place visit report	Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 5
Environmental field trip report	Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 5
Quizzes	Summative	20%	1-5
On-line simulation outbreak investigation	Summative	20%	1-5
The environment and global health	Summative	40%	1-5

Assessment Related Requirements

None.

Assessment Detail

Work place visit report (10%)
After the workplace visit students will complete a 600 word report identifying the occupational hazards observed at the workplace visit and will recommend potential control measures. Students will be required to include a reflective summary of their learning.

Environmental field trip report (10%)
After the field trip students will complete a 600 word report identifying the environmental health risks and will recommend potential control measures. Students will be required to include a reflective summary of their learning.

On-line simulation of an infectious disease outbreak investigation (20%)
Students will participate in an on-line infectious disease outbreak investigation and will contribute to a range of activities including hypothesis generating questions, collection and analysis of data. Students will be provided with important information and clues in order to solve the outbreak.

Quizzes (20%)
Quizzes (4 in total) throughout the semester will aid students in monitoring their understanding of key concepts and principles for the topic areas. The quizzes will be completed with interactive on-line modules.

The environment and global health (40%)
Identify and describe a major environmental health issue or disaster either in Australia or globally and prepare a 1600-1800 word assignment addressing the following:
· identify the hazard/health issue
· description of the problem, with particular emphasis on human health impacts
· background of the problem, its significance
· what is being done to reduce or eliminate the hazard/issue
· your recommendation(s), what control strategies should be implemented to protect the population/s affected

Submission

Extensions
All extensions for assignments must be requested, at the latest, by the last working day before the due date of submission. Extensions will generally be granted only on medical or genuine compassionate grounds. Supporting documentation must be provided at the time a student requests an extension. Without documentation, extensions will not be granted. Late requests for extension will neither be accepted nor acknowledged.

Only the Course Co-ordinator(s) may grant extensions.

Supporting documentation will be required when requesting an extension. Examples of documents that are acceptable include: a medical certificate that specifies dates of incapacity, a police report (in the case of lost computers, car & household theft etc.), a letter from a Student Counsellor, Education and Welfare Officer (EWO) or Disability Liaison Officer that provides an assessment of compassionate circumstances, or a letter from an independent external counsellor or appropriate professional able to verify the student’s situation. The length of any extension granted will take into account the period and severity of any incapacity or impact on the student. Extensions of more than 10 days will not be granted except in exceptional circumstances.

Late submission
Marks will be deducted when assignments for which no extension has been granted are handed in late.

All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merits. In the case of late assignments where no extension has been granted, 5 percentage points of the total marks possible per day will be deducted. If an assignment that is 2 days late is awarded 65% on its merits, the mark will then be reduced by 10% (5% per day for 2 days) to 55%. If that same assignment is 4 days late, the mark will be reduced by 20% (5% per day for 4 days) to 45%, and so on.

The School of Public Health reserves the right to refuse to accept an assignment that is more than 7 days late.

Assignments submitted after the due date may not be graded in time to be returned on the listed return dates.

Students submitting examinable written work who request (and receive) an extension that takes them beyond the examination period are advised that there is no guarantee that their grades will be processed in time to meet usual University deadlines.

Resubmission
If a student is dissatisfied with an assessment grade they should follow the Student Grievance Resolution Process </student/grievance/process/>. Students who are not satisfied with a particular assessment result should raise their concerns with Course Co-ordinator(s) in the first instance. This must be done within 10 business days of the date of notification of the result. Resubmission of any assignment is subject to the agreement of the Course Co-ordinator(s) and will only be permitted for the most compelling of reasons.

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.
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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