Senior Seminar:
Course Description
This course is the senior seminar and culminating class for the Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education. The focus of the course will be on the implementation and evaluation of the Group Projects that were initiated in Health Science 441 in the previous semester and to expand on current health education practice issues as you prepare to move into your professional health education roles. Using a variety of teaching strategies including seminars, lecture/discussions, class exercises, and practitioner reflection methodologies, students will revisit their Health Science 441 projects, modify them as needed, and then implement and evaluate them. In addition, students will be exposed to a variety of topic areas critical to health education practice including communications and media, cross-cultural issues, social marketing, managing health education programs, research, and related issues.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Implement and evaluate their Health Science 441 group projects and write a report detailing the effectiveness of their program and what they learned from the experience.
- Identify and discuss at least five factors that can hinder health promotion efforts when working across cultural groups.
- Identify and incorporate social marketing strategies to enhance the effectiveness of their group project activities.
- Identify and incorporate appropriate community organization principles for implementing their group project activities.
- Design educational materials that are target group appropriate and reflect cultural competence and sensitivity.
- Identify and discuss ethical considerations associated with professional health education practice.
- Reflect on their experiences in the Senior Seminar including what they have learned from the experience and how they will incorporate reflection in practice after graduation.
Course Requirements
Each student will be expected to complete the following course requirements:
- Actively participate in the implementation and evaluation of a group project evolving out of their work in HSCI 441. This is the
Individual Team Member Evaluation (50 points). - Actively participate in writing their group project evaluation report detailing their findings as these relate to implementing their group project (50 points).
- Conceptualize, design, produce and pilot test a draft version of an educational brochure or pamphlet on a health topic of their choosing. In addition, the student will write a short paper detailing their design and testing process and do a short presentation on their pamphlet during a class session (50 points). Individual Pamphlet Link
- Attend and participate in all class sessions and experiential exercises. Preparation for some sessions may require additional outside reading or work as assigned by the instructor (3 points/week for 14 weeks = 42 points)
Be sure to sign in at each class session.
Grading Procedures
Student grades will be compiled from the number of points the student accumulates in the group project report, individual team member evaluations, educational brochure, and learning journal. The total points possible will be 192 and the grade spread will be as follows:
A |
= 183 - 192 | C |
= 141 - 146 |
A- |
= 173 - 182 | C- |
= 135 - 140 |
B+ |
= 166 - 172 | D+ |
= 128 - 134 |
B |
= 160 - 165 | D |
= 121 - 127 |
B- |
= 154 -159 | D- |
= 115 - 120 |
C+ |
= 147 -153 | F |
= < 115 |
- Any student who fails to participate on the day of implementation of their group project will receive a full grade reduction in their final grade after all other points have been calculated.
- Telephones and pagers are to be turned off at the beginning of each class session.
- All work turned in for this class will be graded for grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, proper use of subheadings, and proper use of citations to support the work that was done. All papers are to be typed and double-spaced. This is your Senior Seminar, thus your work is expected to reflect that of a graduating senior college student.
- Any paper/project turned in late will receive an automatic 10 point deduction from the final point totals earned for that paper.
Recommended Texts
Dignan, Mark B.: and Carr, Patricia A. (1992). Program Planning for Health Education and Health Promotion: 2nd Edition. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.
Sarvela, Paul D.; and McDermott, Robert J. (1993). Health Education Evaluation and Measurement: A Practitioners Perspective. Brown and Benchmark Publishers.
Huff, Robert M.; and Kline, Michael V. (Eds.). (1999). Promoting Health in Multicultural Populations: A Handbook for Practitioners. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
Doak, Cecilia; Doak, Leonard; and Root, Jane (1996). Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills: 2nd Edition. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company.
Class Links
Class Schedule Link Grantsmanship Link
Individual Pamphlet Link Final Paper
Group Project Evaluation Link Culture Lecture