Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2021 - HSCI 495 D100

Applied Health Science Project (4)

Class Number: 2852

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Minimum 90 units completed.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A transdisciplinary approach to integrating and applying knowledge from both academic disciplines and non-academic fields to jointly develop innovative solutions to particular scientific and societal problems in human health. Coursework emphasizes collaboration and is based on community-embedded projects.

COURSE DETAILS:

This project-oriented course seeks to integrate and apply knowledge from both academic disciplines and non-academic fields to jointly develop innovative solutions to current human health challenges. Coursework emphasizes health communication and messaging and is based on community-embedded projects.

Prerequisites:  HSCI majors with 90 credits. Graduate Students require permission of the instructor. 

Course Description: This is an innovative applied course that works with partner agencies in whose work engages the field of human health and incorporate communication either to the general public, patient groups or professional stakeholders.  Partner agencies attend sessions to explain their current health communication challenges and needs. Students then work in challenge teams to develop innovative strategies that address the partner agencies’ problems or needs.  Students will have the chance to apply knowledge they have acquired in other Health Sciences courses and from disciplines such as health promotion, environmental health, health systems and health equity.  Students will work in a team environment and experience problem formulation and problem solving, creative design of interventions or up-stream systems thinking, and testing of new ideas or solutions. Student’s will pitch their design ideas and products to community partners to garner feedback which is then integrated into a final product.  Students will keep a bi-weekly journal of individual learning, insights and reflections which will be peer-assessed. There will be weekly readings assigned from the textbook. This course will help students develop strong communication and team building skills.

Online Resources: The course will use SFU platforms, including Canvas and Zoom for this term. Students are expected to hand their assignments in and regularly check the canvas site for course announcements. Canvas will be the primary route of notification for assignments, grades and notifications. The instructor may make minor changes to the syllabus throughout the course. Changes will be announced in class and through Canvas.

 

Assessment of presentations and written summaries will be based on :

  1. The quality and thoroughness of your research. You will be expected to cite references from peer reviewed and, where appropriate, other literature.
  2. Your assessment and analysis of the topic. You need to think about the topic critically. You will need to assimilate information from different sources and synthesize it. Do not be afraid to disagree with conclusions of others where this can be justified. Do not merely report what others have found. Analysis and interpretation of evidence are key to this class.
  3. The organization and style of your presentations. There should be a logical flow to what you present, not a jumble of random points. Marks are given for conciseness and clarify.
  4. Your ability to identify key points for discussion and on effective leadership of the class discussion.
  5. Your ability to present information in an interesting and engaging manner, and your presentation style (i.e. ability to talk clearly, make eye contact, answer questions, etc.)- note: an overview of effective public speaking will be done at the start of the class

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Upon completion of the course, students will be prepared to:

  1. Describe frameworks that are foundational for health communication and community engagement
  2. Researching health communication strategies, solutions and techniques for crafting health messaging
  3. Thinking creatively and apply knowledge to real-life scenarios
  4. Create communication-related solutions for community settings and design strategies that allow for testing and evaluation of these solutions.
  5. Critically reflect on how health innovation requires creative, adaptable and reflective processes to assist in the design of solutions that will contribute to health and well-being.

 

Grading

  • Self and peer assessment (individual work) 20%
  • Participation (online and readings) 15%
  • Team-based project work (multiple assignments) 40%
  • Final project and presentation 25%

NOTES:

Course Delivery: This course is delivered 3 hours per week via Zoom with an additional one hour per week designated for your team to engage with the community partner. Given COVID-19, the expectation is that meeting will take place virtually, although in person can be arranged if it does not violate WorkSafe BC or the Provincial Health Officer’s current orders. It is the responsibility of the students to familiarize themselves with the most recent orders and conduct themselves accordingly while doing field work for this course.

Religious or Important days: If a class falls on day that requires you to observe cultural events, please notify the instructors two weeks in advance to make arrangements to make up the class or exam.

 Absences: Please let me know if you are going to be absent prior to class. An email will suffice. If you are absent due to an emergency, I would appreciate a note after the absence with an explanation. If you miss more than two classes due to an illness, a doctor’s note will be required unless you have COVID-19. Students are required to make up the work that they missed unless otherwise arranged with the instructor.

Tardiness: Repeated lateness to class (more than 10 minutes) will result in a decrease in participation grades.

Late Assignments: A penalty of 10% will be given for late assignments if you miss the deadline on Canvas. If later than one full calendar week, a zero grade on the assignment will be given unless otherwise arranged by the professor.

EXPECTATIONS / IMPORTANT NOTES: The instructor may make changes to the syllabus if necessary, within Faculty / University regulations.

REQUIREMENTS:

SFU Academic Honesty Policy: FHS adheres to SFU Academic Honesty and Student Conduct policies. Students in this course are responsible for knowing these policies, at http://www.sfu.ca/policies/Students/. A tutorial on plagiarism is at https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/academic-integrity/plagiarism-tutorial. If the instructor believes a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, he/she will submit a form reporting the matter to the SFU Registrar. In this course if you are found to have cheated (whether plagiarism or another type) you will be given a zero for that test or assignment. A review of plagiarism, “patchwork plagiarism”, proper citing and the use of quotes will be given in the first few weeks of class to ensure that students are very clear about what is acceptable. Repeated violations of the Academic Honesty Policy will result in the termination of your involvement in the class and an overall failing grade.

Group Work and Academic Honesty: Please note that these policies apply to solo AND group work. If a member of a group assignment violates the FHS policy, ALL STUDENTS IN THE GROUP will receive a zero grade. If you put your name on an assignment, you are assuming responsibility for what is included in this document and therefore the integrity of the document as well. If you believe a member of your group has violated the Honesty Policy, you should report this to your instructor PRIOR TO THE HANDING IN OF THE ASSIGNMENT to avoid having your grade affected.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Health Communication Message Design: Theory and Practice Edited by: Hyunyi Cho – The Ohio State University, USA (available on-line)

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021

Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).