DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION Spring 2009 Course: Health Communication & Literacy TED 5319 003 (13206)/TED 4350 005 (20334) Credits: 3 Day/Time: Online Location: WebCT Professor: Francisco Soto Mas, Associate Professor of Health Education Phone: Email: Office: Office hours: 915-747-5915 fsoto3@utep.edu EDUC # 601 By appointment A. Course Description Health communication is the study of how health information is generated and disseminated and how that information affects individuals, community groups, institutions and public policy. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions. This course covers both theory and evidence-based practice of health communication and health literacy. The course is recommended for health educators, teachers, health care providers, counselors, health administrators, and other professionals who need to be able to identify the contexts, channels, messages and reasons that will motivate individuals to heed and use health information whether designing health communication programs for vulnerable populations, framing a health policy issue for legislators, or educating patients on medications. The course requires certain familiarity with WebCT, Internet, and audio-visual tools. Software Requirements: Adobe Reader is free software that allows everyone from business professionals to home users too easily and reliably view, print, and search PDF files using a variety of platforms and devices. Microsoft Office - This product is available at the UTEP Bookstore for about $15.00. o The alternative to Microsoft Office is Open Office which is a MS Office clone and works exactly the same way. This can be downloaded from www.openoffice.org. Email tool with file attachment capability. Please use your UTEP email account. o If you do not have a UTEP e-mail account, please get one immediately. Here is how: Go to http://getmail.utep.edu. Create your account (remember that your date of birth is in the form mm/dd/yyyy: two digits for the month, then day, then year). After you create your account, you must wait 48 hours, then go back to the site and click on "Check on existing account." Enter your UTEP 1
Student ID Number (e.g. 80XXXXXX) and date of birth, and you will get your login name and password. Please let one of us know if you have any difficulty. You may also call the UTEP HELP desk at 1.915.747.5257. The HELP desk hours are given below: Mon-Fri 7:00am - 8:00pm (Mountain Time) SAT 9:00am - 1:00pm (Mountain Time) SUN CLOSED Adobe Flash Player is free and can allow for viewing of rich media, such as video or audio, within the course. B. Course Objectives At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to: 1. Explain the origins, development, and status of the field of health communication 2. Articulate the concept of health communication and discuss its various components 3. Describe the social and cultural issues associated with health communication 4. Explain the role of communication (and the media) in constructing notions of health and illness 5. Connect theory and practice for developing effective communication messages 6. Describe risk communication and evidence-based risk communication approaches 7. Define health literacy and describe the implications of low health literacy 8. Identify reliable sources of data and information on health literacy 9. List and describe different instruments to assess health literacy level 10. Apply principles of health literacy to evaluate and improve health education materials 11. Describe and justify practical approaches for improving health literacy C. Class Participation and Completion Active participation is deemed essential for this class. Online activities and assignments must be completed on time. An instructor may request the registrar to drop a student from a course for lack of participation or compliance with class requirements. I strongly recommend that you check the course at least three times a week at minimum to keep up. Email messages are sent to your UTEP email address, so you will want to check your UTEP email several times a week. It is recommended that students who require academic assistance contact the professor by e-mail to schedule an appointment. Being Successful in an Online Class: Online learning is not a spectator sport. It is everyone s responsibility to participate as fully as they can so everyone can get the most from the experience. Here are some simple rules to follow to ensure your participation and engagement in the learning process: Ask questions: If you do not know the answer, someone else will. Reach out to others: Offer a fact, article, link or other item that can help others learn. Be appropriate: The online classroom is not the place for insulting or insensitive comments, attacks, or venting. Inappropriate behavior will usually subject to disciplinary action, as well. 2
Be diplomatic: When sending messages on emotionally charged topics, make sure you write the message and then walk away for at least an hour before re-reading the message and then sending it. Re-reading emotionally charged messages ensures that they are constructive instead of destructive. Think of the person at the other end. Stay focused: Stay on topic to increase the efficiency of your learning. Take advantage of all the resources given to you to succeed in the class. Effective Electronic Communication: As you may know, when communicating electronically, many of the feelings or impressions that are transmitted via body language in face-to-face communication are lost. Consequently, interpreting emotions and innuendoes is far more difficult. Only what is written, or drawn, carries the message. Often excitement can easily be misinterpreted as anger or an insult. It is important that everyone keep this in mind when communicating electronically. Words in print may appear harmless; however, they can emotionally injure the person reading them. More information can be found at http://www.albion.com/netiquette. Time Management: The rule of thumb for time planning for a course is approximately three (3) hours for every credit hour taken. This is a standard figure recommended across the board by American universities. For a 3 credit course, course you should expect to spend: 3 hours of class time + 9 hours of study and prep time = 12 hours per week. Copyright Notice: Many of the materials that are posted within this course are protected by copyright law. These materials are only for the use of students enrolled in this course and only for the purpose of this course. They may not be further retained or disseminated. Technical Assistance: UTEP Helpdesk D. Requirements and Evaluation Online activities are conducted in an interactive participatory manner, with students leading discussions, posting problems and finding solutions. Internet resources, audiovisual materials, readings, and individual and group assignments are part of the educational strategies that are used. Course objectives are achieved through the development of independent learning and critical thinking. It is essential to keep up with reading and assignments and participate actively in all activities. Students may be required to conduct a research project. The project consists of collecting data/information and/or developing health education/communication materials or messages (audio, video, written materials, etc). Students produce a final report that may include, among other items, a problem statement, literature review, results of needs assessment or other research, justification for the communication approach, discussion, conclusions, and bibliography. Students may be required to familiarize with online educational tools, such as wiki, blogs, and chat room, among others. 3
Doctoral students are expected to make a greater contribution to the class. As part of their doctoral training, they may be asked to facilitate online sessions, lead discussions, and prepare, post and coordinate online activities or special assignments. Students' grades will not only be based on participation and assignments, but also on creative thinking, ability to critically apply learned concepts, rationale for defending judgments, and demonstration of knowledge of the content area. Students will be graded on: Evaluation Criteria: 1. Participation: Students must keep up with assignments and Discussion Board () activities, and complete them no later than the specified deadline 2. s: complete assignments, including readings and online activities 3. Exams/Projects: Students may be required to complete one or more reports/projects, quizzes and exams Factors to be used in grading assignments: 1. s are completed on time 2. s draw upon the textbook, discussions and resources 3. Quality of work 4. Demonstration of critical thinking Notice Excuses for incomplete or late assignments are rarely allowed, except for in extreme circumstances. Withdrawal from the course by the student must be done formally by completing the required forms. Dates for adding/dropping courses are listed in the UTEP Academic Calendar. Students who miss more than one online assignment can be dropped at the teacher s discretion with a W before the formal drop deadline or with a W or F after that date. Students who have special needs for fulfilling requirements and assignments are asked to contact the Disabled Students Services Office (DSSO) within the first week of class, and communicate these needs to the professor (documentation must be provided) (See Disabilities below). Students will be graded on the following (Tentative): Value 1. Weekly assignments 8 x 5 points 40 2. postings and response to others 8 x 3 points 24 3. Other assignments 2 x 5 points 10 4. Exams/Quizzes/Projects 26 Grading: TOTAL 100 90% or > A 80% to 89% B 70% to 79% C 4
60% to 69% D <60% E Late assignments will not be allowed. No incompletes will be given in this course, except for in extreme circumstances. E. What should you expect from me as the Instructor? 1. I will provide you clear instructions on class expectations. 2. I will check my email at least three times per week and will answer back to you as soon as possible. 3. I will provide graded feedback on your performance in a timely manner. 4. I will leave myself open to suggestions about improvement of the class and class related activities. 5. I will do all I can to ensure your learning and success in this class. 6. If any changes in the course are to be implemented, I will ensure that the class is notified in a timely manner. F. Academic Misconduct All students should become familiar with the UTEP catalog regarding policies related to academic misconduct. Academic dishonesty is prohibited and is considered a violation of the UTEP Handbook of Operating Procedures. It includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion. G. Cheating/Plagiarism Cheating is unethical and not acceptable. Plagiarism is using information or original wording in a paper without giving credit to the source of that information or wording: it is also not acceptable. Do not submit work under your name that you did not do yourself. You may not submit work for this class that you did for another class. If you are found to be cheating or plagiarizing, you will be subject to disciplinary action, per UTEP catalog policy. Refer to http://www.utep.edu/dos/acadintg.htm for further information. H. Disabilities I will make any reasonable accommodations for students with limitations due to disabilities, including learning disabilities. Please see me personally before or after class in the first two weeks or make an appointment, to discuss any special needs you might have. If you have a documented disability and require specific accommodations, you will need to contact the Disabled Student Services Office in the East Union Bldg., Room 106 within the first two weeks of classes. The Disabled Student Services Office can also be reached in the following ways: Web: http://www.utep.edu/dsso Phone: (915) 747-5148 voice or TTY Fax: (915) 747-8712 E-Mail: dss@utep.edu I. Textbooks (Available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble) Designing Health Messages: Approaches from Communication Theory and Public Health Practice. (1995). Edward Maibach, Roxanne Louiselle Parrott (Editors). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Inc. 5
Institute of Medicine. (2004). Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. Additional Resources: Web sites, reports, scientific papers. J. Course Outline Tentative Course Schedule Week of Session Topic Reading* / Jan 21 1 Introduction to the course Participants Reading assignment Jan 28 2 The context for health communication DHM: Chapter 10 Reading assignment Feb 4 3 Communication strategies DHM: Chapter 7 IM: Chapter 5 Group activity Feb 11 4 Social and cultural issues DHM: Chapter 1 IM: Chapter 4 Feb 18 5 Media and health Media literacy DHM: Chapters 4, 5 Feb 25 6 Planning, designing and DHM: Chapters 12, 14 Project activity implementing health campaigns Mar 4 7 Health communication theory DHM: Chapter 3, 6 Mar 11 8 Emergency and risk DHM: Chapters 2, 9 Project activity communication Mar 18 Spring Break Mar 25 10 Midterm Paper due April 1 11 Health literacy Four dimensions of health literacy April 8 12 Health care, providers and literacy IM: Chapters 1, 2, 3 *Textbook: DHM=Designing Health Messages; IM=Institute of Medicine DHM: Chapter 13 IM: Chapter 6 April 15 13 Measuring health literacy IM: Appendices A, C April 22 14 Strategies for improving IM: Appendix B Project activity health literacy April 29 15 Final project Draft due May 6 16 Final paper Final paper due 6