Course Details

After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.
2. Describe valid health information and health-promoting products and services.
3. Discuss the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.
4. Discuss the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health and health literacy.
5. Explain the importance of interpersonal communication skills used to enhance health.
6. Define goal setting and decision making skills to enhance health.
7. Explain the importance of advocating for personal, family, and community health.

Discussions:

Please join the Discussion each week. Replies must be posted in the week due and replies after the end of the each week will not be graded or receive credit. The discussions are for student interaction and input and must be submitted before the week ends in order to receive full credit. Students should demonstrate their own knowledge in the discussions and avoid copying and pasting from websites. The Rubric is attached to discussion description.

Guidelines:

Initial Response:

• Post your initial response to each discussion by 11:55pm, ET, Wednesday.
• Initial responses should have substance where students explore, explain, and expand upon issues being discussed, and apply relevant course materials.
• Students should analyze course concepts, theories or materials correctly, using examples or supporting evidence.
• Initial responses should be supported by at least two references (APA referencing format is not required for discussions)

Peer Responses:

• For each discussion, reply to at least 2 of your classmates by 11:55pm, ET, Sunday.
• Students are required to respond to at least two (2) other student’s initial postings (and the instructor) with significant comments that have substance.
• Students should collaborate with fellow learners, relating the discussion to course concepts, add several innovative ideas, and provide considerable additional insight that relates to core concepts.
• Peer responses should include at least two (2) of the following components: Offering advice; posing a question; providing an alternative point-of-view; and acknowledging similar experiences.
• Peer responses should be supported by at least one reference (APA referencing format is not required for discussions)
• All discussions can be accessed in the discussion section of the course.
• A Discussion rubric is included in the discussion section of the course
• More in-depth specific instructions for each discussion can be found in the discussion tab within the course.
• Late Discussion posts receive a 10% per day late penalty. If your 2 peer responses are posted after the week is ended (after Day 7, Sunday) they receive a zero, and that the discussion is finished. You cannot receive credit for participation in a discussion with others after the discussion week has closed.
• If there are less than 3 students in the course, only one (1) peer posting will be required. Your peer postings should challenge or expound upon at least one of the points made by your peer, and “I agree” does not constitute as an adequate response. As graduate students, you will be expected to provide comprehensive, relevant and well supported points in your assignments.

We all bring something unique to the classroom, from our understanding, our experiences, and our value systems. We honor and respect each person’s diverse beliefs to help us see beyond the classroom to be the most effective individuals we can be. Therefore, we should all be respectful of others while expressing our viewpoints and opinions. Proper Netiquette behavior is expected. Any inflammatory, demeaning or disrespectful language in a posting will be immediately removed from the discussion space.

Assignments / Self Assessments:

Each week’s Lesson contains all the material for the week.

Please review the Weekly Assignment Grading Rubric prior to submission. Assignments are due in the Assignment portion of the classroom by Sunday (Day 7), 11:55 pm. EST each week. Make sure you read and understand the directions and requirements for each Assignment. Please ensure that you cite your references in APA format with a minimum of one reference and you may use academic outside resources.

• More in-depth specific instructions for each assignment can be found in the Assignment tab within the course.
• Assignments submitted late without advance notice will receive a 5% per day late penalty and will not be accepted for grading five (5) days past the due date.

Responses should be at least one page, and a minimum of 200 words. You must submit these assignments to the "Assignment Link" for a grade. For the purpose of assignment due times and dates, a “Week” is defined to cover the period starting from Day 1: 12:01 am Sunday EST through Day 7: 11:55 PM Sunday EST. Submit assignments by typing your response directly into the open text field or as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or RTF.

Quizzes / Final Exam:
Quizzes and the final exam have essay questions. You must address the question thoroughly to increase your chance of full credit. All short answer or essay questions must be manually scored. This means that when you complete the quiz or exam points are not displayed. During the grading process, essay questions will be evaluated for points. There will be eight (8) weekly quizzes. All quizzes are due by Sunday (Day 7) of the corresponding week. Quizzes/Exams must be completed by the specified due dates (no exceptions).

The final exam consists of five (5) essay questions that cover a wide range of topics discussed in the class. The Final Exam must be completed by Week 8, Sunday (Day 7). The number of points you receive is DIRECTLY related to the quality of your work.

Readings, assignments, and classroom participation:

For most weeks, course readings are a mix of professional sources (such as peer-reviewed journal articles and governmental publications) and “popular” sources, such as newspaper articles, professional magazine articles, and websites intended for the public. All required course readings are freely downloadable from the course website or from other websites.

This course requires a time management plan and the self-discipline to follow it. You are expected to complete assignments on time, complete all readings, and make inquiries as needed to complete the course effectively. This is an eight-week course, which means the material must be learned in a short period of time. This requires dedication and diligence on the part of each student.

• Refer to the Lessons and Resources sections in the classroom for information about all readings in this course.
• Each week’s Lesson contains all the material for the week.
• For most weeks, course readings are a mix of professional sources (such as peer-reviewed journal articles and governmental publications) and “popular” sources, such as newspaper articles, professional magazine articles, and websites intended for the public. All required course readings are freely downloadable from the course website or from other websites.

Additional Resources:

1. American Psychological Association (APA) Style Work shop: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html