HPHP - Health Promotion
Student Learning Outcomes
Submitted 04/15/08
Introduction
The first professional
preparation program for health educators at Weber State College was the
development of the School Health Education Minor in the early 1970’s. The second
professional preparation program established was a community health minor, circa
1985. The health promotion major, in collaboration with the Health
Administration Services Program, was established in the latter 1990’s and has
been revised several times since.
From their inception, the
community health minor (earlier edition) and the health promotion major were
developed in strict conformance to the framework presented in “A
Competency-Based Framework for Professional Development of Certified
Health Education Specialists,” NCHEC, New York, 1996.
Using the seven competencies of the nationally sanctioned framework we developed
all courses and program curricula with the intent of qualifying our graduates to
successfully pass the CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) exam.
The Certified Health Education Specialist
(Description from National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc)
Health educators are professionals who design, conduct and evaluate activities
that help improve the health of all people. These activities can take place in a
variety of settings: schools, communities, health care facilities, businesses
and colleges. Health educators are employed under a range of job titles such as
patient educators, health education teachers, trainers, worksite wellness
directors, community organizers and health program managers. The Certified
Health Education Specialists (CHES) are those who have met the standards of
quality established by NCHEC by successfully passing the CHES examination. The
CHES designation after a health educator's name is one indication of
professional competency.
Undergraduate Health Promotion Program Accreditation &
NCATE Approval of School Health Programs
Although the National
Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. does not formally evaluate
or accredit academic programs, the Competency-Based Framework for Professional
Preparation is used as the official document for program assessment. The
American Association for Health Education approves school health education
majors for NCATE (National Commission for Accreditation of Teacher Education).
In addition, the American Association for Health Education and the Society for
Public Health Education accredits undergraduate majors in community health
education.
In order to insure clarity of
understanding regarding the importance of the role of the National Commission
for Health Education Credentialing in student learning outcomes a brief
description of their activities is presented. (The National Commission for
Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
http://www.nchec.org/)
Mission Statement
The
mission of the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC)
is to improve the quality of health education practice through the
establishment, implementation, and maintenance of a certification process for
health education specialists, and through the promotion of scientific, ethical,
and state-of-the-art programs of professional preparation and continuing
education.
The Development of NCHEC
Beginning in the mid-1970s, the health education profession began the process of
developing the steps necessary to establish the credentialing of health
educators. In 1978 the Preparation and Practice of Community, Patient and School
Health Educators: Workshop on Commonalities and Differences was conducted which
initiated the beginning of a process for consensus building, data collection and
discussions. The goal was to clarify the role of health educators and establish
standards of professional practice. This led to the agreement on the
competencies and responsibilities of health educators. In September 1978, the
workshop on commonalities and differences recommended a planning committee was
formed which became the National Task Force on the Preparation and Practice of
Health Educators. The Task Force is charged with the responsibility for
developing guidelines for professional preparation that would apply in all
health education settings. This group formulated and enacted the Role
Delineation Study that determined that the role of an entry-level health
educator encompassed seven areas of responsibility. Those seven areas comprised
what has become known as a Competency-Based Framework for the Professional
Development of Certified Health Education Specialists (1996) or simply the
FRAMEWORK. By 1988, the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC)
was incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization with an elected board.
The NCHEC was established through the work, financial contributions and
commitment of health education professionals, employers, health education
organizations and government.
The CHES Examination
The
CHES examination is competency-based. It tests those aspects of the
responsibilities and competencies of entry-level health educators that can be
measured with a paper and pencil examination. The examination is based on the
FRAMEWORK document that identifies seven
different areas of responsibility. Within each area of responsibility, the basic
competencies necessary for health education specialists have been delineated.
These delineations serve as the basis for developing the questions on the
certification examination. The CHES examination, consisting of 150
multiple-choice questions, measures the possession, application and
interpretation of knowledge essential to the professional practice of health
education.
Basis for the CHES Examination and Program Accreditation
The
CHES examination is based upon the following seven areas of responsibilities as
delineated in the FRAMEWORK:
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Assess individual and community needs for health
education
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Plan effective health education programs
-
Implement health education programs
-
Evaluate the effectiveness of health education
programs
-
Coordinate the provision of health education
services
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Act as a resource person in health education, and
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Communicate health and health education needs,
concerns and resources
(A
Competency-Based Framework for Professional Development of Certified Health
Education Specialists, NCHEC, New York, 1996)
Eligibility for the CHES Examination
Eligibility to sit for the CHES examination is based exclusively on academic
qualifications. An individual is eligible to sit for the examination if he/she
has:
A
bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from an accredited institution of higher
education; AND
1) an official transcript (including course titles) that clearly shows a major
in health education, e.g., Health Education, Community Health Education, Public
Health Education, School Health Education, etc. OR
2)
an official transcript that reflects at least 25 semester hours or 37 quarter
hours of course work with specific preparation addressing the seven areas of
responsibility in the FRAMEWORK
Health Promotion Major Student Learning Outcomes
Summary of Professional Preparation Documents
As noted, the FRAMEWORK for
professional development of certified health education specialists is
universally accepted in the profession. However, there are other documents that
can provide guidance for professional development. One of the most prominent is
the document developed by the Association for Worksite Health Promotion. A
summary of both documents is presented.
Student Outcomes Curriculum Matrix-WSU Health Promotion
Major
The student outcomes
delineated for assessment of the health promotion major include the seven
competencies used in our profession. The instrument, which has been developed to
assess the health promotion major student outcomes, reflects all of the sub
competencies of the framework in a matrix that includes all of the required
courses within the major.
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Competency-Based Framework
for the Professional Development of Certified Health Education
Specialists (1996)
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RESPONSIBILITY I:
The health educator, working with individuals, groups, and organizations
is responsible for assessing individual and community needs for health
education. The health educator can:
Competency A:
Obtain health related data about social and cultural environments,
growth and development factors, needs, and interests.
-
Select valid sources of information
about health needs and health knowledge.
-
Utilize computerized sources of
health related information.
-
Employ or develop appropriate
data-gathering information.
-
Apply survey techniques to acquire
health data.
Competency B:
Distinguish between behaviors that foster and those that hinder
well-being.
-
Investigate physical, social,
emotional, and intellectual factors influencing health behaviors.
-
Identify behaviors that tend to
promote or compromise health.
-
Recognize the role of learning and
affective experiences in shaping patterns of health behavior.
Competency C:
Infer needs for health education on the basis of obtained data.
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RESPONSIBILITY
II: The health educator,
working with individuals, groups, and organizations is responsible for
planning effective health education programs. The health educator can:
Competency A:
Recruit community organizations, resource people, and potential
participants for support and assistance in program planning.
-
Communicate need for the program to
those whose cooperation will be essential.
-
Obtain commitments from personnel
and decision makers who will be involve in the program.
-
Seek ideas and opinions of those who
will affect or be affected by the program.
-
Incorporate feasible ideas and
recommendations into the planning process.
Competency B:
Develop a logical scope and sequence plan for a health education
program.
Competency C:
Formulate appropriate and measurable program objectives.
-
Infer educational objectives
facilitative of achievement of specified competencies.
-
Develop a framework of broadly
stated, operation objectives relevant to a proposed health education
program.
Competency D:
Design educational programs consistent with specified program
objectives.
-
Match proposed learning activities
with those implicit in the state objectives.
-
Formulate a wide variety of
alternative education methods.
-
Select strategies best suited to
implementation of educational objectives in a given setting.
-
Plan a sequence of learning
opportunities building upon and reinforcing mastery of preceding
objectives.
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RESPONSIBILITY
III: The health educator,
working with individuals, groups, and organizations is responsible for
implementing health education programs. The health educator can:
Competency A:
Exhibit competence in carrying out planned educational programs.
-
Employ a wide range of educational
methods and techniques.
-
Apply individual or group process
methods as appropriate to given learning situations.
-
Utilize instructional equipment and
other instructional media effectively.
-
Select methods that best facilitate
practice of program objectives.
Competency B:
Infer enabling objectives as needed to implement instructional programs
in specified settings.
Competency C:
Select methods and media best suited to implement program plans for
specific learners.
-
Analyze learner characteristics,
legal aspects, feasibility, and other considerations influencing
choices among methods.
-
Evaluate the efficacy of alternative
methods and techniques capable of facilitating program objectives.
-
Determine the availability of
information, personnel, time, and equipment needed to implement the
program for a given audience.
Competency D:
Monitor educational programs, adjusting objectives and activities as
necessary.
-
Compare actual program activities
with the stated objectives.
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Assess the relevance of existing
program objectives to current needs.
-
Revise program activities and
objectives as necessitated by changes in learner needs.
-
Appraise applicability of resources
and materials relative to given education objectives.
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RESPONSIBILITY
IV: The health educator,
working with individuals, groups, and organizations is responsible for
evaluating effectiveness of health education programs. The health
educator can:
Competency A:
Develop plans to assess achievement of program objectives.
-
Determine standards of performance
to be applied as criteria of effectiveness.
-
Establish a realistic scope of
evaluation efforts.
-
Develop an inventory of existing
valid and reliable tests and survey instruments.
-
Select appropriate methods for
evaluating program effectiveness.
Competency B:
Carry out evaluation plans.
-
Facilitate administration of the
tests and activities specified in the plan.
-
Translate evaluation results into
terms easily understood by others.
-
Report effectiveness of educational
programs in achieving proposed objectives.
Competency C:
Interpret results of program evaluation.
-
Apply criteria of effectiveness to
obtained results of a program.
-
Translate evaluation results into
terms easily understood by others.
-
Report effectiveness of educational
programs in achieving proposed objectives.
Competency D:
Infer implications from findings for future program planning.
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RESPONSIBILITY
V: The health educator,
working with individuals, groups, and organizations is responsible for
coordinating provisions of health education services.
Competency A:
Develop a plan for coordinating health
education services.
-
Determine the extent of available
health education services.
-
Match health education services to
proposed program activities.
-
Identify gaps and overlaps in the
provision of collaborative health services.
Competency B:
Facilitate cooperation between and among
levels of program personnel.
-
Promote cooperation and feedback
among personnel related to the program.
-
Apply various methods of conflict
reduction as needed.
-
Analyze the role of health educator
as liaison between program staff and outside groups and
organizations.
Competency C:
Formulate practical modes of
collaboration among the health agencies and organizations.
-
Stimulate development of cooperation
among personnel responsible for community health education programs.
-
Suggest approaches for integrating
health education within existing health programs.
-
Develop plans for promoting
collaborative efforts among health agencies and organizations with
mutual interests.
Competency D:
Organize in-service training programs
for teachers, volunteers, and other interested personnel.
-
Plan an operational, competency
oriented training program.
-
Utilize instructional resources that
meet a variety of in-service training needs.
-
Demonstrate a wide range of
strategies for conducting in-service training programs.
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RESPONSIBILITY
VI: The health educator,
working with individuals, groups, and organizations is responsible for
acting as a resource person in health education. The health educator
can:
Competency A:
Utilize computerized health information retrieval systems effectively.
Competency B:
Establish effective consultative relationships with those requesting
assistance in solving health-related problems.
-
Analyze parameters of effective
consultative relationships.
-
Describe special skills and
abilities needed by health educators for consultation activities.
-
Formulate a plan for providing
consultation to other health professionals.
-
Explain the process of marketing
health education consultative services.
Competency C:
Interpret and respond to requests for health information.
Competency D:
Select effective educational resource materials for dissemination.
-
Assemble educational material of
value to the health of individuals and community groups.
-
Evaluate the worth and applicability
of resource materials for given audiences.
-
Apply various processes in the
acquisition of resource materials.
-
Compare different methods for
distributing educational materials.
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RESPONSIBILITY
VII: The health educator,
working with individuals, groups, and organizations is responsible for
communicating health and health education needs, concerns, and
resources. The health educator can:
Competency A:
Interpret concepts, purposes, and theories of health education.
-
Evaluate the state of the art of
health education.
-
Analyze the foundations of the
discipline of health education.
-
Describe major responsibilities of
the health education in the practice of health education.
Competency B:
Predict the impact of societal value systems on health education
programs.
Competency C:
Select a variety of communication methods and techniques in providing
health information.
Competency D:
Foster communication between health care providers and consumers.
-
Identify the significance and
implications of health care providers’ messages to consumers.
-
Act as liaison between consumer
groups and individuals, and health care provider organizations.
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Mission Statement /
Curriculum Grid /
Assessment Plan /
Results of
Assessment / Contact Person
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