Active participative Methods in Teaching Environmental Health Module in the College of Public Health and Health Informatics. KSAMU. KSA Amen A Bawazir,

Active participative Methods in Teaching

Environmental Health Module in the

College of Public Health and Health

Informatics. KSAMU. KSA

Amen A Bawazir, Ali M Al Shehri

• In mid 1980s, the National Guard Health Affairs (

NGHA) initiated a number of postgraduate programs

in various medical fields and subspecialties.

• NGHA advanced medical facilities at King Abdulaziz

Medical Cities in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Ahsa have

contributed to the success of these programs, and

paved the way for the university’s inception in 2005.

• KSAU-HS's headquarter is in Riyadh, but it has two

additional campuses in Jeddah and Al Ahsa. Riyadh

Campus hosts six colleges:

– College of Medicine, College of Dentistry,

– College of Pharmacy,

– College of Public Health and Health Informatics,

– College of Applied Medical Sciences, and

– College of Nursing.

King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences

The College of Public Health and Health Informatics

Established in 2006 as the first college in this specialty

in the Kingdom.

It provides distinct programs in post graduate studies.

Environmental Health is among the different modules

that are taught in this college which is targeting Master

students.

Departments in the college offering courses in Public Health

The College of Public Health and Health Informatics

Health informatics

Communit

y and public

health

Epidemiol-ogy and bio-sta-tis-tics

Quality and health system

In recent years, in the field of education of a subject such

as Environmental health, a variety of innovative active

pedagogical methods, for example “Problem solving”,

“case study”, Field study”, “Project method”,

“Modelisation-Simulation” have been developed and

applied.

The College of Public Health and Health Informatics

• The number of students in academic year 2011/2012 are 63,

The College of Public Health and Health Informatics

• Studies for the Master degree lasts for 2 years.( 160 Credits )

• The study program consists of eight core modules for all the

student , and 7 module for each specific group

Master program in Public health

• The study program provide essential knowledge and

skills in the field of:

• public health, health care administration, statistic

social medicine, environmental health, occupational

health, epidemiology, health promotion.

• The aim of the course is to increase student’s

understanding, knowledge and skills beyond the

basic level of environmental health for

strengthening capability of their independent

planning and executing public health research.

• To introduce to principles and methods of

extended environmental risk analysis.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Aims of the module

• This module is designed to introduce the students into the nature and scope of:

– environmental health science and – occupational health science

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Course Objectives

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

1. Describe the disciplines of environmental health professionals and

the approaches by which they identify, analyze, and solve

problems.

2. Identify environmental and occupational safety and health

hazards, including biological, chemical, physical, mechanical and

psychological hazards

3. Describe pathways of exposure, routes of absorption, basic

distribution, storage and mechanisms of toxicity for important

occupational and environmental exposures .

EOH Online: Course Objectives

4. Discuss hazard identification, exposure assessment, risk

assessment, risk management, and risk communication techniques

5. Investigate exposure factors in the workplace and general

environment that lead to adverse health outcomes

6. Critically evaluate, write about, present, and discuss scientific

articles, current events, and popular literature on environmental

health issues at the regional, national, and global levels

7. Find and utilize resources on environmental and occupational

health

Learning outcomes

• By the end of the module the students will be able to:

– define the concepts of environmental and

occupational health science,

– Critically analyze environmental and occupational

health and their implications on health

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Learning outcomes … Continue

– discuss current environmental and occupational

issues.

– To recognize the main environmental and

occupational health problems related to KSA and

the region.

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• Contact time:

– lectures, seminars, plenary brainstorming, case-

studies, group work, class presentations, and

practical field visits

• Self directed study:

– Reading and working on exercises, activities

and brief reports.15

Learning activities

The module assessed through:

Two written assignment

One individual (minor)

Group team working (major)

Class attendance.

Reports

and through one exam.

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Assessment

The assignment: According to Module Reader.

The exam (2 hours): As above. Two “problem based”

questions (approximately 30 min each) and short note

and MSQs questions 30 min in environmental and also

in occupational health.

Assessments: in accordance with the Module Handbook

and the selected articles.17

Assessment

1- Field study (2 000 words)

Timetable:

Start from course start first day,

Supplied with structure for the assignment.

Self study – an opportunity for writing assignment.

Take opportunity to make one appointment to get preliminary feedback.

Deadline to hand in written assignment the three days before the close of

the module.

2- Reports on “Field visit” of selected public health departments (water,

sanitation, food, waste disposal, occupation).18

The assignment

To choose a city in the Kingdom of Saudi arabia that is a

recognized Healthy City Project(HCP)

To compile information about the city and the HCP,

To choose one/some hazardous

chemical/toxin/waste/pollution and explain the present or/and

planned future specific waste management in the HCP.

To make a Power Point presentation to the class the three

days before the close of the module.

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Group work Environmental health

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Assignments

1) Hospital care waste

2) Quality of drinking water in Riyadh

3) Quality of food in Riyadh

4) Level of air pollution in Riyadh

5) Controlling of solid waste in Riyadh

6) Occupational Biological factor and its implication on health.

7) Factors contributing to climate change in KSA and the region

8) Major diseases in PHC centers related to climate changes in Riyadh.

9) Legislations, lows and guidelines related to Environmental health in KSA.

Public health Master programme

• to promote establishment of public health education

system in KSA, stressing on globally and locally oriented

approach;

The goals

• The aim of the project is development of the curriculum

and the program for advance training at the Master Sc.

degrees in Public health and increasing the number of

young public health working people.

Increasing the numbers of public health

oriented cadres

Iimproving their theoretical knowledge and practical

skills in teaching advance courses

Introducing new problem oriented pedagogical

methods

Iincreasing the activity in environmental assessment

Participation in conferences and environmental health events

• The outcome would be to increase the knowledge of the

student gained outside the class-room.

• How to use theories and practice in education on

environment-related issues such as the World Water Day,

World Health Day and Tobacco related day.

• How to use different examples from the society to

increase their awareness and interaction.

Summary of work

• This article describes the curricular approach in teaching

course of environmental health for Master degree students

and assessing their activities over the time-period course.

• Application of such module required implementation of

some innovative approaches and attractiveness in the way

of enhancing the capabilities of the student to interact with

the content and the way of understanding.

Summary of results • The curriculum was planned on the framework of

comprehensive environmental understanding of the main

factors influencing health of human being.

• It makes strong adherence of the trainees to identify and

analyse interrelated determinants of health and major health

problems of populations in relation to environmental context.

• These include items related to water and sanitation, food

control, vector born-diseases, air pollutant and occupational

risks.

Conclusions

• Assessment of risk and causal-relation is important

component of the module.

• Plans for a sustainable improvement of health

systems are crucial step in the process of

implementation in diverse intercultural settings as

well as social and ethical responsibilities.

Take-home messages

Practicability to problems related to the local

conditions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are

included and of great concern to be discussed

and analyzed by the student.

Thank You !!

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