UDPUHEHP - BSc Public Health and Health Promotion (Top-up)

This course has been designed as a top-up to an honours degree for those with a Diploma of Higher Education or Foundation degree in a relevant subject including those working in the health and social care sectors such as nurses, health advisors or those providing social care. Through a mix of taught and online learning components, it will provide the opportunity for those working in, or aspiring to, public health or health promotion roles to develop and test their knowledge and skills through three core modules in order to inform their practice and enhance career choices. Students will be able to make some choices of specialist areas they wish to study through assessment topics that facilitate personal development including the practice-based project.

Students' learning will be structured around the weekly contact time (face-to-face) with the teaching team during the first semester for two core modules, and online teaching, activities and tutorials during the second semester: students' independent work will be supported through guidance supplied in lectures, group work, tutorials and online discussion forums. In addition, students will take a yearlong (60 credits) practice-based module taught online, during the first semester and mainly face-to-face during the second semester.

The Course conforms with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) Section 4.15. Enquiry based learning and problem-based learning will be used to help students to comprehend theoretical concepts. Students will be required to engage continuously and constructively with the modules. Every week, students will be required to read recommended literature, to access Weblearn, websites or videos containing relevant educational material and to participate weekly in interactive workshops and online activities.

Digital and information literacy is a central feature of this course. Students and tutors will collaborate in ‘virtual’ environments, allowing the development of digital literacy skills, and enabling full exploitation of the newest technologies and digital resources.

The course is also informed by the Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (2019) and intends to build competence and confidence in defined areas of public health. Our curriculum will emphasise evidence base and best practice models of health, with a focus on patients and users’ engagement and participation, the relevance of enabling individuals and communities to have more control over things that affect their lives and their health, especially those individuals/groups with the greatest health problems or at greatest risk of exclusion. Students will gain skills in the use of key public health tools, including population health needs assessment, community profiling, and intervention development and evaluation, to enhance their employability skills with relevant approaches used within the sector.

The Centre for Primary Health & Social Care will engage students in their Health Seminars and the Annual Interdisciplinary Health and Wellbeing conference, inviting students presentations, individually or alongside staff. CPED –Teaching and Learning Conference, will also promote inclusive activities for students to engage.

The course aims to prepare participants to develop theoretical knowledge, skills and competencies in Public Health and Health Promotion. It is intended to raise students’ awareness of and competence in understanding main concepts of health promotion and public health and the ways individuals and groups experience them, to understand the social determinants of health and their impact in populations, and to work with people and communities to develop skills to improve their health.

The course provides the opportunity to:

• Develop students’ capacity to critically debate the global, national and local context of public health and health promotion knowledge, practice and policy.

• Provide learning opportunities which support the public health and health promotion role within the context of the social determinants of health i.e. to improve priority public health conditions and reduce health inequalities, engaging communities, and designing strategies for service improvement or development.

• Analyse relevant policies and their implementation by different agencies and organisations

• Develop research and evaluative skills to support an evidence-based approach to their public health and health promotion practice, and critical reflective practice.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within Public Health and Health Promotion;

2. Devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of Public Health and Health Promotion;

3. Describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in Public Health and Health Promotion; recognising the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge;

4. Manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to Public Health and Health Promotion;

5. Apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects;

6. Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem.

7. Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;

8. Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts;

9. Undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature

10. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

Health Studies

The course will use a variety of assessment tools following the principles of fairness and inclusivity (ESJ), and supported by the mixed mode formative and summative assessments. These include: group presentations, practical reports and reviews, online discussions and essays. Transferable skills have been embedded in the learning outcomes of the course modules. The assessment strategy includes different instances of formative assessment that is timely, individual and developmental (weekly videoconference tutorials, feedback on online activities, face-to-face tutorials, and draft plans) so that students can test and assess their own performance before handing in or presenting oral work. In addition, the modules offer instances of general formative feedback delivered in class and on online, which is communicated to students in advance. The formative assessment strategy will integrate key skills and build resilience towards tackling the summative assessments.

The course includes a practice-based project based on the student’s own area of practice, which involves a high degree of self-directed and independent work. The purpose of this assessment is to contribute to students’ employability while connecting with their own identities, experiences and cultural capital (ESJ). Individual supervision is provided for the practice-based project.

Marking criteria and moderation practices are presented to students on Weblearn at the start of the academic year and discussed in class alongside the assessment guidelines. Marking and moderation are consistently applied according to University rules.

PART-TIME STRUCTURE

Year 1: SH6008 and SH6003

Year 2: SH6P01

BSc (ordinary):

Pass SH6P01 and 1 of the other two modules, i.e. 90 credits, plus failure on the other module with 30% minimum.

Reflective learning and personal development planning are an integral part of the course and will be facilitated within core modules, and by the student’s personal supervisor. This development will be evidenced by the completion of a learning log (summative assessment) for one of the modules. Another course strategy in helping to promote personal development planning is the use of peer group activities, e.g. students employed or volunteering at different work placements such as nurses, social care staff, health advisors, will facilitate students’ reflection on the development of services and professional relationships while providing insight into a range of perspectives and potential roles in the field of public health.

The course will improve career prospects to work in a variety of roles in public health and health promotion in a range of organisations including the NHS, Local Authorities, Public Health England, health charities, and Voluntary and Community Sector organisations. The programme is aligned to the public health core and defined areas established in the Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (2019). This top-up programme does not lead to professional accreditation.

After successful completion of the course students will be able to demonstrate to employers their Public Health and Health Promotion skills.

To support CPD the Academic Tutor meetings help students to recognise their strengths and weaknesses and plan for their short term and long-term professional goals. These meetings also facilitate the identification of students’ needs and the referral to Student Support Services (Academic mentors, Disability and Dyslexia, Library and Careers services) and encourage attendance to employability-oriented events.

Our health, social care and early childhood studies graduates have gone onto to work as early years practioners, nursery teachers and managers, mental health officers, support workers and nurses at various employers including Kings College Hospital, the NHS and various schools and nurseries.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a relevant Diploma in Higher Education eg Nursing or Health and Social Care or Foundation degree (eg Public Health and Social Care, Health and Social Care)
• GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)

Applicants with relevant professional qualifications or extensive professional experience will also be considered on a case by case basis.

You should demonstrate your knowledge base; strong analytical abilities that are underpinned by academic skills, as well as high levels of organisation, motivation and IT skills necessary for independent learning.Please note: registered nurses with substantial relevant work experience must be registered with the UK's Nursing and Midwifery Council (or if applicable an equivalent professional body) otherwise they won't be considered.