Environmental Health Services Evaluation

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2008:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject is designed for students interested or practising in environmental health. The subject introduces students to the evaluation of environmental health services or programs. Topics covered include: the importance of evaluating environmental health (EH) services, aspects of EH services that can be evaluated, and scoping and planning the evaluation. Stakeholder consultation and the need for culturally appropriate evaluations, in particular, evaluations involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations will be emphasised. Indicator development that includes the use of the DPSEEA environmental health indicator development framework will also be introduced. The subject also introduces the student to the strengths, limitations and common design and logistical issues concerning the evaluation of particular aspects of environmental health programs. A large range of environmental health case-studies and examples will be used to illustrate key evaluation concepts throughout the subject that include food safety, air pollution, aboriginal health, risk communication, and others.

On completion of the course students should be able to:
• demonstrate an understanding of the nature and purposes of evaluation in relation to environmental health services or programs;
• identify a range of approaches used in conducting evaluations of environmental health programs;
• identify important stakeholders and communicate the importance of negotiating the terms and design of an evaluation with these stakeholders;
• scope an evaluation of an environmental health service or program and establish and develop appropriate evaluation questions, criteria for judging particular aspects of the service and choose appropriate methods for collecting data;
• recognise the strengths, limitations and common design and logistical issues concerning the evaluation; and
• demonstrate the application of key evaluation concepts and tools using an environmental health case-study (E.g. aboriginal environmental health, food safety, air pollution).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Level: 500

This is a Group 1 elective in the Master of Public Health

Subject Coordinator: Ms Helen Jordan