Category: Essays

1. 1.     ASSESSMENTS for HS 1112

 

These details are also available within the overall Module Guidance

 

As part of this module students will complete TWO assessments.

Component 1 – Poster Presentation: 

In your smaller working groups, each will make a poster presentation based on weekly readings, group discussions and related research. The poster contributes 60% of Component 1 marks. Each student is expected to produce a Reflective Report of 750 words on their Poster presentation. This contributes 40% of Component 1 marks. Overall, Component 1 accounts for 40% of the Module assessment.  

                                                                       

Component 2 – Unseen Exam:

At the end of the Module, an examination comprising short answers, or multiple choice or mini-essay questions will be written based on the topics covered over the course of the module. The exam will be for 2 hours and accounts for 60% of the Module assessment.  The date and time for this assignment is to be confirmed later in the semester, but will take place during the scheduled exam week.

 

 

1.1. Details of assignments

 

Component 1:  Group Poster (using Power Point template provided) and Report

TITLE:                                       Component1: Group Poster Presentation and Individual Reflective report

WORDS:                                   Poster: 1,000 words. Individual Reflective Report 750 words

WEIGHTING:                             40% of Module assessment

DUE DATE:                              April 22^nd 2014 (2359hrs)

PRESENTATION DATE:             April 29^th, 2014 (0930hrs – 1300hrs)

BOTH THE POSTER AND INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIVE REPORT ARE SUBMITTED THROUGH TURNITIN 

 

There are ten topics for poster presentations. By the end of Week 2, each group would have chosen a Topic on which to make the Poster. Students use their small working groups to prepare the assignment. Posters must be prepared by the group members. The reflective reports on the poster are done individually. Students will be allocated a group mark for the poster and an individual mark for the reflective report. The marks will be then averaged.

 

In preparing the posters, you may want to share specific tasks but at the end you must have single poster to present as a group. There will be a conference style poster presentation session on April 29^th, 2014 using time slots to be allocated. Students must be there to answer questions and discuss their poster as part of assessment of the poster.

 

An example poster will be shown to the students and will be available for display. The seminars in Week 5 focus on making your Poster Presentations.  A Template and sample poster will be uploaded on the MOODLE site. Students can use the following link for some Poster Design tips:

http://clt.lse.ac.uk/workshops-and-courses/Course-resources/Poster-Design-Tips.php .

 

Students should start working on their topic as soon as possible. Procrastinating may jeopardise your group as well as individual mark.  Students will use information from lectures, seminar discussions, in class interactive activities, weekly reading and Internet research to feed into their poster presentation.

 

Posters will be created in Power Point and submitted via Turnitin. There will be a designated folder accessible via the ‘Assessments’ link. One group member is responsible for submitting the poster. This should be submitted by the deadline (April 22^nd 2014 by 2359hrs). There will be a separate Turnitin submission folder for the individual reflective report with each student submitting their reports individually. Please note: both the group poster and individual reports are submitted electronically via Turnitin and in hardcopy to the HAB Helpdesk by the deadline.

 

The hardcopy poster should be submitted in A1 format. A1 posters can be printed in the Computer Centre on the first floor. Please ask at IT Help Desk for appropriate use of the printer. Please note that this printer can take some time to print and there are several other students that require this service. Do not wait until the deadline to print out your posters. Alternatively, you can pay to have your posters printed off-campus. Below is a list of possible printers:

Zip Printers (online): http://www.zip-posters.co.uk/?gclid=CJeNst661aYCFYMTfAod81fvMw

A1 Posters (online): http://www.a1posters.co.uk/

Student Poster (online):  http://www.studentposters.co.uk/

PrintExpress(online):  http://www.printexpress.co.uk/?cid=Adwords&gclid=CKzo6qS91aYCFUQTfAodaDq2zQ

 

How to prepare and present your poster:

• Please read your topic carefully and make sure you understand what is being asked of you before beginning; discuss with your group members and Seminar Leader, if necessary to check your understanding.
• Use the template made available, the sample poster and the Week 3 Seminar to prepare your presentation (additional guidance available on MOODLE).
• Plan the content and format of your poster presentation and divide up the work.
• Identify sources of information you may need and where to find these (remember that you will need to reference these using the Harvard system: http://www.uel.ac.uk/lls/support/harvard.htm ) Do not forget to reference all sources used to prepare your poster (on the poster).
• Attend weekly lectures and seminars, keep up with the assigned weekly reading and assignments; communicate with your group members; collect and use up-to-date information (as up-to-date as available).
• Submit the text-contents of your poster (no figures or tables) to Turnitin by the specified deadline (you will need to submit this prior to the deadline to ensure that there are no plagiarism issues).
• Tables, charts or diagrams that are borrowed or adapted from other sources must be referenced. Please see the Harvard referencing guidelines for further instruction. Also be sure that the chosen tables, etc are relevant and are discussed/referred to in the appropriate sections of the poster text (i.e. the results).
• Produce a size A1 poster with the information you collected and studied. Your poster must be clear, concise and visually attractive. You should use complete sentences, academic or formal language and make certain that there are no typographical errors. (It is strongly recommended that if you are having difficulties with academic writing skills that you seek assistance. Access relevant resources or assistance at Skill Zone: http://www.uel.ac.uk/skillzone/index.htm )
• Present your poster (all group members must be present) during the conference-style poster presentation session on April 29^th 2014 You must attend during the designated time slot for your seminar group.

 

Sources of data you may find useful:

–        Books and academic papers (including those assigned as readings);

–        Additional papers searched through electronic databases (E.g. Medline) or paper journals available in the library;

–        Internet websites of local, national and international organisations (e.g.: Primary Care Trusts, Local Authorities, London Health Commission, London Health Observatory, Department of Health, WHO, Health Protection Agency, etc.) (see section 5.2).

–        Government and international reports available electronically and in hard copies;

–        Media publications.

 

Submitting your poster and report

You must submit your poster and your report:

1. To Turnitin (only the text (not the graphs, tables or figures) including reference list and excluding tables and graphs). The poster must be submitted in the designated folder on MOODLE to the report. One member of the group will submit the hard copy of the poster to the helpdesk. Please sure ensure that all group members’ names and student numbers are on the submission cover page as well as the poster. The report will also be submitted via Turnitin.
2. All group members will individually submit their own reports by the agreed deadline (March 19th) in hard copy to the HAB helpdesk by the agreed deadline.

 

Submission to Turnitin

• The link to enable you to submit your poster to Turnitin for plagiarism will be activated two weeks before the deadline.
• You must log in to MOODLE to access this folder, and follow the instructions provided. You will submit your poster and your report in separate submission folders.
• You must submit to Turnitin only text-contents (no tables or figures). You can do this by copying the contents directly into a MS Word document and making a submission. Your poster submission should include the list of references used for your poster. Your report must also be submitted in MS Word and must also have a reference list.
• You may submit more than once prior deadline, the last submission received by the deadline is final.
• You must make any necessary corrections to your work prior to final submission.
• Submissions after 2359hrs on April 22^nd will be marked as late.
• The final report on your level of plagiarism might take up to 24 hours to be produced.
• Failure to submit the poster and/or the report to Turnitin will be considered a non-submission of assignment.
• Students who do not submit their posters will not be able to participate in the conference style presentation.

 

Submission to the Helpdesk

• You will need to submit both a hard copy of your poster and your individual report.
• Failure to submit the poster and/or the report to the helpdesk will be considered as a non-submission for Component 1, meaning you will be given a mark of ‘0’.

 

*Both electronic and hard copy submissions must be identical.

 

Submission deadlines

–          Poster and Report to Turnitin and Helpdesk: April 22nd, 2014 (2359hrs)

–          Poster presentation and marking:   April 29th, 2014 (0930 —1330hrs)

 

Poster description

A poster presentation summarises information obtained from defined, peer-reviewed sources. These may include specified texts, a limited number of key texts, a range of peer-reviewed publications relevant to a specified topic or activities associated with lectures.

 

The poster display must directly address the topic given for the assessment, demonstrating an ability to summarise and analyse the material read, reviewed or examined.  You will be expected to draw conclusions based on the material presented.  The presentation should contain sufficient information to describe the topic and its significance clearly whilst avoiding too much detail.  The appearance of the posters with regard to font size, colour and use of tables and figures should be considered carefully.  The posters should highlight an understanding of the topic and appropriate background information.  The presentation should be logically structured and self-explanatory. Have a look at the tips and example posters to help you!

 

 

Remember:

– The poster content should present clear, attractive and visually appealing content and be printed to size A1.

– It should be logically and concisely laid out according to your topic.

– The poster must have a clear title that is relevant to the chosen topic.

– Include the student numbers of all group members.

– It should contain only information relevant to the subject under consideration – using the headings provided.

– There should be a balance of appropriate and relevant text, diagrams, charts, pictures and images.

– Your poster should contain at least one visual aid (i.e. diagram, chart, table, etc.)

– The text must be word-processed and the typeface, font size, spacing and layout should be appropriate.

– The poster should be prepared using a singe PowerPoint slide 594mm × 840mm (this will be covered in the Week 3 workshop, but also see tips below).

– Colours and other ornamental elements are at the discretion of the students, but these should not overpower the poster text.

– Sources of data should be clearly identifiable, using both in-text citations and with the reference list provided on the poster and according to Harvard reference system.

 

How to present your poster:

The posters will be presented in a conference style sessions. Posters will be displayed and all members of the group must be present to discuss their poster with the markers during the designated time slots (see weekly schedule above). Each group member should be present to answer questions from the markers about the poster and support their other group members.

All students must attend their groups’ poster presentation.   Failure to attend the session will be accounted as failure to submit the work and given a ‘0%’.

Groups can choose from the list of topics below. You will choose your topics in your seminar groups. Note, groups in the same seminars will not be allowed to present on the same topic.

Poster topics

Poster topic

Climate change and climate variability. Are these public health challenges?

Increasing the uptake of cancer screening programmes in the UK is a public health challenge

STIs among young adults in the UK

Tuberculosis infection rates as a global and local public health issue

Prevention of road traffic accidents as a public health challenge

Natural disasters as a public health issue

Rates of Type II Diabetes in the UK

Increased HIV infections in London as a public health issue

The challenge presented by recent flu epidemics for public health surveillance

 

Poster headings

1. Background

Provide a brief introduction or overview of the poster and provide general background information to the problem that you are addressing. You should describe and quantify the problem within the defined context or which you intend to address it (i.e. UK or globally).

2. Methods

How did you go about examining/researching your topic—how many/what credible sources did you investigate. This section should also include details on literature searches conducted using research databases.

3. Findings

This section should illustrate why your chosen problem is a public health problem, using facts and figures. This section should also include a table or figure to illustrate your findings. You must explain this figure or table in findings.

4. Discussion and Recommendations

In this section you will discuss the implications of the findings presented (e.g. What does this mean for public health policy, programmes, practice or the population affected?) and provide recommendations for how public health professionals can address the implications or issues raised. You should make at least 3 recommendations.

5. References

You must use Harvard referencing style. You must utilise at least 10 references (books, journals and/or reports). No more than 3 websites are allowed. Wikipedia is NOT allowed. Please use the appropriate referencing style to reference websites. Web addresses alone will not be accepted.

 

Your individual reflective report

Along with the group poster, each group member should prepare and submit an individually prepared report. In this report you must select an organisation, policy or strategy (only 1, not all 3) that has been designed to address the public health issue presented in your poster.

Your report should include:

1) A summary of the work undertaken by this organisation or a summary of the policy/strategy.

2) A discuss the significance of this organisation, policy or strategy for modern public health and this section should also include a discussion of the aims of public health and linking these to the aims of the organisation, policy or strategy chosen. For example, if you choose to work on the HIV topic, you may decide to look in more detail at the Terrence Higgins Trust, a well know HIV organisation in the UK. You would then need to address how this organisation’s work is aligned with the aims of public health (i.e. promoting health and prolonging life).

 

Your short report should be no longer than 1000 words and include sufficient references (a minimum of 5). Please include the word count at the end of the report (this word count includes references). Your report should contain the following headings and information:

 

1. Synopsis/summary of the chosen organisation/policy/strategy (250 words)

Here you should provide a summary of the chosen policy/strategy or the work undertaken by the organisation chosen.

2. Significance for modern public health (750 words)

Here you will discuss the significance of this organisation/policy/strategy for modern public health. You should address the theoretical aims of public health and link the aims of public health to the aims of your chosen organisation/policy/strategy. Depending on your chosen organisation/policy/strategy you may need to draw on other necessary theories (i.e. health promotion, health inequalities, health policy, etc.). You must provide concrete examples to support your ideas throughout this section.

 

Assignment 2: Written exam

 

TITLE:               Unseen written examination paper

DATE:              Week starting 20^th – 24^th May 2014

WEIGHTING:     60%

This assignment is intended to test students’ understanding of the key concepts and principles of public health and their ability to apply these to public health debate and practice.  The paper will be based on knowledge and skills expected to have been acquired through lectures, seminars, external and group presentations and directed reading. It will test a wide range of topics covered during the course and will enable students to demonstrate learning outcomes 1,2,3,4,5,6 (see module specifications).

The paper will be taken during 2- hour examination. The date and room will be confirmed at a later stage.  All students must attend and sit the examination.  For information on what happens if you do not attend the examination session please see below.

A revision session will take place in Week 12 seminar. Students will also contribute to a collaborative online-exam blog in order to prepare for the exam.

1.2 Formative assessments

 

Formative assessments (FAs) are tools for students’ self-evaluation. Although they do not count towards final mark, failure to do them will compromise preparedness for the exam.

 

The formative assessments will take the form of 3 short quizzes throughout the semester. The quizzes are designed to help you keep up with the weekly lectures and readings and to prepare you for the final, online exam. These quizzes will be made available and submitted via MOODLE. Dates for quizzes can be found in the Weekly reading schedule in section 5.4.

 

General description of the task:

The quizzes will take the form of multiple choice questions interpreting, explaining and calculating key module concepts. The quizzes will be undertaken in your own time and will have a submission deadline.

1.3. Assessment system

 

To complete the module, you will need to obtain an overall mark of 40% (PASS) and a minimum of 30% (THRESHOLD) in both the poster and the exam. The weighting of each assignment will have to be taken into account when calculating the overall mark.

 

If you get less than 30% for either of the assignments (even if the overall mark is higher than 40%) OR if you get less than 40% as an overall mark, you will NOT be able to complete the module at the time specified. In such a case, you will have to re-submit your poster and/or to re-sit the exam. You may need to resubmit one or both assignments according to the following rules:

 

 

Should you have to resubmit (coursework) and/or re-sit the exam your module will be capped at 40%. If, after resubmitting, the module still does not receive a pass, you will have to re-sit the whole module, which also involves payment of fees.

 

A sample of assignment and exams papers are seen by a second and an external marker to ensure consistency and fairness.

 

 

1.4  University assessment policies

 

Assessment and handing in work

You are expected to complete assignments and sit the exam at the specified dates. Extensions will not be provided. Teaching staff (this includes lecturers, guest lecturers, personal tutors and seminar staff) are not permitted to give extension under ANY circumstances.

 

Late Hand-ins

If, for whatever reason, you submit an assignment after the set deadline, you will are entitled to fill in an Extenuating Circumstances form within two working days of the deadline. Please note that extenuating circumstances are rarely awarded (see www.uel.ac.uk/qa/extenuation.htm for more details).

 

A decision will then be made by the Field Board, which meets once a semester. If your application is successful, your mark in the next submission will not be capped at 40% (you will receive the mark that your course-work or exam-paper is granted with). If you are not successful, your mark in re-submission or re-sit will be capped at 40%.

 

Please, note that granted extenuating circumstances does not mean “additional chances”. In all circumstances, there are two opportunities for each assessed component of this module (poster and report, and exam paper). Granted extenuating circumstances only affect whether your final mark will be capped at 40%.

1.5 Assessment marking grids

Poster Evaluation

(The criteria on which posters will be marked)

 

 

Student numbers:

 

 

Please circle the appropriate number from

0 (very poor) to 5 (excellent)

 

Visual presentation       0      1      2      3      4      5

Visual impact, attention to detail, general layout and free from errors.

 

Academic content          0      1      2      3      4      5

Self-explanatory, clear and logical presentation of the work that you have undertaken. Appropriate use of data sources, tables and figures.

 

Analysis                          0      1      2      3      4      5

Knowledgeable, logical, evidenced, appropriate amount of depth and relevance.

 

Accessible                      0      1      2      3      4      5

The poster should communicate the topic in logical, interesting, orderly and academic manner. (The work should be presented in such a way as to make it understandable to a wider academic and public health audiences).

 

 

General marker comments:

 

 

 

Recommended mark: