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Applied Learning for Undergraduates: Integrating NCHEC Competencies and CEPH Public Health Domains in a Public Health Practice Course

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Abstract

To meet Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation standards for a standalone undergraduate public health program, faculty at the University of North Carolina Wilmington conducted a matrix exercise to assess curricular alignment with the CEPH Domains of Public Health (PHDs) and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) competencies. Addressing gaps in the undergraduate public health program identified by the matrix exercise drove development of a new course, Public Health Practice. The course was designed to use real world experience to provide students with the tools and skills needed for the practice of public health. Written assignments such as a needs assessment and a logic model were used to simultaneously expose and prepare students to address real-life public health challenges and to introduce students to selected CEPH PHDs and NCHEC competencies. This integration of competencies and domains into a course curriculum may be of benefit to undergraduate public health programs seeking to develop courses with applied learning aligned with CEPH and NCHEC requirements.

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Acknowledgements

In terms of acknowledgement, special thanks go to Dr. Beth Resnick for her contributions to an assignment in the Public Health Practice course and to both Dr. Resnick and Dr. Ade Anast for their thorough feedback on this manuscript.

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No funding in the form of outside research support was used to develop this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health and Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Box 5956, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA

    Lenis P. Chen-Edinboro, Jorge Figueroa, Hannah Priest Catalano & Kerry Whipple

  2. 7354 Timbernoll Dr., West Chester, OH, 45069, USA

    Randall Cottrell

Authors
  1. Lenis P. Chen-Edinboro
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  2. Jorge Figueroa
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  3. Randall Cottrell
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  4. Hannah Priest Catalano
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  5. Kerry Whipple
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Correspondence to Lenis P. Chen-Edinboro.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Research with human subjects was not conducted; therefore, informed consent was not obtained.

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Chen-Edinboro, L.P., Figueroa, J., Cottrell, R. et al. Applied Learning for Undergraduates: Integrating NCHEC Competencies and CEPH Public Health Domains in a Public Health Practice Course. J Community Health 44, 519–524 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00629-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00629-6

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