CQUniversity Unit Profile

In Progress

Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.
PBHL13001 Public Health and Environmental Sustainability
Public Health and Environmental Sustainability
All details in this unit profile for PBHL13001 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

The World Health Organisation has identified the link between anthropogenic environmental change and public health as an issue of significant concern and has engaged in a workplan with priorities to advocate and raise awareness, strengthen partnerships, enhance scientific evidence and strengthen health systems. This unit aims to develop your understanding of factors within the anthropogenic and natural environments that impact upon health outcomes, including environmentally transmitted diseases, climate change and sustainable development. Content will include an exploration of zoonotic diseases, vector borne conditions, emerging epidemiologic trends, community resilience and capacity building. You will discover the value of participation through an exploration of community resilience and capacity building. Prevention will be emphasised as you learn about the aetiologies, risk factors, epidemiological trends and underlying environmental factors relating to a range of diseases of public health importance. The theme of partnership will be developed as you examine the issue of environmental sustainability and emerging environmental health issues while learning the importance of working with traditional and contemporary custodians of natural environments, collaborating with government and non-government agencies in creating healthy environmental policy.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 3
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

96 credit points

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2025

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Previous recommendation

Feedback

Lectures for Module 3 are now dated.

Recommendation

Consider re-recording for 2025 offering.

Feedback from Student Unit Evaluation, personal reflection.

Feedback

Quiz questions require revision, with one needing to be corrected.

Recommendation

Correct quiz question that required manual marking and consider revising remaining questions for clarity.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Explain primary drivers of environmental change and how they interact to result in public health consequences
  2. Examine the aetiology and risk factors of environmentally transmitted diseases and conditions
  3. Evaluate the social-ecological framework as a means to build and maintain partnerships to address environmental health issues
  4. Predict and debate potential scenarios to respond to environmental health challenges based on current and emerging evidence
  5. Communicate information relating to emerging environmental health issues to a wide variety of audiences
  6. Describe the use of Health Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment and social innovation in the development of sustainable public policy to support health.

Content in this unit aligns with the enHealth Skills and Knowledge Matrix as follows:

Part 1- all generic skills

Part 2- underpinning skills and knowledge in the areas of:

  • microbiology
  • foundation and applied principles of natural and built environmental science
  • science
  • public and environmental health concepts
  • research methods
  • political, legislative and policy context
  • risk assessment and management
  • communication, cultural awareness and interpersonal skills

Part 3- applied skills and knowledge under the headings of

  • Prevention and control of notifiable and communicable diseases
  • Indigenous environmental health
  • Sustainability and climate change

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Online Test - 15%
2 - Online Test - 15%
3 - Group Discussion - 30%
4 - Written Assessment - 40%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Online Test - 15%
2 - Online Test - 15%
3 - Group Discussion - 30%
4 - Written Assessment - 40%
Textbooks and Resources

Information for Textbooks and Resources has not been released yet.

This information will be available on Monday 17 February 2025
Academic Integrity Statement

Information for Academic Integrity Statement has not been released yet.

This unit profile has not yet been finalised.