Health Promotion

• Certificate (Not Applicable) 

   

• Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

   

• Bachelor Degree

  The purpose and aims of HPP highlighted in the program mission and goals (see section A), are reflected and evaluated by attainment of the designed learning outcomes for the program. The specific objectives and desired outcomes for each program goal are highlighted in Tables 1-4. As noted earlier, the desired learning outcomes for goal 1 are based on the eight areas of responsibility promoted by NCHEC and deemed the essential elements for professional preparation (i.e., academic curriculum), credentialing (i.e., to become a Certified Health Education Specialist; CHES), and professional development of all health education specialists regardless of employment setting (e.g., health care, school, worksite, community health, etc.).⁴ For goal 2, the outcomes are based on the social science standards forwarded by the WSU General Education and Improvement Committee (GEIAC) and approved by the WSU Faculty Senate and Utah Board of Regents.⁵ The outcomes for goal 3 are based on the National Health Education Standards.⁶ The outcomes for goal 4 are based on direct measures developed by HPP faculty, and the internship coordinator, to evaluate students on professional competencies, similar to goal 1, aligned with NCHEC standards.
  
  Table 1: Learning Outcomes for HPP Goal 1

  No.	Objective
  1	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 1: Assess needs, resources, and capacity for health education/promotion.
  2	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 2: Plan health education/promotion.
  3	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 3: Implement health education/promotion.
  4	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 4: Conduct evaluation and research related to health education/promotion.
  5	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 5: Advocate for health, health education, and/or the health profession.
  6	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 6: Employ effective communication for health education/promotion.
  7	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 7: Exhibit leadership and management for health.
  8	When taking HPP professional-development courses, at least 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures of Responsibility 8: Demonstrate ethics and professionalism.

  
  Table 2: Learning Outcomes for HPP Goal 2

  No.	Objective
  1	By the completion of the HLTH 1030 course, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to SSGE Outcome 1: Interactions between individuals and groups. In particular, students will be able to describe how individuals and groups influence and are influenced by social contexts, institutions, physical environments and/or global process.
  2	By the completion of HLTH 1030 course, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to SSGE Outcome 2: Application of concepts, theories, and methods. Specifically, students will apply basic social science concepts, theories, and/or methods to a particular issue and identify factors that influence change.
  3	By the completion of the HLTH 1030 course, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to SSGE Outcome 3: Diversity. For instance, students will identify and argument about a social phenomenon and understand alternative explanations.

  
  Table 3: Learning Outcomes for HPP Goal 3

  No.	Objective
  1	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 1: Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.
  2	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 2: Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.
  3	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 3: Demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products, and services to enhance health.
  4	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 4: Demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.
  5	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 5: Demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.
  6	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 6: Demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.
  7	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 7: Demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
  8	By completing HPP topic courses, 80% of students will achieve 80% competency on identified measures related to NHES Outcome 8: Demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.

  
  Table 4: Learning Outcomes for HPP Goal 4
   

  No.	Objective
  1	By the conclusion of HLTH 4860, 80% of students will complete a minimum of 60 internship hours per credit.
  2	By the conclusion of HLTH 4860, 80% of students will be evaluated satisfactorily (evaluation scores 80% or higher) by their site supervisor.
  3	By the conclusion of HLTH 4860, 80% of students will satisfactorily complete a project (project score > 80% evaluated by internship coordinator) for the host agency that demonstrates three of more NCHEC competencies or responsibilities.
  4	By the conclusion of HLTH 4860, 80% of students will satisfactorily complete (assignment scores > 80% evaluated by internship coordinator) structured reflection to summarize and evaluate their field experiences.

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  ⁴ A review of the scientifically-validated responsibilities and competencies needed to practice health education can be found at https://www.nchec.org/responsibilities-and-competencies.
  ⁵ The standards for general education courses in the social science breadth can be found at https://www.weber.edu/GenEd/default.html.
  ⁶ The performance indicators for the National Health Education Standards can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sher/standards.

The Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) in the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education offers programs that promote lifelong wellness from a variety of disciplines. The mission of the HPER is to inspire future professionals by providing high quality education through an innovative, engaged learning environment.

The Department provides undergraduate programs for students wishing to complete degrees that include the Health Promotion Major and Minor, the Physical Education Teaching and Non-Teaching Majors, three Physical Education Minors and a Recreation Major and Minor. The Department also provides courses that contribute to the University’s commitment to General Education, promote a general interest in living healthy lifestyles and studying fitness, physical activity and health care, and assist students in achieving their college and career goals.

Health Promotion Website

Assessment data to measure student learning relevant to the program goals in collected every semester. A variety of direct measures are used to track student learning but, in general, performance-based assignment and competency-based exam questions are the preferred methods used by course instructors. In particular, the standards tool in Chi Tester, and the outcomes tool in Canvas, are used by most instructors to track student learning across semesters and through the health curriculum. This aggregate data is them examined annually to identify trends and examine program outcomes. Based on findings from assessment data, HPP faculty identify necessary program updates and implement desired changes for the following academic year.
Please see the assessment plan tables beginning on page 14 of the 2022 Biennial Report.

• 2021-2022

   

• 2019-2020
  The full report is available for viewing.
• 2017

  1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  •  The 2016-2017 assessment plan for the Health Promotion Program (HPP) included 67 measures aligned to 11 learning outcomes for three broad program goals. Overall, the expected thresholds or desired benchmarks set by HPP faculty were met for 62 out of 67 measures (i.e., 93%). For the HPP goal to train students in the seven core areas of health education/promotion, 52 out of 57 benchmarks were met (91%). For the other program goals (i.e., to provide a social science general education course; to provide students with meaningful service opportunities with community partners), all of the established benchmarks were met (10/10). The findings are similar to previous academic years (e.g., 2015-2016 assessment results) and suggest that HPP continues to provide students with high-quality academic experiences in multiple areas: (a) for declared HPP majors and minors preparing to work in health education/promotion settings (i.e., HPP goal 1); for students seeking to satisfy general education requirements in the social sciences (i.e., HPP goal 2); and engaged-learning opportunities (i.e., service learning internships) for upper-division HPP students (i.e., HPP goal 3).
  • The few measures that HPP students did not met benchmarks were predominately related to the practice test students completed to prepare for the Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) exam. The practice test was designed to replicate the actual CHES exam and measure possession, application, and interpretation of knowledge by students in the seven areas of responsibility for health education specialists (i.e., HPP goal 1). Given that most HPP students completed the practice test while they were still taking several required HPP courses designed to teach professional skills and competencies (e.g., HLTH 4013, HLTH 4150, HLTH 4990), scores on the practice test were low. The HPP faculty surmised that the low test scores on the practice test were more the result of students not yet completing their academic course of study, rather than students not possessing appropriate knowledge and skills. Nonetheless, the low practice-test scores suggested some professional skills for students (notably evaluation, measurement, administration and management) need to be introduced earlier in the HPP curriculum, rather than emphasized predominately in 4000-level courses. Consequently, the HPP faculty created a plan to revise the current curriculum, to expand the number of required courses (e.g., to include HLTH 3160), and to infuse other courses (e.g., HLTH 3000, HLTH 3200) with more training in verified knowledge items related to the national CHES exam.

   

  Additional Action Plans:

  • The HP program faculty will continue to examine individual courses and the entire curriculum to ensure that student learning outcomes focus on national standards (i.e., responsibilities and competencies verified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing/NCHEC). An updated curriculum map will be completed during the 2017-2018 academic year to determine the degree to which each course within the curriculum is addressing NCHEC standards (i.e., professional responsibilities and competencies). This information will be used to validate curricular strengths and identify potential ways in which the curriculum may be further enhanced so that students are equipped with needed professional competencies.
  • The HP program will continue to offer a CHES examination preparation workshop during the spring semester. In addition, students preparing for the CHES exam will be offered access to the Canvas site associated with a prior workshop, which includes a variety of exam preparation materials (most developed by fellow students in, or alumni of, the HP Program).
  • The HP program will conduct a campus and community partner survey to assess needs and satisfaction among stakeholders and the HP program.
  • The HP program will pursue mechanisms to support students in obtaining membership in professional organizations and in attending/presenting at local conferences hosted by those organizations.
  • The HP program will continue to utilize the Canvas Outcomes tool to track student learning of the NCHEC/CHES competencies. All instructors, but especially those who teach courses in the core curriculum, will be advised to utilize these outcomes in assignment rubrics. This will ensure that students are being assessed in the competencies emphasized in each course, and throughout the HP program.

   

  2) Are there assessment strategies within your department or program that you feel are particularly effective and/or innovative? If so, what are those strategies and what do you learn about your students by using them?

  • In general, the curriculum for the Health Promotion Program (HPP) is aligned to national standards for the field of health education/promotion, and course assessments based on these standards are infused into every required course in the HPP. This allows students to perform relevant skills throughout their program of study, and also allows instructors to evaluate students on readiness for employment as entry-level health education/promotion specialists on multiple occasions.
  • In particular, the standards tool in Chi Tester, and the outcomes tool in Canvas, are used by several instructors to track student learning across semesters and throughout the health curriculum. Instructors for multiple courses align individual exam and assignment questions to specific learning objectives using Chi-tester and/or Canvas to track student performance on selected outcomes both within a single semester and across multiple semesters. This aggregate data is then used to identify trends and examine program outcomes (e.g., ongoing, rather than episodic, records of student learning).
  • For the current academic year, the expected thresholds or desired benchmarks set by HP faculty were met for 62 out of 67 outcome measures (i.e., 93%). The benchmarks achieved indicate that HP program is promoting student success, and is effective in advancing its mission and goals.
  • In addition to the many direct measures of student success identified in the assessment results for the HP program, a Senior Exit Survey also is completed by graduating HP students as an indirect measure of student success. The 2016-2017 Senior Exit Survey, for example, evaluated students perceived competence in the seven core areas of responsibility necessary for national certification as a health education specialist. A strong majority of students, greater than 80 percent, believed that the required coursework in the major provided them with adequate-to-advanced knowledge, skills, and ability in the seven core areas of responsibility (e.g., Area 1, 91%; Area 2, 90%; Area 3, 88%; Area 4, 86%; Area 5, 86%; Area 6, 90%; Area 7, 86%).

   

  The full report is available for viewing.

• 2016

  1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • The 2015-2016 assessment plan for the Health Promotion Program (HPP) included 65 measures aligned to 11 learning outcomes for three broad program goals. Overall, the expected thresholds or desired benchmarks set by HPP faculty were met for 61 out of 65 measures (i.e., 94%). For the HPP goal to train students in the seven core areas of health education/promotion, 51 out of 55 benchmarks were met (93%). For the other program goals (i.e., to provide a social science general education course; to provide students with meaningful service opportunities with community partners), all of the established benchmarks were met (10/10). The findings are similar to previous academic years (e.g., 2014-2015 assessment results) and suggest that HPP continues to provide students with high-quality academic experiences in multiple areas: (a) for declared HPP majors and minors preparing to work in health education/promotion settings (i.e., HPP goal 1); for students seeking to satisfy general education requirements in the social sciences (i.e., HPP goal 2); and engaged-learning opportunities (i.e., service learning internships) for upper-division HPP students (i.e., HPP goal 3).
  • The four measures (out of 65) that HPP students did not met benchmarks for all related to the practice test students completed to prepare for the Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) exam. The practice test was designed to replicate the actual CHES exam and measure possession, application, and interpretation of knowledge by students in the seven areas of responsibility for health education specialists (i.e., HPP goal 1). Given that most HPP students completed the practice test while they were still taking several required HPP courses designed to teach professional skills and competencies (e.g., HLTH 4013, HLTH 4150, HLTH 4990), scores on the practice test were low. The HPP faculty surmised that the low test scores on the practice test were more the result of students not yet completing their academic course of study, rather than students not possessing appropriate knowledge and skills. Nonetheless, the low practice-test scores suggested some professional skills for students (notably evaluation, measurement, administration and management) need to be introduced earlier in the HPP curriculum, rather than emphasized predominately in 4000-level courses. Consequently, the HPP faculty created a plan to revise the current curriculum, to expand the number of required courses (e.g., to include HLTH 3160), and to infuse other courses (e.g., HLTH 3000, HLTH 3200) with more training in verified knowledge items related to the national CHES exam.

   

  Additional Action Plans:

  • Pursue a faculty search, such that a third and fourth, highly qualified faculty members will join the HP Program as of July 1, 2017.
  • When at full capacity with regard to number of faculty, continue to offer a CHES examination preparation workshop during the spring semester. Until full capacity can be met, students preparing for the exam will be offered access to the Canvas site associated with a prior workshop, which includes a variety of exam preparation materials (most developed by fellow students in, or alumni of, the HP Program).
  • When at full capacity with regard to number of faculty, conduct a campus and community partner survey to assess needs and satisfaction with the current partnership.
  • When at full capacity with regard to number of faculty, pursue mechanisms to support students in obtaining membership in professional organizations and in attending/presenting at local conferences hosted by those organizations.
  • Continue to have the CHES competencies entered into the Canvas system, such that they can be imported as outcomes into Canvas sites.   All instructors, but especially those who teach courses in the core curriculum, will be advised to utilize these outcomes in assignment rubrics.  This will ensure that students are being assessed in the competencies emphasized in each course, and, will make for easier data tracking.

   

  2) Are there assessment strategies within your department or program that you feel are particularly effective and/or innovative? If so, what are those strategies and what do you learn about your students by using them?

  • In general, the curriculum for the Health Promotion Program (HPP) is aligned to national standards for the field of health education/promotion, and course assessments based on these standards are infused into every required course in the HPP. This allows students to perform relevant skills throughout their program of study, and also allows instructors to evaluate students on readiness for employment as entry-level health education/promotion specialists on multiple occasions.
  • In particular, the standards tool in Chi Tester, and the outcomes tool in Canvas, are used by several instructors to track student learning across semesters and throughout the health curriculum. Instructors for multiple courses align individual exam and assignment questions to specific learning objectives using Chi-tester and/or Canvas to track student performance on selected outcomes both within a single semester and across multiple semesters. This aggregate data is then used to identify trends and examine program outcomes (e.g., ongoing, rather than episodic, records of student learning).

   

  The full report is available for viewing. 

• 2015

  1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • The vast majority of program outcomes were met during the 2014-2015 academic year.  To address those outcomes not met, and to assist in the maintenance of others, the HP Program will:
  • Pursue a faculty search, such that a third and fourth, highly qualified faculty members will join the HP Program as of July 1, 2016.
  • When at full capacity with regard to number of faculty, continue to offer a CHES examination preparation workshop during the spring semesters.  Until full capacity can be met, students preparing for the exam will be offered access to the Canvas site associated with a prior workshop, which includes a variety of exam preparation materials (most developed by fellow students in, or alumni of, the HP Program).
  • When at full capacity with regard to number of faculty, conduct a campus and community partner survey to assess needs and satisfaction with the current partnership.
  • When at full capacity with regard to number of faculty, pursue mechanisms to support students in obtaining membership in professional organizations and in attending/presenting at local conferences hosted by those organizations.
  • Have the CHES competencies entered into the Canvas system, such that they can be imported as outcomes into Canvas sites.   All instructors, but especially those who teach courses in the core curriculum, will be advised to utilize those outcomes in assignment rubrics.  This will ensure that students are being assessed in the competencies emphasized in each course, and, will make for easier data tracking.
     

  2) Are there assessment strategies within your department or program that you feel are particularly effective and/or innovative? If so, what are those strategies and what do you learn about your students by using them?

  • In general, the curriculum for the Health Promotion Program (HPP) is aligned to national standards for the field of health education/promotion, and course assessments based on these standards are infused into every required course in the HPP. This allows students to perform relevant skills throughout their program of study, and also allows instructors to evaluate students on readiness for employment as entry-level health education/promotion specialists on multiple occasions.
  • In particular, the standards tool in Chi Tester is used to track student learning across semesters and throughout the health curriculum. Instructors for multiple courses align individual exam and assignment questions to specific learning objectives using Chi-tester to track student performance on selected outcomes both within a single semester and across multiple semesters. This aggregate data is then used to identify trends and examine program outcomes (e.g., ongoing, rather than episodic, records of student learning).

   

  The full report is available for viewing.

• 2014

  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?

  • Results of the 2013-2014 program evaluation reveal that students completing the Health Promotion Program (HPP) met established thresholds for most of the HPP objectives. For example, benchmarks were met for 40 of the 51 measures aligned to student learning objectives. Although only 78% of the program benchmarks were met, this is deemed a desirable amount because faculty are still discussing and refining the performance thresholds and appropriate measures. A few noteworthy strengths of the program include: (a) the provision of a social science general education course for the University (Educational Goal 2), where 11 of 12 benchmarks were met; and (b) the provision of service-learning opportunities for students, where 4 out of 4 benchmarks were met. The variance in student achievement and data related to HPP goal 1 is believed to be more a product of when data is collected, rather than on students' cumulative capabilities. For example, the CHES Proxy Exam to measure student competency in the seven NCHEC areas of responsibilities is given while many students are still learning about key professional skills and competencies. Consequently, the faculty need to revise many performance thresholds for student outcomes to account for when data collection takes place. Further suggestions for program revision are discussed below (item 3).

   

  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

  • The outcomes results were reviewed and discussed with all full-time Health Promotion faculty in the Department of Health Promotion and Human Performance.

   

  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • As part of a continuous plan for improvement, the HPP faculty intend to implement a variety of program changes. First, an immediate goal of the HPP faculty is to align better course syllabi with professional standards. The alignment of course objectives to program standards will ensure that faculty know what each course is assessing and how it builds and fits with other program courses. Second, all faculty teaching required courses within the HPP will be required to participate in program assessment. At present, not all faculty routinely collect and analyze data for some program standards and, consequently, more data is needed to support student learning and to demonstrate program efficacy. Third, the faculty aim to refine and improve the measures used for many program assessments. For example, some measures are too vague and it is difficult to extract standards-based information from them.

   

  The full report is available for viewing

• 2013

  The Health Promotion program conducted a 5 year program review with full self-study during the spring of 2014. Those results are presented in place of the Annual Assessment. Please reference those documents for information that includes data for the 2012/13 academic year.

2023-24