Master in Public Health - Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) Manual

MASTER IN PUBLIC HEALTH: INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE (ILE)

INTRODUCTION

The Integrative Learning Experience is an integrating experience, requisite for graduation in the Master in Public Health (MPH) degree of Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) and for the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). It provides an opportunity for students to reflect on, integrate and synthesize the knowledge and skills acquired during classroom and practice experiences, while pursuing their public health degree. The Integrative Learning Experience serves as evidence of compliance with the public health competencies and occurs after the majority of course requirements are completed. The Integrative Learning Experience is a high quality-written product that demonstrates synthesis of competencies (CEPH, personal communication, March 14, 2019; CEPH, personal communication, May 28, 2019). MPH graduates must be able to engage in substantive, logically flowing writing (https://ceph.org/constituents/schools/faqs/2016criteriafaq/ile/).
The Integrative Learning Experience approved by the Public Health Program of PHSU consists of a Comprehensive Exam, which will be described in the following sections of this manual. The Comprehensive Exam is taken during the last quarter of the expected graduation date.

The Public Health Integrative Learning Experience process consists of the following steps:

• Complete general eligibility criteria required for registering in the Integrative Learning Experience.
  • Good academic standing (overall GPA = 3.0 or above).
  • Completed with passing grades all the courses taken prior to the quarter when the Comprehensive Exam is held (Including: 29 credits core courses/15 credits track).
  • Practicum (completed, waived, or concurrently completing).
• Register for the Integrative Leaning Experience.
• Participate in the Integrative Leaning Experience Orientation sessions.
• Complete the evaluation requirements for the Integrative Learning Experience.

To complete the Public Health Integrative Leaning Experience, the student must pass the overall Comprehensive Exam with a grade of B or higher (> 80%).

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE COMPETENCIES

Health & Public Health Programs, p. 17) and include:

• Evidence-based approaches to public health
• Public health & health care systems
• Planning & management to promote health
• Policy in public health
• Leadership
• Communication
• Interprofessional and/or intersectoral practice
• Systems thinking

Each area has detailed competencies established by the CEPH. In addition, each track (General, Environmental and Epidemiology) has specific competencies. The Public Health Program expects that the Integrative Learning Experience will be the occasion to integrate and synthesize these foundational and concentration competencies. Students should refer to Appendix A to identify the specific competencies to be addressed. In addition, the list of competencies is published on the MPH 7910-Comprehensive Exam area on the university’s online platform and discussed during the Integrative Learning Experience Orientation Sessions. During the following sections, a detailed description of the Integrative Learning Experience will be provided.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE COURSE PRE-REQUISITES

The following pre-requisites must be completed prior to registering for the comprehensive exam:

1. Students must be in good academic standing (overall GPA = 3.0 or above).
2. Students must have completed with passing grades all the courses taken prior to the quarter when the Comprehensive Exam is held. This includes 29 credits of core courses (first year) and at least 15 credits of concentration coursework.
3. Students either must have completed, waived, or are concurrently completing the Public Health Applied Practicum Experience.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Upon successful completion of this course, students are expected to demonstrate the integration and synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies through a comprehensive exam.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

This section describes the MPH 7910- Comprehensive Exam course requirements approved by the Public Health Program of PHSU, which consist of a Comprehensive Exam. The Comprehensive Exam requires that students demonstrate mastery over foundational and concentration competencies. Students will prove the ability to integrate and synthesize competencies acquired in their academic program and to apply their knowledge to issues
pertinent to the public health profession. The exam should reflect the students’ ability to integrate information across the competencies. It is not a retesting of individual courses.
The exam consists of foundational and concentration competencies. It will be taken during the last quarter of the second MPH year. The students are responsible for taking the test and preparing for the process.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE TEACHING METHODS

The comprehensive exam is self-directed. Students are advised to establish a study schedule and independent review of literature and curriculum materials to perform well on the comprehensive examination. Review/preparation sessions may be held, at the availability and discretion of Public Health Program Faculty, only addressing key points of the competencies and not intending to be a duplication of all the coursework.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE EVALUATION & LOGISTICS

The Integrative Learning Experience approved by PHSU consists of a Take-Home Comprehensive Exam. The Take-Home Comprehensive Exam is taken during the last quarter of the expected graduation date. The Take-Home Comprehensive Exam is administered via an official PHSU software/electronic platform, as the preferred option. If during the academic year, there is an event of major significance or natural disaster, the Public Health Program reserves the right to choose between the possible and available alternatives at that moment to administer the Take-Home Comprehensive Exam, which may include a hard copy exam only if no/limited electricity is available.
Workshops will be offered throughout the academic year to reinforce critical thinking, test taking, and writing skills. Track faculty may schedule reviews (per availability) and orientation sessions prior to the comprehensive exam. The Public Health Program strongly recommends attendance of workshops and orientation sessions. ILE Students’ Writing Consultants (Spanish and English) for writing-related questions will be available to students, in addition to the workshops and orientation sessions.

The Comprehensive Exam will be posted on the official PHSU software/electronic platform. The exam questions will be released to students second quarter grades have been released. Students will have a total of three (3) weeks to work on their take-home exam questions. Once the exam questions are available on the PHSU software/electronic platform, will have the opportunity to review the exam and verify if they have any questions, which they will be able to discuss with the Track Faculty on a scheduled meeting (the meeting form is in Appendix B). Students can also schedule appointments with the ILE Students’ Writing Consultants to discuss questions related to their drafts for the Comprehensive Exam (refer to Appendix C for the meeting form), as well as coordinating additional meetings with the Faculty, per appointment, if needed. Additional Comprehensive Exam logistics may be distributed close to the exam date, if needed.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE GRADING

The Integrative Learning Experience is graded on a Pass/Not Passed basis. All students are required to take and pass the overall Comprehensive Exam with a grade of 80% or better. Students who pass the overall exam and who complete all MPH requirements will receive the conferral of the degree at the end of the term in which the exam and all graduation requirements are completed.
Students who do not pass the first opportunity of the Comprehensive Exam have the opportunity for one retake, within the same quarter. This retake may contain different questions than the first Comprehensive Exam. Students who obtain less than 80% overall exam in the retake will not pass the course.
Students will not be able to graduate with a No Pass on their transcript for this class and will be referred to the Student Promotions Committee. Depending on the recommendation of the Student Promotions Committee, students may need to register again in MPH 7910- Comprehensive Exam during the next time it is offered, and it would be the final opportunity for a retake. This final opportunity may contain different questions than the previous exams. If the student needs to re-register in MPH 7910, he/she will have to verify with the Financial Aid Office about his/her eligibility for funds and any special conditions that may apply. A flow chart of the retake policy can be found in Appendix D.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE CALENDAR

Orientation and review sessions will be by arrangement, as per the availability of faculty. The schedule for the current academic year can be found in Appendix E. The PHP reserves the right to make changes to the scheduled dates, if needed.

• MPH (ILE) Policy Information  
• MPH (ILE) Roles and Responsibilities  
• MPH (ILE) Additional References and Resources  
• MPH (ILE) Appendices