Professional/Short course Environmental Protection (PPP)

Content

The syllabus outline typically includes:

• Conduct an environmental noise survey in which novel data are secured, and from which judgments can be made and measures recommended for its mitigation (whether or not intervention is indicated).
• Consideration of air quality in a discrete geographical area, relating this to health impact and the means of managing or resolving any problem found, or standards exceeded, under the relevant air quality strategy
• Involvement in a situation that focuses on long-term health impact and/or environmental degradation arising from contaminated land, or, the acute problems arising from unlawful dumping on land and discharges to watercourses.
• Dealing with a report or complaint of environmental pollution in which the nature and extent of the circumstances encountered require their consideration as a potential statutory nuisance.
• Involvement in the investigation for approval/permitting of processes that are 'listed activities' (or to other prescribed processes which are subject to special controls).
• **Leadership and collaborative working to improve population health and well-being.

**If the Public Health intervention 'PH5 - communicable disease outbreak investigation'' is included in the Environmental Protection week.

Learning and Teaching

The module will be delivered in a variety of ways requiring you to utilise the skills of independent learning. A holistic approach to studies will be developed, setting health risks and interventions in a wider context. You will be required to consider the role of partnership and multi-agency work, as well as the impact of their own working practices in achieving objectives in public and environmental health.

Workshops, field activities and e-learning will provide the framework for this primarily student centred module.

Reflective practice and critical appraisal are integral to the approach taken in this module and assessment.

Scheduled learning will include lectures, seminars, demonstration, practical classes and workshops, fieldwork lab work and external visits.

Study time

48 hours face-to-face scheduled activity delivered in a one-week block. This will be supported by synchronous virtual form:

• Between 12 and 24 hours of distance learning materials on the subject of Health and Safety.
• Between 3 and 6 hours of tutorial support, either face-to-face, or through a virtual learning environment.
• In addition to that outlined above, after each week's block activities (representing a module), students will have the opportunity to submit one draft intervention report out of the five to be completed. General formative feedback will be provided relating to the three skill areas and the reflection. Detailed feedback will not be provided, although if students have clearly missed a major technical or regulatory issue, this will be pointed out. This aligns with CIEH professional practice and meets the accreditation requirements.

Assessment

Assessment is by portfolio and oral presentation which is a professional requirement of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). All PPP interventions undertaken during the module will be potentially assessable. One outcome will be assessed formatively to provide feedback to students. This outcome will be chosen at the beginning of the module. Four of the remaining outcomes will form the summative assessment, three by portfolio submission and one by controlled interview. The assessment of the Environmental Protection PPP interventions is set out by the CIEH.

"The portfolio requires candidates to undertake a range of interventions (which can be described as actions that EHPs take to control, eliminate or mitigate adverse health impacts that arise from environmental stressors on the physical, social and human worlds) and develop a range of skills that should enable experiential learning to take place. Candidates are required to reflect on their experience of undertaking different interventions and developing skills throughout the PPP to enable reflective practice to take place" (CIEH, 2013).

All learning outcomes will be targeted by assessment components A and B. The professional requirements of the CIEH are that students are involved in and submit all five intervention areas for assessment. In order to reduce the written assessment burden, one of the interventions will be assessed by controlled interview.

Component B consists of a 6000 word portfolio, comprising three 2000 word intervention reports. Each of the three reports in the portfolio submission will be marked separately. The requirements for passing the module are as follows:

Module run without PH5 (Public Health) intervention:
In line with CIEH requirements, the student must achieve a minimum of 50% in the oral presentation. In addition, the student must pass TWO of the written intervention reports in the portfolio with a minimum of 50% AND achieve an overall component grade of at least 50%.

Module run with PH5 (Public Health) intervention:
In line with CIEH requirements, the student must achieve a minimum of 50% in the oral presentation. In addition, the student must pass ALL of the written intervention reports in the portfolio with a minimum of 50%.

Where necessary, and appropriate, an alternative medium of assessment may be negotiated.