Overview - PH 423: Assessing Community Assets & Capacity

After completing PH 423, learners will be proficient in obtaining, applying, and interpreting measures of community capacity that are commonly used in community health improvement processes. Key aspects of this competency expectation include:

• defining community and community capacity as used in community health assessment
• understanding and describing key concepts used to describe community level information: social capital, community capacity, community assets, public health organizational and system performance
• applying strategies and tools to describe and measure community capacity
• identifying the role of various community organizations in carrying out public health's core functions and essential services
  

This course involves several learning activities; see the PH 423 Exercises document for detailed instructions.

• Content: the content for this course is provided in the specific readings and other resources identified in the PH 423 Exercises document.
• Office Hours: This messaging system was created to handle questions and announcements. Visit this site to introduce yourself to the course as well as to help you get familiar with the workings of the system.
• Exercises:
  1. Individual Exercise: submit the completed individual exercise under the link "Submit Assignments". Your instructor will provide feedback by replying to your posting
  2. Conferencing Exercise: add your contribution to this multi-learner conferencing exercise.
  3. Assessment Quiz: complete and submit the multiple choice assessment quiz for PH 423.

The instructor will evaluate your responses to the various exercises and indicate when you have successfully completed PH 423. For learners interested in going beyond the basics, a list of additional resources, including readings and other materials, is available through the Additional Resources link. This list emphasizes the most up-to-date materials. Information on related courses is provided in the PH 420 Course Series Syllabus. PH 424 (or any other course) can begin whenever you wish, so feel free to begin the readings that are identified for the course that you plan to take next.

PH 423 Overview last revised July 12, 2004 (bturnock)