Exercises - PH 467: Emergency Risk Communication

In addition to a variety of learning activities, there are 3 instructor-evaluated activities associated with PH 467: (1) complete the individual exercise; (2) participate in a multi-learner conferencing exercise; and (3) complete and submit the assessment quiz. Each of these is explained below.

Learning Activities (Note: these ARE NOT to be submitted!)

A series of individual learning exercises for this module are provided below. Completing these exercises will familiarize you with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that relate to the competency expectation for this module that is described above. Note that learners are not required to submit written response for these learning exercises. Completing these exercises, however, will prepare you for components of this module that are assessed and scored.

  1. The content for PH 467 is provided in:
  2. Briefly describe the most important roles and responsibilities of governmental public health agencies and non-governmental organizations in risk communications during public health emergencies. In what ways do the roles of governmental agencies differ from those of non-governmental organization during such emergencies?
  3. What steps or activities are necessary to coordinate the emergency risk communication activities of a local public health agency with those of its partner organizations in the community?
  4. Which elements of an everyday public health information plan are most essential in dealing with emergency risk communication situations?
  5. Review Sandman and Lanard's article on Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk. Then, describe the most important steps involved in preparing for an interview with the media during a public health emergency situation.
  6. Describe Sandman's notion of a "risk communication seesaw" (see Sandman's Bioterrorism and Risk Communication: Guidelines for Action). How would you utilize this notion if you were responding to media inquiries as to the risk posed to the students at your local high school (several thousand students) over mold found throughout the school's physical structure?
  7. What is a message map? (see Covello's Communication in Risk Situations Workbook) Construct one for anthrax being transmitted through the postal system.
  8. Describe several considerations for holding a public meeting in your community to deal with concerns over mold exposures in your local high school.

Evaluated Activities (Note: these ARE to be submitted!)

(1) Individual Exercise

Each learner will submit a brief response to the following exercise. Produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 467 Individual Exercises" as the title of your submission.

The individual exercise for PH 467 requires that you carefully review the webcast titled Keeping Your Head in a Crisis: responding to the Communication Challenges Posed by Bioterrorism Training Session. (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, April 11, 2002, featuring Dr. Vincent Covello). This is a simulated training session in which a reporter poses specific questions to a heath official during a public health emergency. You should pause the webcast after each question is asked and write down a brief response (no more than 50 words) for each question. Then resume the webcast, listen to the response given by the health official and Dr. Covello's comments and critique. Consider how those comments relate to your own proposed response. At the end of the webcast, and after reviewing the responses of other learners, describe three important tips or suggestions that you believe would help other public health professionals improve their risk communication skills.

(2) Conferencing Exercise

For this multi-learner conferencing exercise, produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 467 Conferencing Exercises" as the title of your submission.

Review the case study, Chickenpox or Smallpox? An Investigation. Critique the risk communication strategies and activities of this case in view of the principles outlined in the case study as well as information from other resources in this course such as Sandman and Lanard's article on Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk. What should have occurred differently in Coli County in response to this incident?

(3) Assessment Quiz

Follow the LearningSpace link to the Assessment Quiz. You may be asked for your login ID and password to access the quiz through your Preparedness Center Personal Page. Complete the quiz and submit your responses. You make take the quiz several times.

Course Evaluation: All learners are asked to electronically complete a Course Evaluation Questionnaire; this is available to you as an electronic form and will be transmitted to a data base without your identity being known, and your instructor will have no way to link your identity to your comments. Before participating in these course evaluation activities, students should review the specific learning objectives established for this course (and others you may have taken as part of this series); these are available in the Syllabus. Evaluation of the course should focus on the extent to which these objectives were achieved.

PH 467 Exercises last revised July 06, 2006 (csong)