Course Outline

PUB104 Introduction to Behavioural Health

Course Coordinator:Florin Oprescu (foprescu@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Public Health

2025Semester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus.

Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. This introductory course will provide you with broad knowledge and skills needed to understand health behaviours and other individual health determinants. You will analyse, evaluate and communicate health information. You will explore and apply behavioural health concepts and theories. You will analyse, generate and communicate knowledge, solutions and ideas related to health promoting factors, behaviours and evidence-based interventions that can positively influence health and wellbeing.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – 2 hours workshop 2hrs Week 1 13 times
Learning materials – 2 hours of independent structured learning materials 2hrs Week 1 13 times
Online
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – 2hrs online workshop 2hrs Week 1 13 times
Learning materials – 2 hours of independent structured learning materials 2hrs Week 1 13 times

Course Topics

Defining and measuring health
Behavioural health key concepts and definitions
Factors and events influencing health across the lifespan: child development, adult development, end of life
Behaviours (i.e. stress management, physical activity, healthy nutrition, pain management) that can promote quality of life, health and wellbeing for all
Theories and models of behaviour change
Development of healthy behaviours and healthy lifestyles
 

What level is this course?

100 Level (Introductory)

Engaging with discipline knowledge and skills at foundational level, broad application of knowledge and skills in familiar contexts and with support. Limited or no prerequisites. Normally, associated with the first full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * International Union for Health Promotion and Education
1 Develop an understanding of key concepts, definitions and theories related to behavioural health. Knowledgeable
Empowered
Information literacy
B.3, 1.4, 5.4, 6.4
2 Review, summarise and communicate evidence related to a health topic. Empowered
Communication
Organisation
Information literacy
A.11, 4.1, 6.3, 9.4
3 Apply health behaviour theories and knowledge to analyse and address a health topic. Empowered
Communication
Organisation
Information literacy
B.3, 1.4, 5.4, 6.4

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
International Union for Health Promotion and Education
B.3 The determinants of health and their implications for health promotion action
A.11 Being accountable for the quality of one's own practice and taking responsibility for maintaining and improving knowledge and skills
1.4 Facilitate the development of personal skills that will maintain and improve health
4.1 Use effective communication skills including written, verbal, non­verbal, and listening skills
5.4 Incorporate new knowledge to improve practice and respond to emerging challenges in health promotion
6.3 Collect, review and appraise relevant data, information and literature to inform health promotion action
6.4 Identify the determinants of health which impact on health promotion action
9.4 Use research and evidence-based strategies to inform practice

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Not applicable

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

A practice quiz will be available in week 1 of teaching for students to complete prior to the first quiz due in week 3 of teaching.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Quiz/zes Individual 20%
Variable
Refer to Format Online Test (Quiz)
All 2 Report Individual 40%
1600 words
Week 9 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Artefact - Professional Individual 40%
Up to 800 words
Week 13 Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Quizzes
Goal:
To allow you to demonstrate and evaluate your knowledge acquisition and understanding of the key concepts, definitions and theories used in behavioural health.
Product: Quiz/zes
Format:
Submit: Weeks 3,5,7&11. Further details will be made available on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification and application of terminology, knowledge, concepts and theories related to behavioural health
1
2
Accuracy of your answers
1
Generic Skills:
Problem solving, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Summaries of scientific journal articles
Goal:
To demonstrate your skills in searching for, evaluating, selecting and summarising relevant bodies of knowledge, theory, and research.
Product: Report
Format:
Source at least two relevant and recent (published in the last six years) full-text original research articles on a given health topic and/or theory. You will evaluate and summarise the articles in a Word document. Based on the evidence available in the articles selected you must propose practice-oriented recommendations that will be of interest for clients and health professionals. The Vancouver-JAMA style of referencing will be used for this assessment. Further details will be made available on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Relevance of search strategy and articles selected for inclusion
2
2
Articles appraisal (evaluation) quality
2
3
Accuracy and clarity in conveying key findings from the articles
2
4
Quality of recommendations based on the articles
2
5
Quality of product (i.e., structure, syntax, grammar and referencing)
2
Generic Skills:
Communication, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Professional health communication product
Goal:
To apply health behaviour theories, knowledge and literature-based evidence to inform health promotion action.
Product: Artefact - Professional
Format:
Professional artefact. You will develop a communication product that integrates core knowledge, theory and evidence-based information relevant to a given health priority area. Further details will be made available on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Accuracy of information included
2 3
2
Integration of relevant theories
1 3
3
Integration of relevant knowledge
1 3
4
Integration of relevant scholarly literature
1 2
5
Quality of product
1 3
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation

Assessment to competency mapping

Programme Delivery Mode Assessment Type Title Competency Teaching Methods
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion 2011
All delivery modes Artefact - Professional Professional health communication product 1.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
5.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
9.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
A.11 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Quiz/zes Quizzes 1.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
5.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
6.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
B.3 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Report Summaries of scientific journal articles 4.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
6.3 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
9.4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
A.11 Taught, Practiced, Assessed

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Students will be required to have access to a reliable Internet connection, a computer, a microphone headset and a webcam for Technology Enabled Learning and Teaching Activities.

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation.  It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline.  This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person.  You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin.  This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au