PH 161- Environment and Human Health

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  Common Course ID: 31916-2233
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: Abstract:  Environment and Human Health is an upper level undergraduate course taught for public health majors as well as non-majors. The course focuses on disease-causing elements in the environment, mode of their transfer in the human body from the environment, and their effect on the human body, and the measures and regulations to prevent their infection. This course requires a textbook. the zero cose materials has been developed for one of the chapters covered in the course; water quality. Eventually an effort will be made to replace all chapters with zero cost materials effectively eliminating the need of the textbook. 

Course Title and Number: PH 161- Environment and Human Health
Brief Description of course highlights:  Catalog Description: Environment and Human Health.  PH 161, 3 units. Web-enhanced. This course is a G.E. course. In compliance with G.E. goals and objectives for this area, this course has been designed to: 1) to understand and actively explore fundamental principles in the Physical Sciences and 2) the methods of developing and testing hypotheses used in the analysis of the physical universe.

Student population: Course with students from various majors.
Learning or student outcomes:  Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Explain how disease is spread among and to humans and how the sources of environmental agents can impact health in the workplace, urban community, and residential settings.
2. Identify chemical, physical, and biological factors in the environment that can negatively influence human health, and describe how these factors can harm humans.
3. Outline appropriate prevention and control methods for several different types of hazards.
4. Describe the intent of major pieces of environmental health law and policy.
5. Assess the scientific basis and validity of environmental problems presented in the media.
6. Integrate skills learned in lower division Area B coursework through the review of:  Several microbial agents that cause disease, microbial growth curves in foodborne illness, arthropods and rodents as vectors of disease, graphing of altitude vs temperature effects of the atmosphere in air pollution, shielding for physical phenomena such as noise and radiation, chemical/physical treatment of drinking water, and geological aspects of drinking water sources.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of biogeochemical cycles and the influence human activities place on them.
8. Recognize the basic principles of epidemiology and their utilization and limitation in evaluating adverse effects of substances on living organisms.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of environmental regulations pertaining to air pollution and solid waste issues in California.
10. Identify the principal causes of food borne illness and their prevention. 

Key challenges faced and how resolved: Students usually are burdened with the dost of textbook and other learning materials. This major challenge is on the track to be solved by replacement of course materials with zero cost materials which are developed using open educational resources.

Textbook or OER/Low cost: Environmental Biology free open access textbook Chapter seven: Water Availability and Use. 

Brief Description: Provide a brief description of the textbook, OER or Low Cost option, including anything relevant to your choice.
Please provide a link to the resource https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/envirobiology/

Authors:  Mathew R. Fisher
Student access:  FStudents can access this material using the weblink for free. Supplemental resources: List resources including online homework systems, interactive study guides for students, and faculty-only resources such as solutions and slides that are available.

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  $ 55 for the previously required textbook (as per Amazon website)
License: Creative Commons by 4 (freedom to share and adapt).

Instructor Name:  Rohan Jadhav, PhD, REHS, MPH
Assistant Professor at California State Univ, Fresno in the Department of Public Health 
https://chhs.fresnostate.edu/about/directory/public-health/jadhav-rohan.htmlPlease describe the courses you teach.  Courses in Environmental Health and Public Health
Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.   I find teaching very exciting. I love to see the look on students’ face when they learn something brainstorming. My teaching style is comprehensive which includes both teacher-centered and student-centered approaches. I believe that the classroom is a place where students are not just introduced to new information but also should be nurtured on how to process that information. It is highly critical that students should get enough time to process the new information so that they can apply it to the right context and hopefully extend it to real life. My teaching is focused on guiding students of this journey. I have been described by my students as ‘personable, practical oriented, problem-solver and critical thinking booster’. I am quite aware that not all students will have the same pace of learning. I therefore value inclusiveness, facilitating students helping each other and welcoming them wherever they need assistance. Respect of diversity, individual differences and opinions, appreciating the brilliance and most importantly expressing the thought as pillars of classroom learning.

The job of the instructor is to train the next generation with the hope that they will use the training to face challenges in real life when they graduate. This is no easy task. When I am teaching my students using virtual instruction or during my Zoom meetings, I strive for finding the best possible way to make them excited about not just the lesson but also have them think about how it applies to real life. As educators we need to identify the intellectual needs as well as mental blocks that affect their learning. Therefore having constant interaction with students in the classroom and during one-on-one meetings is vital.

Sometimes these efforts lead to ‘aha’ moments that are treasures of my life. At times, students come up with an aspect that I have not thought and seen but could be correctly applied. I am in debt to my students for those moments and also feel joyful that I am helping them learn and hopefully develop skills that they can use in their professional life. 

Finally, I believe that teaching requires constant refining. As time goes by, new insights, ways and technologies are adopted and they should be applied in the course accordingly. Improvement in the quality of teaching translates into better student learning experience. It is also important that the teacher should educate students with the most up-to-date information using the most modern tools possible. Becoming proficient in using modern technology is vitally applicable in emergency situations such as the current pandemic.

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. I wanted to save students' money on textbooks. The hindrance of cost can be a deterrent from attending a particular class even though they have an interest in it.
How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? I attended training on zero cost materials provided by very enthusiastic and knowledgeable instructors and champions at the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Sharing Best Practices: Let the students know in advance that the class will use an OER and it will be free in the very beginning. Possibly have the registrar know that they should include this information in the class description on the student’s self service portal. 

Describe any challenges you experienced, and lessons learned. It was tough to find a material that matches what I teach. It’s not a basic science course where material is available relatively easily.