Course Syllabus
Below is a syllabus template that includes WSU's required syllabus elements. Please complete all items highlighted in yellow.
Assessment and Measurement in Public Health
CBH/PUBHLTH 485/585
Semester and Year [tbd]
Number of Credit Hours 3
Prerequisites Introductory statistics course such as STAT 212 or PSYCH 311. Or instructor permission. Graduate students are expected to have prior coursework in research methods and statistics at the graduate level, or equivalent preparation.
Course Details
Day and Time: [tbd]
Meeting Location: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name: Ekaterina Burduli, PhD
Instructor Contact Information: [office location, phone, email] HERB 454; eburduli@wsu.edu
Instructor Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
TA Name: [tbd]
TA Contact Information: [office location, phone, email]: [tbd]
TA Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
Course Description
This course introduces undergraduate and graduate students to foundational concepts and tools used to assess, measure, and evaluate behavioral and population health outcomes. Students will gain practical skills in designing surveys, selecting and using validated measurement instruments, and critically appraising the reliability, validity, and cultural appropriateness of health indicators. Emphasis will be placed on psychometric theory, ethical and equity considerations, and the application of standardized measures in behavioral health research. Graduate students will additionally develop advanced competencies in psychometric analysis, including conducting and interpreting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) using statistical software. By the end of the course, graduate students will demonstrate independent application of measurement techniques in both written and statistical outputs. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to evaluate the quality of public health evidence and lay the groundwork for program evaluation and evidence-based intervention design.
Course Materials
Books: 1. Furr (2018). Psychometrics: An Introduction. 3rd Edition. Sage Publications
2. DeVellis (2016). Scale Development. 4th Edition. Sage Publications
3. OPTIONAL: Konicki DiIorio, C. K. (2006). Measurement in health behavior: Methods for research and evaluation. Jossey-Bass.
Other Materials:
REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GRADUATE SECTION ONLY:
- Mplus demo: https://www.statmodel.com/demo.shtml
- SPSS, SPSS Standard Grad Pack. 12 Month term IBM® (any version after version 26 is acceptable).
Fees: None
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Student Learning Outcomes |
Course Topics/Dates |
Evaluation of Outcome: |
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Explain the concepts of reliability, validity, and bias in public health measurement. |
Weeks 1-5 |
Assignments, Exams, Paper, and Presentation |
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Critically evaluate a published study for the appropriateness and quality of its measurement approach. |
Weeks 4-16 |
Assignments, Paper, and Presentation |
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Select and justify a standardized instrument for a given public health research question. |
Weeks 7-16 |
Paper and Presentation |
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Identify ethical and equity-related issues in public health data collection. |
12-16 |
Assignments |
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Graduate only: Conduct and interpret EFA and CFA, report model fit indices, and apply results to evaluate the validity of a measurement instrument. |
Week 10-16 |
Graduate assignments, Presentation, and Final Paper |
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Date |
Topic Title and Details |
Reading |
Activities and Assignments |
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Week 1 |
Course Overview History of Measurement Introduction to Psychometrics and Measurement in Public Health |
Furr Ch. 1-2 DeVellis Ch. 1 |
Activity: Case discussion—what makes a “good” measure? Assignment #1: Reflection on a public health issue and how it is commonly measured (1–2 pages). |
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Week 2 |
Measurement Concepts & Levels of Measurement |
Furr Ch. 2 |
Assignment #2: Classify measures into levels of measurement. |
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Week 3
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Reliability: Foundations · Test–retest reliability, internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), inter-rater reliability |
Furr Ch. 5-7 DeVellis Ch. 3
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Activity: Reliability demonstration with class survey data. Assignment #3: Short problem set calculating reliability coefficients.
Graduate student assignment: Analyze and interpret reliability |
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Week 4
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Validity: Foundations · Content validity, criterion validity, construct validity, convergent/discriminant validity |
Furr Ch. 8–9 DeVellis Ch. 4 |
Assignment #4: Critique a health survey for validity evidence. Graduate student assignment: Analyze and interpret validity |
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Week 5
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Sources of Measurement Bias & Error · Social desirability, recall bias, cultural bias, measurement invariance, missing data · Threats to Psychometric Quality |
Furr Ch. 10-11
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Activity: Small group debate— “Which bias is most harmful to public health measurement?”
Assignment #5: Critical reading summary of an article with identified bias. |
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Week 6
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Scale Development: Principles & Item Writing · Principles of survey design · Item writing, refinement and scaling |
DeVellis Ch. 5,9 |
Exam 1
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Week 7 |
Scale Development Continued · Conceptualization and defining constructs · Dimensionality and theoretical basis |
DeVellis Ch. 2, 5,9 |
In-class workshop drafting items for a behavioral health construct. Assignment#6: Project Proposal: Identify a construct + rationale for measurement. |
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Week 8
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Survey Administration & Data Collection Modes · Online vs. paper vs. in-person surveys; observational vs. self-report data · Item analysis and pilot testing |
DeVellis Ch. 7 |
Activity: Mock survey administration & discussion of response rates.
Assignment #7: Design a mini-survey and pilot it with peers. |
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Week 9
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Classical Test Theory and Common Factor Models · Psychometric evaluation of scales · Factor analysis introduction |
Furr Ch. 4 DeVellis Ch. 6 |
Assignment #8: Analyze and interpret mini survey from the previous week. |
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Week 10
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Psychometric Evaluation of Scales: Exploratory Factor Analysis |
Furr Ch. 4 DeVellis Ch. 6 |
Activity: Exploratory factor analysis demonstration + interpretation.
Graduate student assignment: Run and interpret an EFA |
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Week 11
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Psychometric Evaluation of Scales: Confirmatory Factor Analysis |
Furr Ch. 12 Instructor-provided article
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Activity: Confirmatory factor analysis demonstration + interpretation.
Graduate student assignment: Run and interpret a CFA |
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Week 12
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Cross-Cultural & Linguistic Adaptation · Cross-cultural and linguistic adaptation · Translation/back-translation; measurement invariance |
Instructor-provided article
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Exam 2
Activity: Adapt survey items for a new cultural context. |
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Week 13
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Using Standardized Public Health Tools · Standardized tools in behavioral health (PHQ-9, AUDIT-C, GAD-7, ACEs) Strengths and limitations of standardized instruments |
Instructor-provided articles |
Activity: Tool “speed-dating”—students rotate reviewing instruments. |
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Thanksgiving Break
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Week 15
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Applications in Program Evaluation & Evidence-Based Practice · Linking measurement to interventions; using data for program improvement |
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Final Student Presentations (present on chosen survey instrument, background, justification, discussion of reliability/validity/factor analysis/next steps). |
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Week 16
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Final Week |
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Final paper due (background on chosen survey instrument, justification, discussion of reliability/validity/factor analysis/next steps). |
Expectations for Student Effort
Standard rounding procedures will be applied to the percentages in order to calculate grades
Grading [add more lines if necessary]
| Type of Assignment (tests, papers, etc) | Points | Percent of Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments (8 x 10 points each) | 80 | 27% |
| Exams (2 x 50 points each) | 100 | 33% |
| Final Paper | 50 | 17% |
| Final Presentation | 50 | 17% |
| Attendance and Participation | 20 | 7% |
| Grade | Percent | Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 95-100% | C | 73-75% |
| A- | 90-94% | C- | 70-72% |
| B+ | 86-89% | D+ | 66-69% |
| B | 83-85% | D | 60-65% |
| B- | 80-82% | F | 0-59% |
| C+ | 76-79% |
Standard rounding procedures will be applied to the percentages in order to calculate grades
Attendance and Make-Up Policy
Active participation in class discussions, small group activities, and workshops is essential, as these sessions provide hands-on opportunities to practice applying measurement concepts to real-world public health scenarios. Attendance and engaged participation will be considered in the final grade.
Class periods will be highly interactive. Students will be expected to come prepared with a positive, respectful attitude and willingness to cooperate and communicate with all members of the class. They will be expected to come prepared having read and completed any assignments. I encourage you to make a transformation in the way you use this information to make you a better practitioner. Don’t stay stagnant in your practice; don’t be afraid to try new things. Learning is best facilitated through challenge and practice. Therefore, participation in discussions and group work will make up a portion of the final evaluation score. Students are expected to be present and on time to all class sessions. If students will not be able to attend class they must contact me prior to that session or the absence will be entered as unexcused. A deduction of points for each unexcused absence will be taken from the total points at the end of the semester.
Make-Up Exam Policies: Don’t miss the scheduled exams. Make-up exams will be given for reasonable absences which include participation in school sponsored events (e.g., conferences, clinical experience), illness, family emergencies, etc. To notify me of absence please contact me prior to the scheduled exam.
***Deadlines for assignments are typically set at 11:59 p.m. on Friday night, However, I know life happens and sometimes you need a bit of extra time, so I will leave the submission links open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday nights. Anything that is submitted after the official deadline but before the link closes will be a late submission and will be accepted but have 20% deducted from the grade. You don’t have to request permission or provide an excuse to use this late submission option while the Canvas link is still open. If you need more time after the Canvas link has closed on Sunday night, please reach out and let me know so we can figure something out.***
Academic Integrity Statement
You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:
-[All members of the university community share responsibility for maintaining and promoting the principles of integrity in all activities, including academic integrity and honest scholarship. Students are responsible for understanding the full Academic Integrity statement found online at vpue.wsu.edu/policies/statements/#academic-integrity. Students who violate WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy (identified in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 504-26-010(3) and -404) will receive an F as a final grade in this course, will not have the option to withdraw from the course pending an appeal, and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. If you have any questions about what is and is not allowed in the course, you should ask course instructors.
Presenting the information, ideas, or phrasing of another person as your own work without proper acknowledgment of the source. Our policy makes no distinction between intentional and unintentional plagiarism. In my experience, most students commit "academic integrity violations" for one of two reasons - either they genuinely do not understand how to correctly cite and quote other people's writing, or they have run out of time on an assignment. Both are wholly avoidable, and I would love to help you avoid them! If you in the first category and are not entirely sure about where research stops and plagiarism starts, there are good resources at UCLALinks to an external site., OnlineColleges.net,Links to an external site. and at WSU's Community Standards CenterLinks to an external site. I am also happy to answer questions about this if you need clarification. If you are in the second category and have fallen behind or got swamped with work, please just reach out and ask for an extension, which I am essentially always happy to grant. The deadlines for assignments are because I need to break assessments up so that they can occur close to when the content was taught and so that my grading load is distributed somewhat evenly throughout the semester. Having a student take an extra week or two here and there is not a big deal at all.
Consequences of plagiarism or other academic integrity violations may include penalties such as losing all points on the assignment or being reported to the Community Conduct Center. Dealing with these violations is no fun for me and no fun for the student, so let's just steer clear and spend our time together teaching and learning instead.]
-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
-Have the right to appeal my decision
-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.