Health Literacy Certificate

Return to: 4160 Department of Learning Sciences  

The Graduate Certificate in Health Literacy combines a theoretical and practical approach to issues of health literate communication in adult education, the health professions, healthcare administration and public health. This program is designed for adult educators, researchers, health care professionals, those employed in the health system, and public health practitioners and gives students a systematic understanding of how health literacy impacts education, health outcomes, health communication and health promotion and behavior between and among individuals, businesses, health care entities, and traditional and digital messaging. These skills are critical in industry, academia, business, non-profit organizations, healthcare facilities, and government. A significant feature of the Graduate Certificate in Health Literacy is the collaboration among scholars and practitioners in adult education, the health professions, healthcare administration and health promotion and behavior.

Objectives

Students who complete the Certificate in Health Literacy will be able to:

• Identify basic theories, concepts and models from a range of social and behavioral disciplines that are used in adult education, public health research and practice, health communication, and health promotion and behavior.
• Apply steps and procedures for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs, policies, and interventions.
• Apply evidence-based principles and the scientific knowledge base to critical evaluation and decision making.
• Assess individual, organizational and community concerns and resources for health care and health outcomes.
• Implement best-practice social, emotional, and cognitive practices in applying health literate principles to the instructional process and learning outcomes.
• Apply social and behavioral risk factors as they contribute to individual and public health outcomes.

Topics covered to address these objectives include the science of learning, human development along the life span, learning, memory and cognition in the real world, behavior analysis, health communication theory and practice, health literacy in research and in practice, writing for health literate communication, linking socio-ecological factors to health outcomes, health promotion and behavior theory and practice, and using a critical approach to human behavior.