University
of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
Department
of Epidemiology
EPID 600, Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health
Welcome EPID600 Internet Class of Fall '09
Dear EPID600 student -
Welcome to EPID600. We try to make this course inspiring and fun, but it is also a lot of work and quite complex.
This announcement, unfortunately, will expose that complexity right from the start!
1) SAFETY FIRST - do not open an email attachment from me unless it is clearly from me
If you're not yet a “seasoned” Internet user, please click on “More about EPID160/EPID600” on the public website (you can also get there through the Syllabus tab in Blackboard) and read about safe email practices. I also invite you to follow my practice of beginning the Subject line of my EPID600 messages with “EPID600”. That provides a little protection against spoofed emails that appear to come from me, but mostly it helps me find EPID600 emails in my inbox.
2) WEBSITES - public or private
The Blackboard course website will soon be open, so if you are officially registered for the class you should see it when you log into Blackboard. The course also has a public website (http://www.unc.edu/epid600/ , where you are now).
The public site has the course schedule, access to the lecture slides with speaker notes, comments from students who have taken the course in the past, and lots of helpful information about the course and about epidemiology.
This site also has the request form for asking to change your recitation day, audit the class, obtain an extension, obtain a recommendation letter, take an incomplete, etc. There is also a convenient shortcut to the Blackboard website. In general, almost all of the course can be accessed from either site (examinations and student names are only in Blackboard). Start your day at www.unc.edu/epid600/ !
3) COURSEPACK, TEXTBOOK
Information on the course materials, textbook, etc. are all on the public site www.unc.edu/epid600/ These are largely the same as from last year’s Internet courses,
though there are changes. If you have obtained materials from a prior course, be sure to check the version dates of lecture slides and case study questions. If you have instructor answers to case studies or exams you must inform Vic and also dispose of them. (Ask me if you are unsure about this requirement.)
4) SMALL GROUPS - We will assign you to a small group during the second week of the course and notify you by email. If you live near the School and would like to join a classroom group (Tuesday, 5:00pm or Wednesday, 4:00pm), please submit the request form at www.unc.edu/epid600/students/ .
5) ANXIOUS?
I'm looking forward to our class together. If you're feeling nervous about EPID160, consider this anecdote from the Prairie Home Companion:
Patient: "Doctor, I'm kind of nervous - this is my first operation."
Doctor: "I know what you mean - mine, too."
See you soon,
Vic Schoenbach
www.unc.edu/~vschoenb/
EPID600 home page
What is epidemiology?
Should I take EPID600 or a different introductory course?
Course objectives
Course content
Grading scales
Schedules
Class times
Grading
Other resources
Information for prospective teaching assistants
[EPID160/EPID600 history]
[Vic’s home page]
Updated 8/3/2009vs