Exploring the industrial hygiene academic curriculum: Expectations and perceptions of the profession
Although the multi-disciplinary profession of industrial hygiene (IH) has been established for many years and IH practitioners have been prolific in developing the technical tools for recognition, evaluation and control of workplace hazards, few in the IH discipline have turned the tools and methods...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2759 http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2759 |
| Summary: | Although the multi-disciplinary profession of industrial hygiene (IH) has been
established for many years and IH practitioners have been prolific in developing the technical
tools for recognition, evaluation and control of workplace hazards, few in the IH discipline have
turned the tools and methods of academic research toward the academic curriculum itself. A
review of the literature revealed that published research in IH curriculum has been minimal, and
that none has considered comparing faculty and employer expectations. Evaluating the nature of
the current IH curriculum, and the preferences and expectations of the IH profession for
graduates’ competencies, is true to the goal of IH practice, i.e., conducting research as a basis for
on-going evaluation and review of existing programs, and using research findings to plan
preventive interventions in order to ensure continued good health of both programs and impacted
individuals.
This research was an initial, exploratory study to identify and assess the expectations and
perceptions of the IH faculty and employers in the areas of IH curriculum content and structure.
The expectations and perceptions of IH academic program faculty were compared with those of
employers of graduates of IH programs. Characteristics of current IH academic programs were
identified, as a baseline for future evaluation of the IH curriculum. Actual and expected undergraduate majors of those entering IH masters programs were identified to aid in targeting
effective recruitment programs and efficient resource allocation. The study populations’ skill and
capacity with computers and the Internet were assessed as an indicator of readiness to
incorporate distance learning methodology and electronic media delivery into traditional
classroom delivery of industrial hygiene education. Recommendations were given for model IH
curricula derived from the survey participants’ responses, and for future work. |
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