Abstract
The New Jersey (NJ) Safe Schools Program created a set of six safety and health courses, including the new "Introduction to Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)quot; course, which counted towards student graduation requirements for NJ career and technical education (CTE) students during the 2020-2021 school year and fall-winter 2021. This QRA course focused on identifying microenvironments in which people spend time, understanding safety notices, and evaluating health risks. Overall, 1,720 CTE students completed this course across seven different cohorts. The first of three knowledge checks asked students to identify microenvironments--predominantly indoor locations--different age groups commonly visit. Most NJ students could identify a reasonable number of frequently used microenvironments across age groups. Initial NJ participants also showed an understanding of what indoor, semienclosed and outdoor microenvironments were, and were able to identify multiple and specific microenvironments in which each age group (e.g., secondary or high school adolescents) would frequently spend time. The second and third knowledge checks asked open-ended questions assessing what they learned from available online United States Department of Labor safety notices and about individual human health risks related to COVID-19, respectively. For these knowledge checks most participants scored 100%, showing a higher understanding of QRA. The average grade for this course was 95%. There were mixed results regarding statistical differences between cohorts. This course is one of the only courses teaching secondary or high school students the steps and components of QRA with an activity on indoor microenvironments and COVID-19 as an example case study. Students were receptive to course content and demonstrated initial higher levels of understanding QRA and indoor microenvironments.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Exploring Perspectives, Opportunities, and Challenges in Various School Settings |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. |
| Pages | 103-118 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9798891135048 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9798891134300 |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2024 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Social Sciences
Keywords
- Adolescents
- Environmental education
- Indoor air
- Microenvironments
- Risk assessment
- Skill development