School of Social Sciences and Education

GED104 Cluster – Science, Technology and Society

Prompt, Instructions and Structure of Module Exam 2

Recommending Science-based Public Health Solutions to Local Government Leaders

As students and scholars of Science, Technology, and Society, we’ve been taught in Module 1
the importance of Science and Technology in ensuring public good. With this, it becomes
imperative for us to develop calls to action and reform in order to ensure that S&T is front and
center in policy-making towards responding to the extraordinary demands of fighting the Covid-
19 global pandemic. It is important that our calls to action will not be confined to our discussions
in the (virtual) classrooms but must lead to real-world observable reforms in our communities.

You shall be grouped by your respective instructors for this activity. Each group shall identify a
local government unit (municipal, city, provincial) preferably where one of their groupmate
belongs to.

The group must do a quick and simple assessment regarding the local government’s handling of
COVID-19 response in their community. They may search social media posts of the official
pages or websites of the local government to see gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Moreover, they could benchmark other local government units and note their best practices in
addressing the Covid-19 public health concern.

After identifying the gap, the group must propose science-oriented solutions to address the gap
they identified. Solutions can be:
1. Scientific procedures you want authorities to commit to.
2. Simple technological tools in fighting the pandemic you want the government to use.
3. Procedures and processes that could make implementation or enforcement of minimum
health standards better or more efficient.
4. Proposed partnerships with various organizations that can provide services that
complement the initiatives of the local government unit to improve service provision to
the public.
5. Follow-up to good public health initiatives started by the local government unit in the
beginning of the pandemic but was perceived to have slow progress, slid back in
implementation, or was abandoned.

Be sure to note the contact details of your local leaders. For proposals in the municipal- or city
level, you will address your letter to the municipal/city mayor. For the provincial-level, you will
address it to the provincial governor. Take note of the email address, office address, and
telephone number of their offices for better coordination.

Begin writing your recommending statement. This will be in form of an official correspondence
addressed to the local government official. For guidance, here are some recommended contents
of your letter:
1. Paragraph 1 (Introduction) – Give your salutations and pleasantries. Introduce also who you
are (students of Mapua University) and explain the nature of the course and subject you’re
taking. Be sure to indicate that one of your groupmates is a constituent of the mayor/governor.
2. Paragraph 2 (Your gap/s) – Provide an introduction about the gap or opportunity you have
noted in their conduct of enforcement of minimum health standards or initiative to fight the
COVID-19 pandemic. Be constructive in identifying the gaps and be respectful of their
initiatives. Remember that they’ve been fighting this pandemic for almost half a year now. Avoid
tones that incite finger-pointing for faults or blaming.
3. Paragraph 3 (Your proposal) – Start by giving suggestions to the gaps you have identified.
Each gap you have identified in paragraph 2 must be matched with a constructive solution in
paragraph 3. Be constructive in proposing solutions. Focus on things that the government unit
can take actions on (implementation, better enforcement) rather than solutions that would require
them to spend funds. If the latter is inevitable, provide opportunities for partnerships with
agencies that could give them access to resources.
4. Paragraph 4 (Importance) – Discuss the benefit of hearing your proposals. This segment
should answer the question: “If the agency will follow our suggestions, what will be the impact
to the public’s health?” Discuss the benefits from micro (small communities) to macro (the
city/municipality/province) or the country in general.
5. Paragraph 5 (Conclusion and Closing Salutations) – To close the correspondence, be sure
to give your contact details and encourage the office to communicate with your group if they
have questions or concerns. Put your closing remarks and be sure that all your groupmates will
sign the letter. The member of the group who is a constituent of the mayor/governor must be the
first in the list of signatory.
6. Annex: References – Include an attachment of references or links related to your proposed
solutions that the local official can check. It can be article copies, links to articles
Send your petition to your local chief executive (mayor/governor) through official channels. You
may send an email to which you must carbon copy (CC) your instructor in sending the letter.
You may also hand-carry the correspondence. For the latter, please prepare two copies of the
letter, with a copy signed as a receiving copy or proof of receipt.

Criteria for grading

Choice of issue and ability to express the issue clearly (30 points) - to be assessed primarily
based on the introduction
o Is the student able to choose a critical public health concern regarding CoViD-19 in the
chosen locality in terms of its relevance to science and technology? (15 points)
o Is the student able to narrate the matters of the issue clearly including the critical public
health and/or S&T-related factors involved in the event? (15 points)

Weight of recommendations (35 points) - to be graded primarily based on the student’s

recommendations
o Is the student able to recommend solutions that are science-based and factual? (10 points)
o Is the student able to recommend solutions that are doable on the part of the local
government unit being urged to implement it? (15 points)
o Is the student able to provide solutions that are acceptable to the culture and sensitivities
of the communities to which the recommendations will be implemented? (10 points)

Quality of correspondence to local government officials (20 points) –

o Did the student approached the appropriate local government official and addressed the
official correctly? (10 pts)
o Is the student able to express ideas effectively through clear and concise writing? (10 pts)
Response from local government officials (10 pts)
o Did the local government official to which the letter was addressed to responded through
official channels? (5 pts)
o Did the local government official affirmed and considered the recommendations (5pts)?

Citation and references (10 points) -

o Are sources properly and correctly cited in the paragraphs? (5 points)
o Is a correctly formatted APA 6th Ed. reference list included in the submission? (5 points)