Summer 2026 AGEI 473: Chronic Disease and Ageing (Units: 1.5)
Territory Acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
Withdrawal without reduction of tuition fees: 2026-05-18
Withdrawal with 50% reduction of tuition fees: 2026-06-07
Last day for withdrawal (no fees returned): 2026-07-01
Additional important academic dates: https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/dates.
Instructor Contact
Instructor: Robert Beringer, DSocSci
E-mail: robertberinger@uvic.ca
Office hours: I am available by appointment and by email. I will respond to students’ emails within 48 hours during work hours. My preferred method of contact is by email.
Teaching Assistants:
TA: Alexa Krull
TA email: alexabkrull@uvic.ca
Instructor Bigraphy
Area(s) of expertise: Gerontology; technology and aging; Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (2SLGBTQ+) aging; global 2SLGBTQ+ health; health equity; community-based research; virtual community building and social connectivity; health promotion.
School Welcome
Welcome to the School of Public Health and Social Policy (PHSP) at the University of Victoria, located on the unceded homelands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ Peoples. By being a part of this course you are joining our learning community—a community that welcomes diverse identities, learning needs, and perspectives based on lived and professional experience. The following list of values guides our School’s priorities in teaching, research and practice.
PHSP Values
- Critical analysis grounded in principles of social justice and equity
- Collaborative action across sectors, professions and disciplines
- Community-based approaches and partnerships with people and populations served
- Political awareness and engagement
- Respect for Indigenous rights and knowledges
- Inclusive practices that promote diversity and cultural safety
Commitments Toward a Healthy Learning Community
Maintaining a healthy learning community that is as safe and accessible as possible requires care to be exercised by all of us. Respectful communication and openness to learning from one another is essential. In situations of conflict we encourage students and instructors to try and find resolution directly; however, if for any reason the situation cannot be resolved directly, the School will do its best to mediate and in some cases other university supports may be consulted.
Students are asked to take personal responsibility for their learning by exercising good judgment, communicating effectively, and remaining accountable to expectations outlined in the course syllabus. In situations where a student is worried about a deadline or having difficulty in a course they are encouraged to approach the instructor as far in advance as possible in order to develop an appropriate plan. Student wellbeing is important to us and we strive for all members of the PHSP learning community to work collaboratively in promoting student health and success.
A healthy learning community also requires respect for academic integrity. This means acting fairly and honestly and recognizing our collective responsibilities to the knowledge we are engaging with and producing. Plagiarism includes representing someone else’s work or ideas as your own. Sometimes this is done intentionally where entire assignments or pieces of assignments are taken from someone else (including AI software) and other times plagiarism may be unintentional as a result of improper citations. AI technology is permitted for completion of course assignments and activities; however, AI technology is NOT required, and ALL assignments and activities can be successfully completed without the use of these technologies. In order to not violate academic integrity, you must cite ChatGPT or any other tool properly using APA style. Additionally, you must add as an appendix all the prompts and questions used within the generative AI to create content as an appendix. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and there are consequences. Please refer to UVic Libraries’ guide for using and citing GenAI tools in scholarly work.
Thank-you in advance for all of your contributions this term. We look forward to learning alongside you and working together to uphold a healthy learning community.
For more information on policies and resources related to the points above please see the University Policies and Supports section of the course syllabus.
Course Overview
Course author: Robert Beringer
In this course we will explore the impact of chronic disease on older adults. We will explore theories of aging and contrast chronic versus acute care. We will examine how causes of death have changed over the past 150 years. We will look at the prevalence of chronic diseases in Canada and consider options for management of symptoms. We will consider the efficacy of these care designs. We will explore the role of self-management programs and how social support factors into the entire process. We will consider the impact on different populations in Canada such as Indigenous, Immigrant, and Sexual and Gender minorities.
Calendar Description
Course Title: AGEI 473: Chronic Disease and Ageing
Description: Chronic diseases are very prevalent among the elderly, and their management has a major influence on the health, functionality and quality of life of older people. The growing body of evidence and experience in the delivery of high quality, safe, effective care is examined and the design of systems that encourage and support high quality care are explored. The role of chronic disease self-management and social support networks is an important focus.
Units:
1.5
Course offered by:
School of Public Health and Social Policy
Course schedules:
Summer timetable available: February 15. Fall and Spring timetables available: May 15.
Course Format
This online course will involve weekly readings, watching the weekly course lectures, viewing recorded materials, online class discussions, learning and self-reflection activities, and assignments.
- Extensions require prior permission from the instructor.
Required Reading Material
- There are required readings available online
- There is no textbook but all readings must be completed
Other Course Considerations
N/A
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this course, students will:
- Possess an understanding of some aging theories
- Have explored the demographics of aging
- Examined the onset and prevalence of chronic health conditions
- Be able to articulate the impact of chronic health conditions on quality of life
- Understand how incidence varies among different populations
- Incorporate behaviour change theory into one’s analysis
- Improve professional and academic writing skills
Completion of Assignments
Students must complete all assignments and course requirements to pass this course. A letter grade of “N” will be entered for the course if any required component has not been received by the completion of the course and for which a student has not negotiated an extension with the instructor. An “N” grade is calculated as a “0” in the Grade Point Average and is a failing grade.
Citation Style
All written assignments must be written using the APA style guide (7th edition). Please refer to the University of Victoria’s Style Guides and APA style guide for more information.
Scholarly Use of GenAI
AI technology is permitted for completion of course assignments and activities; however, AI technology is NOT required, and ALL assignments and activities can be successfully completed without the use of these technologies. In order to not violate academic integrity, you must cite ChatGPT or any other tool properly using APA style. Additionally, you must add as an appendix all the prompts and questions used within the generative AI to create content as an appendix.
UVic Library Guide on Citing AI: https://libguides.uvic.ca/AI_Tools/Citing_GenAI.
Extensions and Late Policies
You must contact the instructor before the due date (not on the due date) to receive an extension.
There will be a reduction of 5 percent of the grade for each day the assignment is late.
Assignment Summary
| Task | Due Date | Value |
| Learning Activities (online discussion forums) | Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 11 (12% each session x5) | 60% |
| Quiz 1 | June 24 - can be completed any time on this day from 12:01 am to 11:55 pm PT | 5% |
| Quiz 2 | July 29 - can be completed any time on this day from 12:01 am to 11:55 pm PT | 5% |
| Assignment: 8-page final paper | July 31 by 11:55 pm PT | 30% |
Assignment Instructions
Task 1: Learning activities (online forum discussions). Online discussion topics and a grading rubric will be presented during the course overview in week 1. You will be scored for your initial post (up to 250 words; 70% of grade) and your response to another student post (up to 250 words; 30% of grade).
Due date: 11:55PM on Sunday in weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11.
Value: 60% of grade (12% for each discussion x 5).
Task 2: Quiz 1
Due date: Wednesday, June 24th - can be completed any time on this day from 12:01am to 11:55pm Pacific time.
Value: 5% of grade.
This quiz will cover key concepts up to Sunday June 21st
Task 3: Quiz 2
Due date: Wednesday July 29th – can be completed any time on this day from 12:01am to 11:55pm Pacific time.
Value: 5% of grade.
This will cover key concepts from all course readings and lectures up to Sunday July 26th
Task/Assignment 4: 8-page final paper in APA format.
Due date: July 31 by 11:55pm Pacific time.
Value: 30% of grade.
Description: Design a chronic disease self-management program and apply theory from our prescribed readings to support your design.
Grading template for the 8-page final paper (with the weight of grade assigned to each section):
Introduction – 10%
Description of the chronic disease self-management program - 25%
Describe how you will apply theory to improve the program - 25%
Describe limitation to your proposal - 10%
Provide a conclusion to your paper - 10%
Writing clarity, grammar, punctuation, length, APA referencing and format - 20%
Other Course Policies
Each assignment is to be submitted to your instructor through the Assignments drop box in Brightspace. Please save your assignment as a Word attachment (do not submit a PDF). Be sure to put your name and student number on your assignment. When saving the assignment file, please use the following format to name your file: your name and assignment number, i.e., StudentName_Assignment#.
Course Schedule
Week 1: Course introduction and overview
Week 2: What do we mean by aging?
Week 3: How do we define health?
Week 4: Chronic disease
Week 5: Chronic disease self-management
Week 6: Behavior change (1)
Week 7: Behavior change (2)
Week 8: Chronic disease and community variations
Week 9: Reading Break
Week 10: Chronic disease in Indigenous communities
Week 11: Chronic disease and pain management
Week 12: Case study
Week 13: Course wrap-up
Official Grades
Course grades are not official until they have been approved by the director.
PHSP Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will not be tolerated. Please review the library's information on plagiarism and reach out to one of the university librarians for additional information.
Students are expected to be knowledgeable of the types of plagiarism and to understand how to prevent it. Please review UVic's information on academic integrity for students.
If there is evidence of plagiarism on any assignment, the director of the School of Public Health and Social Policy will be advised and the policy on academic integrity will be used to guide the process.
Grading System
The University of Victoria follows a percentage grading system in which the instructor will submit grades in percentages. The University will use the following Senate approved standardized grading scale to assign letter grades. Both the percentage mark and the letter grade will be recorded on the academic record and transcripts.
| F | D | C | C+ | B- | B | B+ | A- | A | A+ |
|---|
| 0-49 | 50-59 | 60-64 | 65-69 | 70-72 | 73-76 | 77-79 | 80-84 | 85-89 | 90-100 |
| Grades | Description |
|---|
| A+, A, A- | Exceptional, outstanding or excellent performance. Normally achieved by a minority of students. These grades indicate a student who is self-initiating, exceeds expectation and has an insightful grasp of the subject matter. |
| B+, B, B- | Very good, good or solid performance. Normally achieved by the largest number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp of the subject matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced with satisfactory grasp in the other areas. |
| C+, C | Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades indicate a satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter. |
| D | Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade demonstrated a superficial grasp of the subject matter. |
| F | Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and completed course requirements; no supplemental. |
Student Experience of Learning (SEL)
I value your feedback on this course. Towards the end of term you will have the opportunity to complete a confidential Student Experience of Learning (SEL) survey regarding your learning experience. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as well as to help the department improve the overall program for students in the future. When it is time for you to complete the survey, you will receive an email inviting you to do so. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to the SEL site
You will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you closer to the time, but please be thinking about this important activity, especially the following three questions, during the course.
- What strengths did your instructor demonstrate that helped you learn in this course?
- Please provide specific suggestions as to how the instructor could have helped you learn more effectively.
- Please provide specific suggestions as to how this course could be improved.
Equality
This course aims to provide equal opportunities and access for all students to enjoy the benefits and privileges of the class and its curriculum and to meet the syllabus requirements. Reasonable and appropriate accommodation will be made available to students with documented disabilities (physical, mental, learning) in order to give them the opportunity to successfully meet the essential requirements of the course. The accommodation will not alter academic standards or learning outcomes, although the student may be allowed to demonstrate knowledge and skills in a different way. It is not necessary for you to reveal your disability and/or confidential medical information to the course instructor. If you believe that you may require accommodation, the course instructor can provide you with information about confidential resources on campus that can assist you in arranging for appropriate accommodation. Alternatively, you may want to contact the Centre for Accessible Learning located in the Campus Services Building.
The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing, and protecting a positive, and supportive and safe learning and working environment for all its members.
Copyright Statement
All course content and materials are made available by instructors for educational purposes and for the exclusive use of students registered in their class. The material is protected under copyright law, even if not marked with a ©. Any further use or distribution of materials to others requires the written permission of the instructor, except under fair dealing or another exception in the Copyright Act. Violations may result in disciplinary action under the Resolution of Non-Academic Misconduct Allegations policy (AC1300).