WAC PAPER

METHODIST COLLEGE

Course Syllabus and Activity Tracker

Course

PH300

Course Title

Epidemiology

Course Description

The course will increase the student’s knowledge base and understanding of the scope of practice, scientific methods and applications involved in epidemiology as a community and public health related discipline. The course explores the application of epidemiologic methods to basic and clinical sciences as well as the use of findings from investigation and analyses to generate policy. The course is designed to integrate skills such as quantitative reasoning, inquiry and problem analysis, deductive and inductive reasoning, creating generalizations and teamwork.

Course Instructor: Professor Marjorie Getz

Office: E177

Phone Number: (309) 671-2907

Email (preferred method of contact): mgetz@methodistcol.edu

Course Office Hours: Please email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Course Pre or Co-requisites:

ENG201 and MTH201

Course Credit Hours:

Three (3) Credit Hours. (One credit hour includes a minimum of 50 minutes of instruction each week and one to two hours of work outside class for the equivalent of 15 weeks.)

Required Course Materials: Friis, R.H. (2018). Epidemiology 101 2nd edition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Please only purchase the 2nd edition! We use problems right from the textbook in this course. The first edition and second edition are like night and day when making a comparison!

Course Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, the student learner will

Course Objectives	Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes
1. Develop skills related to identifying and understanding data, turning data into information for public health action, assessing the health needs and assets of a jurisdiction using community health assessments and using collected and analyzed evidence for decision making.	Inquiry & analysis
2. Use data to determine needed policies and programs and advocate for these; including by soliciting and using community input.	Inquiry & analysis
3. Demonstrate how to plan, implement and evaluate policies, programs, community health improvement plans and strategic plans using relevant data.	Inquiry & analysis
4. Illustrate how to effectively communicate and facilitate communication of data and other relevant information.	Communication
5. Understand how to respond to diverse community needs and assess the impacts of policies and programs on different populations.	Communication Civic engagement
6. Use community linkages and professional relationships within and across organizations and systems to communicate results of assessments, plans, and interventions.	Integrative learning Civic engagement

Course Lessons or Modules

1. Epidemiology: General knowledge

History, philosophy and uses of epidemiology

2. Measurement in Epidemiology

Measures used to describe disease occurrence

Measures of association and effect

Other measures used in epidemiology

3. Core Topics in Epidemiology

Patterns of disease

Associations and causation

Types of study designs

Causation and validity

Infectious disease and outbreak investigation

Social and behavioral epidemiology

Special applications (e.g., screening and screening applications)

4. Epidemiology and policy

Learning Activities

“Quick assignments” embedded in the PowerPoint slides prepared for each week of the course

Dialogue through online participation in discussion boards.

Evaluation Methods

Written assignments (65%)

Online participation in discussion forums (35%)

Grading Scale

90-100% A

80-89% B

70-79% C

60-69% D

0-59% F

How This Course Works: This course is taught during the fall, winter, spring and summer semesters and has ranged from 5-days, through 8 week and 15 week schedules. All course assignments are posted in the D2L Learning Management System. Course announcements are made using D2L (please check email daily so that you do not miss any information). The D2L Gradebook function is used to keep track of points that students earn for this course. Students submit assignments using the D2L dropbox and use the D2L discussion options to post both initial posts to questions posed for this course and to reply to their classmates.

The course calendar/tracker (see below) lists everything the student is responsible for and provides due dates.

Classes begin Monday, January 11, 2021. The last day of class is Monday, March 3rd. There are 8 weeks of classes. A class week begins at 9:00 am on Monday and ends at 11:30 pm on the following Sunday.

Each week, students will use the “Quick Assignment” sheet included in that week’s class module in D2L to complete learning assessments. These sheets (and the weekly Power Point slides and the current week discussion) will be opened by 9:00 am on Mondays. The Quick Assignments should be completed on the sheet included in D2L and loaded into the course drop box before 11:30 pm on Sunday.

Students may discuss their Quick Assignments together. However, and this is very important, each student must submit an individual set of Quick Assignments that they compose on their own. Students who plagiarize from each other can receive no more than ½ points for the essay. Because it may be difficult to determine which student copied from another student, both students who submit copied work will be penalized.

Students should also complete their discussion post assignments for the week prior to 11:30 pm on the Sunday that ends that class week. Instructions for online postings are included in the resources folder (under the syllabus and activity tracker) in the Learning Materials section of D2L. A word to the wise, comment posting is best handled early in the week!

In summary, students will be assessed through

· Answers to quick assignments embedded in course Power Point slides (submitted using the drop box)

· Reflections to discussion questions posted in the D2L discussion forum section.

Grading Schedule:

Week/Dates	Quick Assignments	Points	Discussion forums	Points	Due date for Quick Assignments and Discussion Forum postings	Other recommendations
Class 1 (begins Monday January 11 at 9:00 am and ends on Sunday, January 17 at 11:30 pm)	For PowerPoint slides for Chapter 1, there are 10 Quick Assignments. For most chapters, there will be 10 Quick Assignments. An MS Word document that contains the Quick Assignments appears in the weekly course Module under Learning Materials. Students are encouraged to type their responses to the Quick Assignment questions right on that document and submit that (when completed) into the D2L Drop Box.	10 points for each Quick Assignment or 100 points for Week 1.	A discussion topic will appear each Monday morning by 9:00 am. Students should post 3 times during each week. Students should do one initial post to respond to the topic. During the week, students should address their peers’ comments with responses of their own (twice). Please consult Resource 4 under D2L Learning Materials for instructions related to online posting.	Up to 40 points for each set of 3 weekly posts (one initial post (20 points) that addresses the topic and two peer comment reflections—each worth 10 points, each)	Sunday, January 17 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 2 (begins Monday, January 18 and ends on Sunday, January 24 at 11:30 pm) I will try to post early because of the holiday on Monday 1/18.	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points.	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, January 24 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 3 (begins Monday, January 25 and ends on Sunday, January 31 at 11:30 pm)	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points.	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, January 31 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 4 (begins Monday, February 1 and ends on Sunday, February 7 11:30 pm)	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points.	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, February 7 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 5 (begins Monday, February 8 and ends on Sunday, February 14 11:30 pm)	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points..	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, February 14 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 6 (begins Monday, February 15 ends on Sunday, February 21 at 11:30 pm)	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points.	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, February 21 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 7 (begins Monday, February 22 and ends on Sunday, February 28 at 11:30 pm)	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points.	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, February 28 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.
Class 8 (begins Monday, March 1 and ends on Sunday, March 7 at 11:30 pm)	Power Point slides with embedded Quick Assignments will be available on Monday mornings.	Up to 100 points.	Discussion topic to be posted on Monday mornings.	Up to 40 points.	Sunday, March 7 at 11:30 pm	Check email every day for possible messages.

Grade Scale

Point Range Percentages Description of Student Effort Grade Equivalent

Please note: In order to earn the grade associated with your point total, all work must be submitted for grading. Those with missing assignments can expect to receive a grade that is lowered by one letter grade regardless of final point total. No exceptions.

1008-1120 90-100% Superior effort/achievement A

896-1007 80-89% Above average effort/achievement B

784-895 70-79% Adequate effort/achievement C

672-783 60-69% Below average effort/achievement D

0-671 59% or below Little/no effort/achievement F

Course Activity Tracker:

Date	Readings	Assessments
Class 1 (begins Monday, January 11 at 9:00 am and ends on Sunday, January 17 at 11:30 pm)	Chapter 1 from Friis, R.H. (2018). Epidemiology 101 2nd edition. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 2 (begins Monday, January 18 and ends on Sunday, January 24 at 11:30 pm) I will try to post early because of the holiday on Monday 1/18.	Chapter 2 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 3 (begins Monday, January 25 and ends on Sunday, January 31 at 11:30 pm)	Chapters 5, 3 and 4 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 4 (begins Monday, February 1 and ends on Sunday, February 7 11:30 pm)	Chapters 5, 3, and 4 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 5 (begins Monday, February 8 and ends on Sunday, February 14 11:30 pm)	Chapters 6 and 7 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 6 (begins Monday, February 15 ends on Sunday, February 21 at 11:30 pm)	Chapters 9 and 10 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 7 (begins Monday, February 22 and ends on Sunday, February 28 at 11:30 pm)	Chapter 8 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)
Class 8 (begins Monday, March 1 and ends on Sunday, March 7 at 11:30 pm)	Chapter 11 and 12 from Friis	Quick Assignments (10 points each) and Discussion Forum (up to 40 points for the weekly topic)

Course Policies

Assessment Feedback

Grades will be posted in D2L. Exceptions may occur and will be noted during class sessions. Students are responsible for on-going review of D2L to insure that grades have been posted accurately. Students are advised to develop a system to keep a running total account of their course point total.

Late Assignments

Each assignment has a due date included on the course tracker and on the assignment sheet. Each online assignment is entered into D2L with this date clearly noted. Assignments are due on that date.

No assignments will be accepted after August 17, 2020 at 9:00 am unless the student has made it known that they intend to take a grade of “incomplete.”

Incompletes

It is critical that all work be completed and submitted by the posted due dates and the final day of the course. Typically, there is no provision for a grade of “incomplete” in this course. However, there may be extenuating circumstances under which an incomplete will be granted. This is at the discretion of the instructor. The extension of time will be based on policies developed by the Office of the Registrar.

Withdrawal/Drop Dates

Please refer to the academic calendar on the www.methodistcol.edu website for specific dates for withdrawals/drops.

Student Grades & Materials

Desire2Learn/Brightspace® course materials will be closed to student view following completion of course. Students are responsible for retrieving all information from the course prior to final grade posting.

Academic Honesty

As a community of students and professionals, the College strives to set and maintain the highest standards of integrity. Any dishonesty related to academic work in the classroom or clinical area will constitute misconduct and, as such, is incompatible with the standards of this College and subject to investigation and disciplinary action. Students are expected to read the policy in their handbook/catalog concerning academic conduct. Recording of a quiz or exam will be considered an attempt to give unauthorized aide and/or to obtain improper acquisition of a copy of a quiz or exam and considered to constitute academic misconduct.

Plagiarism is the representation of someone else’s intellectual property (e.g. original research, ideas, writings, calculations, video material, etc.) as the student’s original work. To discourage plagiarism, students are advised the College may submit written work to an online detection service for evaluation of originality and proper use and attribution of sources. Turnitin® is available to students through the Learning Management System D2L Brightspace®.

Student Responsibility Statement

It is the student’s responsibility to engage in professional and ethical behavior and to know the requirements to complete his or her degree, including—but not limited to—required courses, prerequisites courses, policies, procedures, payment and payment arrangements, awarding of financial aid, and catalog and handbook requirements. Methodist College faculty and staff will partner with students to support their success and their efforts to complete their degrees in a timely manner. All policies and procedures can be found in the student handbook or college catalog available on the Methodist College website.

Please note: In alignment with college policy (Policy # A-90), there are no children allowed in the classroom during a class period.

Disability Statement

Methodist College complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended states in part under section 7(20) that “no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance.” A disability is defined as a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”

Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified students with disabilities unless they impose an undue hardship on the College. Accommodation requests can be made by completing the Request for Accommodations form which can be accessed via the Methodist College website at http://www.methodistcol.edu/disability-services.aspx. Paper copies are available in the office of the Director of the OASIS (W160).

Methodist College encourages students to access all resources available for consistent support and access to programs and is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities to students with documented disabilities (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical).

To ensure access to this class and program, please contact the Director of the OASIS for a confidential conversation about the process for requesting accommodations in classroom and/or clinical settings.

Director of the OASIS Office: W160 | Phone: 309-282-8451

Client Confidentiality Policy

Through the various educational experiences, nursing students are privileged to confidential information. As pre-professional nurses, students must adhere to the professional behaviors as directed by the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements which includes maintenance of confidentiality and requirements documented in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

MC students may not disclose any information regarding clients, their families or information pertaining to clinical agencies outside of that specific care giving experience.

Every MC student will be required to sign the “Student Confidentiality Form” at the beginning of the first clinical course. The Confidentiality policy will be re-emphasized in each subsequent clinical course. The signed “Student Confidentiality Form” will be kept on file in the office of the Registrar.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”

· Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.

· Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.

· Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):

School officials with legitimate educational interest;

Other schools to which a student is transferring;

Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;

Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;

Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;

Accrediting organizations;

To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;

Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and

State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

Schools may disclose, without consent, “directory” information such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school.

For additional information, you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (voice). Individuals who use TDD may use the Federal Relay Service.

Or you may contact us at the following address:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20202-8520

PH300: Epidemiology Spring Semester 2021 (1st 8 weeks)