EDUC 1014 - Preparation for the Study of Nursing & Health Sci

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2017

This course is designed to build on semester one coursework with specific disciplinary preparation for study in Health Sciences and Nursing. The course aims to cover key skills such as basic statistics for Health Science, drug calculations, basic human perspectives in Biological Science and introductions to public health. There will also be a focus on the interrelation of literacy and numeracy skills and placement within class-based practical sessions within the Faculty of Health Sciences with a view to exploring the opportunities and demands of careers in Health. An explicit focus on reflective practice will enable students to prepare for further studies in Health Science

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code EDUC 1014
    Course Preparation for the Study of Nursing & Health Sci
    Coordinating Unit School of Education
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact up to 36 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Restrictions This class is only open for students in the University Preparatory Program or Wilto Yerlo Preparatory Program.
    Assessment Anatomy and Physiology test; Short Essay on issues in Public Health; Reflective learning journal; In-class exam on Drug Calculations
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Ms Amy Robinson

    Lecturer & tutor (Human Biology): Franca Scopacasa, franca.scopacasa@adelaide.edu.au

    Lecturer & tutor (Public Health and Drug Calculations): Michael De Ieso, michael.deieso@adelaide.edu.au

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Please note that this course will proceed in three parts: the first (six weeks) will cover an Introduction to Human Biology; the second (four weeks) will cover an Introduction to Public Health; the third (two weeks) will cover an introduction to Drug Calculations and basic numeracy.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    Upon the successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

    1. Discuss some key concepts from Human Biology and articulate relationships at various levels from the cellular to the systemic;
    2. Read and engage with scientific writing in areas related to health sciences;
    3. Discuss and critique scientific research based on evidence from reading and observation, and find sources using databases and search engines;
    4. Interrelate knowledge in human biology with Public Health in the context of particular issues, diseases and conditions;
    5. Engage with debates around Indigenous Health and other major issues in Public Health, and
    6. Perform basic drug calculations in a simulated clinical context.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2, 3, 4, 5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1, 3, 4, 5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1, 2, 4, 5, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    3, 5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1, 4, 5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Readings will be distributed in class and on MyUni as required.
    Recommended Resources
    See 'Online Learning' below.
    Online Learning
    MyUni will be used for essential communication including via email, so please check your University email regularly (at least three times a week). If you have a smartphone it is strongly recommended that you set up your email on it for easy and regular access to your University email. For guidance on how to do this, visit:

    https://www.adelaide.edu.au/its/networks/mobile/support/config/#mobile  

    Remember, the most useful portal for all University online activities is Unified.

    To explore the intersection of Human Biology and Public Health, it will be very helpful to use Article Databases via the University Library: http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/databases If you are unsure how to use databases to search for scholarly journal articles, use the online resources or seek support from Library staff.

    A particular tool for accessing and analysing Public Health data is Gapminder: http://www.gapminder.org It is essential that you use Gapminder for your Research Presentation project, so we recommend that you familiarise yourself with it well before the Public Health component of the course begins.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will be comprised of a one-hour interactive lecture and a two-hour tutorial per week.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The wokload of this course is as follows:

    1 x 1-hour lecture per week: 12 hours
    1 x 2-hour tutorial per week: 24 hours
    10  hours of reading/private study per week: 120 hours

    Total: 156 hours
    Learning Activities Summary
    Week Lecture/tutorial topic Lecturer/tutor
    1 Human Biology I Franca
    2 Drug Calculations I Michael
    3 Human Biology II Franca
    4 Drug Calculations II Michael
    5 Public Health I Michael
    6 Public Health II Michael
    7 Public Health III Michael
    8 Human Biology III Franca
    Mid-semester
    break
    9 Public Health IV Michael
    10 Human Biology IV Franca
    11 Human Biology V Franca
    12 Human Biology VI Franca
    Specific Course Requirements
    To pass this course, students must attend at least 75% of tutorials; in cases of absence for medical or compassionate reasons, documentation must be provided and students must still attend at least 50% of classes. If students fail to attend the minimum required number of tutorials, they will be considered to have not completed an assignment (see below).
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    The University of Adelaide has committed to a pedagogical approach termed the “Small Group Discovery Experience”, indicating that the SHDE will be a core component in a credit-bearing course of every
    undergraduate program, and that it will be part of every first-year level from 2014. Since the UPP is not an award-based program, it is not strictly required to include an SGDE in the UPP.

    However, since the UPP is designed to prepare students for first-year study, and the SGDE will be a core component of all first-year study, it is important for the UPP to provide some preparation in Small Group Discovery. These should be of a scaffolded, preparatory nature as befits each course within the program, and the philosophy and program objectives of the UPP. The Program has been designed to include preparation for small group work and research activity in many of its courses.

    More specifically, students undertake a small group Research Poster assessment, where they work in small groups of 3-4 to explore a key issue in Public Health in Australia. Here they are required to explore the literature and data on their chosen health issue in order to synthesis scientifice and Public Health perspectives to make recommendations on approaching the issue. This occurs under the guidance of experts in the science and public health of these issues who facilitate student enquiry and discovery that is germane to the course content.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    1. Discuss some key concepts from Human Biology and articulate relationships at various levels from the cellular to the systemic;
    2. Read and engage with scientific writing in areas related to health sciences;
    3. Discuss and critique scientific research based on evidence from reading and observation, and find sources using databases and search engines;
    4. Interrelate knowledge in human biology with Public Health in the context of particular issues, diseases and conditions;
    5. Engage with debates around Indigenous Health and other major issues in Public Health, and
    6. Perform basic drug calculations in a simulated clinical context.
    Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Submission outcomes
    Active Participation Formative

    Ongoing

    10% Based on in-class engagement, discussion board participation, DC quiz attempts, and tutorial attendance. 3,5
    Reflective journal 1 (300 words) Formative Friday Week 3 2.5% MyUni 1-3
    Human Biology Test Summative In class Week 13 35% In-class test 1,3-4
    Group Research Poster Formative/Summative Discussion Board ongoing; Posters due Week 10, Oral Presentations in Week 11 30% Posters submitted via MyUni; oral presentations in class 4
    Drug Calculations Test Summative In class Week 5 15% In class 6
    Reflective journal 2 (300 words) Summative Friday Week 13 7.5% MyUni 1-3
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Students must attempt all assessment tasks to pass this course. Since the University Preparatory Program is designed to prepare students for success at University, completing and submitting all assignments is central to the intended learning outcomes of the program and each course within it. Often, at least attempting and submitting assignments in the face of difficulty or adversity is enough for success at University and the UPP encourages this resilience by employing this policy in select courses. Please note that the absolute last date for the submission of assignments in Semester 1 is the end of Swot Vac week, which is one week after the final assignment is due.

    If a student fails to submit all assessment tasks and would otherwise have received a grade greater than 45, they will be given a nominal grade of 45 (Fail) for that course in that semester. This will permit them to undertake additional assessment (formerly called academic supplementaryassessment) at the Course Coordinator’s discretion, as per policy at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html  

    It is not necessary to apply for additional assessment; this assessment will usually consist of the missed pieces of assessment, but the course coordinator may require more. As per policy, if the student passes the additional assessment to the Course Coordinator’s satisfaction, the maximum grade they can get for the course is 50 (Pass). If a student’s raw grade is below 45, regardless of whether all tasks have been attempted, this score will stand unless exceptional, documented circumstances apply as per the University’s Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html  

    Substantial non-engagement in this course (evidenced by repeated non-attendance at tutorials and failure to submit assessments) may result in students being withdrawn from the University Preparatory Program and being required to apply for reinstatement if they wish to continue.
    Assessment Detail
    Participation

    Your lecturer/tutor will mark you on your:
    -Contribution to weekly online discussion forums
    -Attempts of drug calculation quizzes
    -Tutorial attendance and participation in group and class discussions during tutorials. This mark is not based on correct answers but a willingness to participate. Participation may be different for different students, but may include preparedness for class (i.e. pre-readings and engagement in lectures), asking or answering questions within tutorials, diligent note-taking during tutorials, reasonable communication with teachers outside of class, or any active learning strategies that clearly demonstrate engagement with the course and its content.

    Human Biology Test

    A series of short answer questions will assess material covered during the course. There will be opportunities to practice test questions during tutorials. The test is designed to take one hour but students will have up to two hours to complete the test paper and hand it in at the end of the tutorial.

    Research Poster 

    Groups of 3-4 people will create a poster on the biology and public health implications of a common disease or public health issue. To prepare for and provide additional supporting material for their poster, each group will also participate in a group discussion board. You will need to provide references for the information that you prepare in your group discussion board and include a list of references on your poster. Ideally, the disease that you choose may be a condition or disease that you or a relative have experienced, or something you would like to work on in your career as a health professional. Some of the health issues you might like to select from include:

    -Coronary Heart Disease
    -Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease
    -Stroke (may choose to discuss ischaemic, haemorrhagic, or both)
    -Depression
    -Diabetes (Type I or II)
    -Lung Cancer
    -Bowel Cancer
    -Breast Cancer of Prostate Cancer
    -Arthritis
    -Infectious Diseases (please discuss choice of topic with your tutors)

    If you would like to explore a health issue that does not appear in this list, please liaise with your lecturer.

    You will need to research both the biology and the public health background of your chosen health issue with the major focus on public health. For this assignment you may use some references from textbooks or lecture material from within the course, but you must also use scholarly journal articles sourced from Library databases. It is also essential that you use the Gapminder online software (freely available at http://www.gapminder.org) to explore the prevalence of the disease and its relationship to socioeconomic conditions in Australia and elsewhere. It is recommended that you divide tasks among the group according to group members' interest, experience and skills (i.e. one person covers the biology, one person searches for scholarly articles, one person uses Gapminder etc.).

    Each group will submit their poster Friday of week 10, and present their poster to the class during the week 11 tutorial. The group needs to be prepared to answer questions from the Tutors and the rest of the class. Each group member is expected to be able to answer any question relating to any section of the poster, despite whether they worked on that section or not. The poster will be assessed from the perspective of the biology and public health aspects of the disease. The assessment will cover:

    • Introduction (10%)
    • Biology of the disease (20%)
    • Public Health (20%)
    • Current and Future Strategies (10%)
    • Conclusion (5%)
    • References, writing and layout (10%)
    • Oral Presentation (15%)
    • Group Discussion Board (10%)

    Please see poster guidelines in MyUni for more information.

    Drug Calculations Test

    This test will assess how well you have learned to perform the drug calculations functions you have learned in class. You will be required to demonstrate a minimum level of competency in performing these calculations, and will be given several opportunities to do so to a satisfactory standard.

    Reflective Journals

    Your reflective journals in this course are designed to allow you to demonstrate how you can learn from past experiences and build on both your strengths and weaknesses in academic study. Note that the weighting of the second journal is much higher than that of the first, because we expect you to receive and take on feedback when completing the second reflective journal. The assessment of the second journal will explicitly assess how well you have taken account of the feedback from the first journal. Remember, the purpose of a reflective journal is to demonstrate that you are a self-regulated learner. Self-regulated learning is largely about setting goals, implementing strategies to achieve these goals, evaluating the success of those strategies, and then developing these strategies to address any weaknesses or areas for improvement. Essential aspects of self-regulated learning that you can demonstrate in
    your reflective journal include:

    -self-observation (monitoring one's activities);
    -self-judgment (self-evaluation of one's performance) and
    -self-reactions (reactions to performance outcomes and setting goals for the future).

    Each journal does not need to be longer than 300 words

    For the reflective journal 1, you may choose to write a reflection on any of the sub-sections of this course, and some of the questions you might like to consider include:
    -What are your expectations of the course? Describe your feelings during the first few weeks of the course.
    -How do you expect you will find the course, and what do you expect to gain from this course?
    -Why are you participating in the course?
    -What was your level of knowledge of Biology and Human Biology prior to this semester, and how have these classes built on that so far?
    -What are some of the most important aspects of Human Biology you have learned this semester so far?
    -What was your prior understanding of Public Health as a discipline before you undertook this course?
    -How does your learning relate to a news story you have seen or read? Do you have a different understanding of any given health education program based on this course? (Examples might include diet, sexual health, or anti-smoking campaigns.)
     
    For the reflective journal 2, you should build on your responses from reflective journal 1. Be sure to demonstrate your ability to incorporate feedback. You should also try to include the following:
    -What did you learn from your research project?
    -How has any of this learning emerged as relevant for your own life?
    For example, do you now have a better understanding of your own body and health based on what you have learned? Are you able to apply any of this learning to the health situation of any of your friends and/or relatives?
    -What have you learned about the specifics of Indigenous Health that you didn’t know previously?
    -How does this course compare to your initial expectations? How do you feel now that the course is nearing the end, as compared to your feelings at the beginning?

    Bachelor of Nursing First-Year Clinical Skills Sessions

    Clinical Skills Sessions are held for Bachelor of Nursing students on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3pm to 5pm, and UPP students have been welcomed to join this learning experience to get a taste of what studying a Bachelor of Nursing is like. They are held in the Robin Warren Clinical Skills Laboratory on the first floor of the Medical School South Building, and will cover practical skills such as Blood Glucose Levels, IVT and Drug Calculations, Oxygen Therapy/Respiratory Management, Asepsis/Sterile Techniques, and Medication Management. This is an excellent opportunity to engage in “real life” Nursing courses, especially if you plan on studying Nursing or any other Health field, and we strongly recommend you make the effort to attend if your timetable allows it. It will also give you excellent material for your Reflective Journal; you will have a much better chance of scoring a higher grade for your Journals if you give yourselves the enriching experience of attending these classes.

    If you attend these classes, some of the questions you might like to consider for your journal include:
    • What was the experience of sitting in on a Nursing tutorial like? How did it differ from a “normal” UPP class?
    • Did your experience relate to anything you have ever done before, or was it completely new?
    • Why do you think these Nursing classes were set up the way they were? What kinds of learning seem to be encouraged?
    • If you were an enrolled student in one of these classes, what would you need to do to get the most out of it?
    Submission
    All assignments will be electronically submitted via MyUni, except for in-class assessments.

    Students may be granted extensions to assignments on medical or compassionate grounds; documentation to support these ground will be required. Requests for extension must be made before the due date; requests for extension submitted after the due date will not be considered. All extension requests must be submitted to the Course Coordinator (Chad Habel: chad.habel@adelaide.edu.au); any extensions granted by the lecturer or tutor will not be considered valid.

    All extension requests will be administered according to theModified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303/  

    For a concise information sheet on this policy, please visit http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/pdfs/maca_medical_compassionate_info.pdf  

    Penalties for Late Submission

    Unless the Course Outline states otherwise when an assessment is submitted after the due date, and without an extension, 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc. Hard copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised 5% per day for every day including weekend days and public holidays. This penalty may be increased where the assignment is to be completed ina period of less than a week.

    This course aims to return assessed work within 2 weeks of its submission, although this cannot be guaranteed. The resubmission of assignments is not possible for this course, except in exceptional circumstances as approved by the Course Coordinator.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    Student feedback in this course has prompted an adjustment to the assessment format. Prior to this semester students were required to undertake an "Annotated Essay" which was designed to allow them to demonstrate their knowledge of Public Health. They felt that four weeks did not allow enough time to properly explore the Public Health issues they were being asked about, and that these two parts of the course were too separate. Therefore the Research Presentation allows students to work in groups and to combine their learning of Human Biology and Public Health into a single assessment piece.
  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.