LS 301 Research Skills for Healthcare | Meets fully online | 2 credits

Instructor:
Office:
E-mail:
Virtual Office Hours:
Phone: 

Final:         

Days and Hours: Meets fully online

 

[NOTE TO POTENTIAL INSTRUCTORS:  Insert Word file alternative to your syllabus here.]

 

Catalog Description

This course will help the student to meet course-related research needs by developing strategies to identify, find, evaluate, incorporate and cite appropriate sources used in healthcare. Evaluation and use of sources specific to healthcare will be emphasized. Must be taken concurrently with HIM 320.

• Prerequisite(s): ENGL& 101 with a minimum grade of C or better and
• Co-requisite(s): HIM 320

Learning Outcomes

TCC has developed Degree Learning Outcomes that we expect every degree recipient to meet. These can be found at: https://www.tacomacc.edu/about/ourmissionandvision/index

Additionally, the Health Information Management Program has developed Program Learning Outcomes that all students are to have achieved upon graduation from TCC. These outcomes are:

Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be able to:

1. Evaluate and implement policies and procedures surrounding Information Governance, to include classification systems, health record content and documentation, data governance, data management, and secondary data sources. (COK, COM, CRT, IIT, RES).
2. Assess, implement, and improve systems to ensure the protection of health information, to include health law, data privacy, confidentiality and security, and the release of information. (COK, COM, CRT, IIT, RES).
3. Analyze and interpret data and implement technology used in informatics, to include health information technologies, information management strategic planning, analytics and decision support, health care statistics, research methods, consumer informatics, health information exchange, and information integrity and data quality. (COK, COM, CRT, IIT, RES).
4. Apply the principles of revenue management and implement processes for management and reporting of the revenue cycle. (COK, COM, CRT, IIT, RES).
5. Interpret policies and construct procedures for compliance of healthcare regulatory requirements, to include medical coding, fraud surveillance, and clinical documentation improvement. (COK, COM, CRT, IIT, RES).
6. Evaluate leadership models, theories, and skills required for successful leadership to include the areas of change management, work design and process improvement, human resource management, training and development, strategic and organizational management, financial management, project management, vendor/contract management, enterprise information management, all of which comply with the ethical standards of practice. (COK, COM, CRT, IIT, LWC, RES).
   

The outcomes for this course are designed to align with the HIM Program’s broader Program Learning Outcomes. The following are the Course Learning Outcomes for students who complete this course:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

1. Implement an effective plan for finding information using a variety of electronic and print tools. (PLO: 3)
2. Use electronic database search strategies. (PLO: 3)
3. Identify and explain the differences between major types of healthcare information resources (e.g. books, lay periodicals, scholarly journals, government Web sites, etc.) and when and how to use them. (PLO: 3)
4. Properly use APA style in written work.
5. Create a thesis statement that is based on the analysis of academic resources.

Textbooks and Technology Requirements

There are no books to buy for this course. All reading materials (or video or listening materials) will come free from the Web and can be accessed through your Canvas page. You will be turning in all your assignments through Canvas, so there is no need to print them. You might spend up to $10 for printouts, if you choose to print out the lectures, assignments or other materials for your own reference.

You will need to have access to a computer with the Internet and have the ability to watch videos on the Internet. You will also need a word processing application, such as Microsoft Word.

If you will be using TCC computers, know that there are many available in the Library (bldg. 7) and the Information Commons (bldg. 16, open Saturdays as well as weekdays) that are equipped with the software and resources you will need to successfully complete this course.

Attendance and Participation

This is a fully online class. It is not a self-paced class. Each week, you will engage in a combination of lectures, readings, discussion boards, and videos within Canvas modules. Your participation will also include completing all assignments on time.

Expectations

What I expect of you:

• Turn in all assignments on time (worksheets and quizzes are all due Sundays by 11:59 p.m.).
• Engage with the assignments thoughtfully and thoroughly.
• Avoid using ANY KIND of text-speak! I expect you to write in full, complete sentences.
• Check in on this classroom at least twice weekly (preferably more often).
• Plan to spend about 2-4 hours per week working on assignments and material for this class.
• Frequent communication! This includes reading the comments I leave for you on your graded assignments. Please keep in touch with me. Let me know (over email, by phone, or in person) ahead of time if you’re having trouble or if life is getting in the way of your ability to complete assignments on time.

What you can expect of me:

• Responses to your email messages within 24 hours (Monday – Friday).
• Weekly assignments posted/opened every Monday, so that you’ll have time to complete them by Sunday of the following week.
• Feedback on your assignments by the end of the following week from when you turn them in. For example, if your assignment is due Sunday night, and you turn it in on time, I will give you feedback by the next Sunday. Late work may take longer to grade.
• Availability for one-on-one meetings (in person via or email) about work for this class.
• Announcements via Canvas about any changes in the schedule or assignments.
• Clarity! I will try very hard to be clear in my instructions and expectations.

Completing Assignments and Late Work Policy

There are three types of assignments in this course: worksheets, quizzes, and the final paper. In an ideal world, you would turn everything in by the due date, but I know our worlds are not ideal, therefore I will accept SOME late work. However, this is limited ONLY to the worksheets (these are labeled "assignments" in this Canvas course) and, to prevent the class from descending into chaos, I will enforce the following penalties:

• I will automatically deduct 10% off your grade for the first day and 20% off your grade for the second day.
• After the second day, I will still accept your worksheets but will automatically deduct 50% off your grade.

Again, this late work policy above applies ONLY to the worksheets. Quizzes will open and close at a certain time; therefore, late work is not permitted for these. You will either get points for completing the quizzes when they are due, or you won’t receive any points if the work is not completed on time. In addition, absolutely no late submissions will be accepted for the final paper.

Getting Help

Some students like to work on everything just a few hours before everything is due. While that might be okay for you in other classes, this course is set up in such a way that you should view the lectures, and then move on to apply what was covered in the assignments. If all of this is left until 10 p.m. Sunday night—and everything is due at 11:59 p.m.—I will not be available to help answer your questions. So please plan ahead, and make sure you contact me as soon as possible if you need assistance. It will reduce stress and will help you to get more from this class and our time together.

If you need help completing assignments on time, please contact me right away. I completely understand that emergencies and difficult life circumstances can happen, but you must let me know right away if you are having challenges, and we can try to work out a plan. Do not wait until you are falling behind to discuss this matter.

Technology Forgiveness Policy

There are times when our computers crash, our Internet providers cut us off, our documents go missing, or we don’t have up-to-date plugins. If something like this prevents you from turning in an assignment on time, please let me know right away. I’ll probably give you the full points, but also expect you to fix the problem and/or find an alternate place to do your work in the future. I am likely to make some mistakes myself because the Canvas software is constantly changing, and the TCC Portal is, unfortunately, full of quirks. So, I am hoping you’ll forgive me as well and I will certainly extend deadlines if my errors prevent you from completing an assignment on time.

Academic Dishonesty

TCC Students are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. As stated in the TCC catalog, "Students are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication or other forms of academic dishonesty corrupt the learning process and threaten the educational environment for all students." All assignments submitted will be your own work. I don’t expect that any of you will engage in plagiarism or other types of cheating, but academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for that assignment. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism or academic dishonesty, please come talk with me!

Accommodations  

Students are responsible for all requirements of the class, but the way they meet these requirements may vary. If you need specific auxiliary aids or services due to a disability, please contact [insert your college's Access Services department and contact information here]. They will require you to present formal, written documentation of your disability from an appropriate professional. When this step has been completed, arrangements will be made for you to receive reasonable auxiliary aids or services. The disability accommodation documentation prepared by Access Services must be given to me before the accommodation is needed so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

Grading Breakdown

Grades will be awarded as follows based on the percentage of total points that you earn in this course:

Percentage	Letter Grade
100-93%	A
92.9-90%	A-
89.9-87%	B+
86.9-83%	B
82.9-80%	B-
79.9-77%	C+
76.9-73%	C
72.9-70%	C-
69.9-67%	D+
66.9-63%	D
62.9% or below	E

Canvas makes monitoring your grade easy. In the course shell, click on the “Grades” tab on the left. You will see the points you have received for each individual assignment, and at the far right, you will see the percentage of total points possible that you have earned. This total percentage is what will determine your grade.