Syllabus
Master of Healthcare Administration
HCA 765 – Communication for Healthcare Leaders – Spring 2021
Credits - 3
Description
Students in the course will examine concepts, theories, and best practices for communicating in the professional workplace. The goal of this course is to refine their written, oral and visual communication. Participants in this course will develop strategies to create meaningful communication for a vast audience. Students will enhance their skills in natural and scholarly writing, oral presentation, and visual demonstrations.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Program Outcomes addressed by this course:
- Understand the purpose and process of communication in business and industry
- Recognize and be able to analyze effective and ineffective communication
- Understand and execute the written, visual, and verbal processes of communication
- Communicate information in a complete, accurate, and honest form
- Recognize and use the rhetorical and stylistic elements necessary for the successful practice of scientific and technical communication
- Prepare various types of technical documents that are appropriate and effective for diverse and various audiences (e.g. multicultural)
- Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information
- Convey clearly, cogently and correctly, through written media, the technical aspects of a practice to non-specialist audiences
- Balance verbal and visual elements of communication in technical documents
- Use clear, focused, specific, and grammatically correct language in documents
- Communicate information clearly and effectively in all class discussions and course assignments
Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of HCA 765, the student will demonstrate the ability to:
- Develop a brochure for patients showing them the advantages of a patient portal of an EHR that demonstrates the importance of visual presentation.
- Write an official memo that outlines a company’s policy on computer/internet use.
- Write a satisfactory set of instructions that use headings, lists, illustrations, and notices competently for a chosen EHR for a specific group of healthcare professionals. Review for terminology, color, and graphics issues that would cause comprehension problems for users.
- Prepare and deliver an effective visual/oral presentation that describes the benefits of an EHR for a health center, its providers, and its patients.
- Write a proposal that advocates for the use of a particular EHR and the funding that will be required for it.
- Develop a blog that details the use of an EHR and other informatics-related databases and how they can be used in conjunction to monitor Population Health indicators.
Assignments
Please note that all times in the syllabus and in Blackboard refer to Eastern Time. The discussion board and assignment links for each week will open at the start of the week for submissions.
Discussion Board Posts: These assignments will assess your ability to clearly and accurately apply concepts from your readings and from your own experiences. Each week you are expected to submit an initial post and comment on at least 2 other students’ posts. You need to follow APA guidelines for citing any sources you may reference in either your initial post or your response to others. Refer to the Discussion Rubric and discussion question for submission guidelines. Please be sure to follow the individual directions provided with each Discussion Board Prompt, as the requirements may vary from Discussion Board to Discussion Board.
Initial post: You should submit your initial post by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Your initial post should be approximately 500 words.
Response to others: You should comment on at least 2 other students’ posts by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. Your comments to others should be thorough, thoughtful, and they should offer some new content. Do not merely respond with “I agree” or “I disagree.” Engage directly with the ideas of your classmates and briefly mention which part of the post you are responding to.
Brochure: In Week 3, you will develop a brochure that uses visuals and clear language to outline the benefits of using the patient portal of an EHR.
Memo: In week 4, you will take on the role of an employee of The HealthCare Group, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) as you write a concise, professional memo.
Instruction and Procedure Manual: In week 5, you will further hone your writing skills as you prepare a 5-10 page illustrated Instructional Manual.
Proposal: In week 6, you will practice persuasive writing as you develop a comprehensive proposal to implement a chosen EHR for a healthcare facility.
Oral Presentation: In week 7, you will use Screencast-o-Matic to capture a professional presentation based on the Instruction and Procedure Manual from Week 5.
Blog: In week 8, you will develop a professional blog detailing how data derived from EHR and other informatics-related databases can be used to monitor Population Health indicators for a healthcare agency.
All assignments use scoring rubrics to assess student performance. Thoroughly review the rubric and assignment instructions for guidance on what’s required for each assignment.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assessment Item | Possible Points | Percent of Total Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Discussion Boards (8 @ 3 points each) | 24 | 24 % |
| Brochure | 5 | 5 % |
| Memo | 5 | 5% |
| Instruction and Procedure Manual | 20 | 20% |
| Proposal | 20 | 20% |
| Oral Presentation | 10 | 10% |
| Blog | 16 | 16% |
| Total | 100 points | 100 % |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Course learning modules are divided into weeks. Each week starts on Wednesday at 12:00 am Eastern Time (ET) and closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday. All assignments must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on the due date.
Course Schedule at a Glance
| Learning Modules | Topics | Assignments and Due Dates |
|
Week 1 |
Introduction to Technical Writing for Various Audiences |
Introductory Discussion |
|
Week 2 |
Evaluating and Using Research for Presentations and Papers |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday, responses by Wednesday |
| Week 3 Jan 20 – Jan 27 |
Organization, Style, and Visual Design for Presentations and Papers |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday, responses by Wednesday Brochure – Wednesday |
| Week 4 Jan 27 – Feb 3 |
Email, Text Messages, Memos, and Letters |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday, responses by Wednesday Memo – Wednesday |
| Week 5 Feb 3 – Feb 10 |
Technical Definitions, Specifications, and Instructions/Procedure Manuals |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday, responses by Wednesday Instruction and Procedure Manual – Wednesday |
| Week 6 Feb 10 – Feb 17 |
Reports and Proposals |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday, responses by Wednesday Proposal – Wednesday |
| Week 7 Feb 17 – Feb 24 |
Oral Presentations and Webinars |
Discussion – Initial post by Sunday, responses by Wednesday Oral Presentation – Wednesday |
| Week 8 Feb 24 – Feb 28 |
Social Media, Blogs, and Web Pages |
Discussion – Initial post by Friday, responses by Sunday Blog – Sunday |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
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Questions? Visit the Student Support Health Informatics page
APA Style Guide
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- MSIN Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/health-informatics/
- Library Tutorial: Find an article
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Policies
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.
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Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Attendance Policy
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
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The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.