Syllabus

Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals

BIOL 1030: Pathophysiology: Mechanisms of Diseases – Spring 2020

Credits - 4

Description

Pathophysiology is the study of disordered physiological processes associated with disease.

This course is an introduction to pathophysiology designed especially to meet the needs of students preparing for careers in the health professions – for example, Physician Assistant, Pharmacy,  Medicine, Nursing, and Dental Hygiene.

This course focuses on the changes in cellular and systemic physiology that occur in prevalent or important medical conditions. At the cellular level we will cover the responses to tissue injury, abnormal cell growth and the immune system. From there we will investigate the physiological basis of problems associated with most of the major organ systems. In each case we will discuss the effect upon whole body homeostasis. This course will build on prior knowledge of anatomy and physiology as we explore body functions in altered health conditions. The primary teaching methods will be online video lectures with slides, textbook reading, and online assessments, supplemented with multi-media resources including interactive tutorials and animations.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Program Outcomes

In lecture courses, students should be able to:

1. Communicate scientific concepts and information clearly.
2. Illustrate fundamental laws, theories, and principles of scientific disciplines.
3. Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to scientific problems.

Course Objectives

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

• Explain the concept, classification, etiology of disease states and imbalances. 

• Analyze how health deviations alter normal physiology. 

• Describe the alterations in cells, tissues, and organs that occur with disease and how they affect the body functions.
• Describe the clinical manifestations of diseases and the most commonly used tests and procedures to diagnose them. 

• Discuss the most frequent complications of diseases and their prognoses.
• Set the pathophysiological foundation for treatments.  

SELF PACED DESIGN

On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.

Assignments

Lectures and Assignments

This course requires the following prerequisite prior to registering for the course: Successful completion of Anatomy and Physiology (200 level preferred) or equivalent with permission of the instructors.

Students are expected to log in at least three times a week for the entire course. All required assignments and assessments will be posted inside the UNE Blackboard course module. Each module will have learning objectives, lectures, assigned reading, online activities, and self assessments, followed by a weekly quiz. 

Examination and Grading Information  

Midterm and Final Exam

Exams will be taken through ProctorU (see “Policies” below), and will consist of approximately 50 multiple-choice type questions (each) with seventy-five minutes (each) allowed for completion. The Midterm exam covers material from Weeks 1-7; the final exam covers Weeks 9-15. These tests are closed book and no notes or resources are permitted. Back-tracking is permitted on these exams. No re-takes are allowed, except under extraordinary conditions (e.g., documented technical problem).

For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus. You must purchase the Official UNE External Webcam to take your proctored examinations. Remember to order your webcam at least three weeks prior to scheduling your first proctored exam.

These exams are closed for review. You will not be able to review them at any time. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.

14 Weekly Quizzes

The quiz for each week (except Weeks 8 and 16) will consist of approximately 10 multiple-choice and multiple-answer type questions. Quizzes will be taken through Blackboard, and may be taken open book, but will be timed, with fifteen minutes allowed for completion and no backtracking.

3 Student Presentations

There are three recorded presentations required in the course, due in Weeks 2, 9 and 15.

For Weeks 2 and 9, you will be asked to record 5-minute presentations, without using slides, in which you need to exhibit deep enough understanding of specified concepts and terms to explain those concepts and terms orally. Please go to the course week in which each is due and refer to the detailed assignment instructions.

In Week 15, you will be asked to record a presentation, without using slides, on a disease of your own choosing. You will need to research the disease and describe certain details about the syndrome in your presentation—see detailed instructions for a list of assignment requirements.

Case Studies / Quizzes

There are 6 Case Studies with associated quizzes in the course. These case studies portray a patient-provider care situation, and you will be prompted to answer Matching questions using details from the case studies to inform your answers.

Discussions

There are several discussions in the course, in which you will be expected to draw from the course material, and sometimes material from outside the course, in order to post and participate.

 

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Percentage Grade Value
Weekly Quizzes (14, each worth 1% of the final grade)	14%
Case Studies (6, each worth 2% of the final grade)	12%
Discussions (5, each worth 1.2% of the final grade)	6%
Student Presentations (3, worth 4%, 4% and 5% of the final grade)	13%
Dissection Labs (4, each worth 2.5% of the final grade)	10%
Midterm	20%
Final	25%
Total	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