Distance Education
Course Overview:
This course is a study of the principles and methodologies of continuous quality improvement. A comparison with traditional quality assurance will be included as well as implementation standards to satisfy JCAHO.
Course Objectives:
Introduction
Being a professional means making an investment in your profession. With today's patient being much more informed about health care, and much more discerning about treatment appropriateness and quality, it is vital that you rise to meet the challenges of the patient and health care delivery. As a working technologist, you will be asked to do more with less--more examinations, more patients, in much less time--without compromising quality. As a department director, you will be expected to provide the highest quality care in your department, with fewer people and a great deal less financial support.
The changes that have to be made to allow this to happen will be difficult and many times painful. This course is an overview of the concept of continuous quality improvement and how changes can be made without increasing the difficulty and pain.
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
Grading/Evaluation
Six (6) Unit Exams 40%
Discussion Board Posts & Responses 15%
Final Exam (closed book) 45%
Grade Scale
90 - 100 A 80 - 89 B 70 - 79 C 60 - 69 D Below 60 F
Unit Exams Unit exams are administered through Blackboard.
Proctor Form: You will need to identify a proctor in order to take the final exam. The current proctor form is a writable pdf form. You may fill it out online and email it to your proctor to complete who can then email it to me. If you wish, you can download the form from this course and complete the necessary information. Your proctor must also fill in their section and sign it. Proctor forms will NOT be accepted if it is not signed and dated by the proctor. Give the proctor the information section at the end of the form and fax the completed sections to me. The fax number is: 940-397-4845. It is your responsibility that the form gets to me on time. Any proctor form that does not meet the deadline will have 5 points deducted PLUS 1 point for every day (including weekends) thereafter. The points will be deducted from the FINAL COURSE AVERAGE.
The Final Exam: The final exam will consist of a closed book format and you will have two hours to complete it. The final is a paper and pen format and is not given over WebCT. You will need to bring paper to write on. The exam will consist of eight separate areas requiring you to identify a problem from a given scenario and work though that problem using the skills you have obtained throughout the semester.
Mailing Instructions for Final: Your proctor must send the final back to me. It is your responsibility to provide a mailing envelope with the appropriate amount of postage. If you choose to have the proctor send the final through regular mail (not preferred – priority or express mail is preferred) allow yourself enough time for this to get to me. It may take a week or more. Schedule your final accordingly. You may want to send this priority mail or overnight to ensure it will get to me on time to grade. Check with your post office for appropriate packaging and costs. If the exam is not sent by priority mail or overnight delivery, please ask the proctor to fax the exam to the instructor to ensure the exam will be reviewed in plenty of time prior to submission of the final grades. The testing site might charge a fee to fax your test to instructor. Faxing the exam is the best way to ensure that the final is received before the end of the semester. I prefer to receive both the mailed and faxed exams.
The six (6) Unit Quizzes will be open and available. Any quiz(zes) not completed by the due dates will receive a grade of zero (0). Note that all times are Central Time Zone.
It is your responsibility that the proctor form gets to me on time. Any proctor form that does not meet the deadline will have 5 points deducted PLUS 1 point for every day (including weekends) thereafter. The points will be deducted from the FINAL COURSE AVERAGE.
Final Exams may be scheduled with the course instructor and taken after all other course requirements have been completed, including participation in the discussion boards.
Special Needs
In accordance with Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Midwestern State University endeavors to make reasonable adjustments in its policies, practices, services, and facilities to ensure equal opportunity for qualified persons with disabilities to participate in all educational programs and activities. The Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) provides information and assistance, arranges accommodations, and serves as a liaison for students, instructors, and staff. The DSS has assistance devices such as books on tape, recorders, and adaptive software which can be loaned to qualified individuals. A student/employee who seeks accommodations on the basis of disability must register with the Office of Disability Support Services in the Clark Student Center Room 168 or call 940-397-4140 for further information. Documentation of disability from a competent professional is required. Individuals with grievances related to discrimination or lack of accommodation on the basis of a disability are encouraged to resolve the problem directly with the area involved. If the matter remains unresolved, advice and/or assistance will be provided by the Office of Disability Services for resolution. The grievance procedure may be found in the Student Handbook and Activities Calendar. The director of the Counseling Center services as the ADA Coordinator may be contacted at (940) 397-4618, TDD (940) 397-4515, or 3410 Taft Blvd., Clark Student Center Room 108.
Conduct/Honesty/Honor System Policy
RADS 4633 adheres to the MSU Code of Conduct. In particular, academic dishonesty, however small, creates a breach in academic integrity. A student’s participation in this course comes with the expectation that his or her work will be completed in full observance of the MSU Code of Student Conduct. A student should consult the Student Handbook for answers to any questions about the code.
Many components of RADS 4633 are designed to be highly interactive with students helping each other learn. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of many resources available including Internet sites, handouts and module notebooks, other textbooks and journals, faculty, and peers. This interactive collegial learning environment is conducive for life-long learning.
Specific components of RADS 4633 are designed to represent the efforts of each student individually and are NOT to be shared. These components include the written assignments submitted for a grade. When students submit their efforts for grading, they are attesting they abided by this rule.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, (1) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (2) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or completing other assignments; or (3) the acquisition of tests or other academic materials belonging to the university faculty or staff without permission.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use of, by paraphrase or direct quotation without correct citation in the text and on the reference list, the published or unpublished works of another person. Students may NOT submit papers and assignments that they have previously submitted for this or other courses. The use of materials generated by agencies engaged in "selling" term papers is also plagiarism. Students are encouraged to review the tutorials and suggested websites for more information about plagiarism. Papers and other assignments may be submitted to an external agency for verification of originality and authenticity.
Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated in this class. Whenever a student is unsure of whether a particular situation will be interpreted as academic dishonesty, he/she should ask the instructor for clarification. If students are guilty of academic dishonesty, a grade of zero (0) may be given for the quiz, assignment, etc. Cases may also be referred to the Dean of Students for possible dismissal from the university.
PLEASE NOTE By enrolling in this course, the student expressly grants MSU a “limited right” in all intellectual property created by the student for the purpose of this course. The “limited right” shall include but shall not be limited to the right to reproduce the student’s work product in order to verify originality and authenticity, and for educational purposes. Specifically, faculty may submit student papers and assignments to an external agency to verify originality and authenticity, and to detect for plagiarism.