Humboldt State University ® Department of Nursing

Richard A. Paselk

Nursing 495
Introduction of Research &
Scholarship for Professional
Nursing Practice

T 1000-12:50, GH 124

Tentative Syllabus - Fall 2009

Course Information & Learning Outcome Goals

Catalog Description:

NURS 495. (3) FS. Introduces students to application of nursing research for evidence based practice. Course focus is on accessing and analyzing current nursing research literature to enable the professional nurse to apply research to current practice and issues. Beginning with the basics of research, the student becomes a critical consumer of professional nursing research. [Prereq: NURS 268.]

Learning Outcomes:

NURS 495 addresses the following Department of Nursing learner outcomes. Successful students will be able to demonstrate:

NURS 495 also addresses the following Humboldt State University learner outcomes, in which the learner outcome is included implicitly or occasionally:

General Information

I plan to base much of our work this semester on your text - make sure you have it, read it and bring it to class. A significant portion of this course is going to be centered around discussion and analysis, frequently based on text examples.

Lecture Notes

I will post copies of my lecture notes on the course web site after each lecture.

Recommended Learning Strategies:

• Read the assigned materials before coming to class.
• Be ready to participate in class - one of the best ways to learn is to actively participate in your learning. And I expect to base a fair amount of this course on discussion.

Time Commitment:

The standard study time for most courses at most universities is three hours a week per unit taken. Translated to this course, that means you should plan on studying 9 hours each week for this course in order to pass it with the minimum grade allowed, which
is a C (3 units X 3).

Calendars

Lecture Calendar: See Introduction to Research & Scholarship for Professional Nursing Practice on my Web Page (http://www.humboldt.edu/~rap1)

Grading Information

Attendance:

Attendance in lecture will taken via via sign-up sheet on an irregular basis, and will contribute to your grade . You are most strongly urged to attend every "lecture" participate and to take thorough notes to aid your learning.

Exams: Note the final exam date and be certain you can make it:

Quizzes

There will be quizzes about every other week and a must be completed on-line during the specified period.

Lecture Points

Grading Rubric

Withdrawal/Drop Policy (from HSU Academic Senate):

You may drop this course for any reason without record up through the fourth week. After the 4th weekand until the 13th week withdrawal requires a "serious and compelling reason (see below) and will be recorded as a "W." After the 13th week only catastrophic withdrawals (see below) will be given - a grade of "WC" will be recorded.

• "Serious and compelling" reason for withdrawal: Examples include psychological problems, loss of care for dependents, inappropriate behavior of someone else in the classroom, and serious reversal in the student's financial situation. Documentation must be provided. (Note: reasons such as doing poorly in a class, taking too many units, being too busy to do the work, not liking the class, not knowing how or when to drop are not considered to be “serious and compelling.”) In considering serious and compelling reasons, faculty and department chairs should give careful consideration to a student’s extenuating circumstances while also following this rigorous definition of “serious and compelling.”
• Catastrophic Withdrawal (WC): Disenrollment from a course or from the campus after the census date due to catastrophic events clearly beyond a student's control, such as severe illness or injury, being called to military service, consequences of the death of a close family member. Formal documentation of the event must be provided, and requests must be approved by the faculty member teaching the course, the department chair, and the appropriate college Dean or designee. If granted, a grade of "WC" appears on the student's transcript. Catastrophic Withdrawals do not count toward the 18-unit limit for withdrawals. This is the only category of disenrollment permitted during the last 20% of instruction (the beginning of the 13th week of classes in the regular semester).

When contemplating a Withdrawal, you should also be aware of the new CSU policies (Executive Order 1037; August 1, 2009) that place significant new restrictions on course repeats and withdrawals for undergraduate students. As a summary:

1. Students may withdraw from no more than 18 semester-units (between census and the final 20% of instruction, with a serious and compelling reason).
   
2. Students may repeat courses only if they earned grades lower than a C.
   
3. Students may repeat up to 16 semester-units with grade forgiveness.
   
4. Students may repeat up to an additional 12 semester-units with grades averaged.

Incompletes (from CSU Executive Order 1037)

"The “I” symbol shall be used only when the faculty member concludes that a clearly identifiable portion of course requirements cannot be met within the academic term for unforeseen reasons. An Incomplete shall not be assigned when it is necessary for the student to attend a major portion of the class when it is next offered."

"A student may not re-enroll in a course for which he or she has received an “I” until that “I” has been converted to a grade other than “I”; e.g., A-F, IC."

Campus Resources for Students

Disabilities may interfere with your success in this class. If you need accommodations for a disability, please contact our campus Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) and follow up with me as soon as possible. Our campus SDRC can assist you with the accommodation process and can be reached at (707) 826-5392 (TDD). The SDRC is located in House 71 (Little Apartments) off Library Circle.

Students with Disabilities

Student Support organizations