Course Policies, Biomedical Ethics, and SmartBook Schedule

Healthcare Team Collaboration and Professional Mindset

• Interprofessional Collaboration:

  • Working in small groups during class builds critical collaboration skills with future doctors, nurses, and other members of the healthcare team.

  • Students are expected to demonstrate strong professional judgment regarding infectious diseases and preventing the spread of contagious particles to peers.

• Professional Preparation:

  • College should be treated as professional preparation for future employment.

  • Attendance rules mirror workplace expectations, such as paid time off (PTO) for unexpected personal issues.

Remote Lecture Attendance Policy via Zoom

• Zoom Availability:

  • Every lecture day, a Zoom session is logged into to allow remote attendance when necessary.

  • The Zoom link is permanently available under the news feed on D2L (may require scrolling down to locate).

• Camera and Presence Rules:

  • Video must remain turned on during Zoom sessions.

  • If exhausted (e.g., up all night), students may position the camera to show from the forehead up or just the shoulder ("grandma's style") to verify active human presence rather than logging in and sleeping.

• Semester Limits and Exceptions:

  • Zoom attendance is capped at a maximum of $6$ occurrences per semester.

  • Overusing Zoom without necessity detracts from the optimal classroom learning experience.

  • Valid reasons for utilizing Zoom include:

  • Car breakdowns or emergency automotive repairs during lecture hours.

  • Family caregiving responsibilities (e.g., staying home with a child sick with pink eye).

  • Severe weather conditions (e.g., heavy rain making walks from Claudius to Zocalo or EMR to Zocalo difficult).

  • Mental health breaks following late-night study sessions for challenging coursework.

• Incentives for In-Person Attendance:

  • In-class quizzes are administered to provide point-earning opportunities and encourage physical class attendance.

  • While no direct points penalty is applied for overusing Zoom, attendance in person provides the best educational value.

Technology Requirements and SmartBook Schedule

• Classroom Technology:

  • Laptops are strongly recommended for use during class to maintain engagement.

  • Active engagement during class minimizes the amount of study time needed outside of regular class hours.

• SmartBook Assignment Structure:

  • SmartBook assignments are assigned once per week.

  • Dedicated in-class time is allocated for SmartBook completion on Tuesdays from $09:05\text{ AM}$ to $09:30\text{ AM}$, beginning next Tuesday.

• Tuesday Incentive Rules:

  • If $100\%$ Complete: Students who complete the assigned SmartBook chapter (e.g., Chapter 1) prior to Tuesday at $09:05\text{ AM}$ do not need to arrive until $09:30\text{ AM}$. This time can be used to sleep in or eat breakfast at Daystar (formerly referred to as Saga).

  • If Not $100\%$ Complete: Students who have not finished the assignment by $09:05\text{ AM}$ must be present in their seats ("bottoms and receipts") at $09:05\text{ AM}$ to complete the SmartBook during class.

Course Curriculum, Readings, and Assessments

• Weekly Schedule:

  • Current Week: Focused on Biomedical Ethics.

  • Next Week: Lecture on Chapter 1.

• Required Readings:

  • Assigned article reading for today's class.

  • Three adolescent autonomy case studies assigned for Thursday's class.

• Assessment Structure:

  • Most coursework and assignments are structured to be completed inside class to minimize external workload.

  • Out-of-Class Exceptions:

  • Key point assessment: Infectious disease report.

  • Clinical case study on infectious disease (scheduled for later in the semester).