CON Syllabus Format

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
Syllabus Format	Subsection: 4.3.3
Section 4.0 - Policy	Originating Date: January, 1994
Responsible Reviewing Agency: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Professional Graduate Nursing Program Curriculum Committee	Revised: August, 1998 Revised: November, 2006 Revised: April, 2008 Revised: December, 2009 Revised: November, 2010 Revised: November, 2011 Revised: December 2012 Revised: May 2015

Purpose:

The purpose of the Syllabus Format Policy is to provide consistency across courses and campuses for course syllabi (paper or electronic). The syllabus is posted in full on a course’s Blackboard site under course information and will be printed and provided to every student enrolled in the course.

Items 1-8 below must appear in the order presented below; other items must be present but their order may vary from one course syllabus to another. These sections may also be augmented with additional information as appropriate. Sections that do not apply to the particular course need not be included in the syllabus.

1.		Standardized Format:
		A.		Syllabus
				1)		Standard Header (UNMC, CON, Department Name) UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING DEPARTMENT NAME/DIVISION
				2)		Course number and complete name/title (should match Handbook) NRSG _____ - _____________
				3)		Course year and semester Spring, Summer or Fall
				4)		Course description (brief narrative summary of course as formally approved, course prerequisites, course co-requisites, and placement in curriculum, i.e., indicate track, required or elective; core or specialty in MSN program; semester level or “track” in BSN program - should match Handbook)
				5)		Credit allocation
				6)		Course faculty (primary course faculty, OR campus coordinators only, should be listed; with campus; room numbers, telephone number, email addresses, and pager numbers may be added.
				7)		Course outcomes/competencies/objectives
				8)		A grid for a relationship of learning activities to proposed course objectives/outcomes (undergraduate courses only)
				9)		Brief course topical outline
				10)		Teaching and learning strategies (summary of major strategies used, such as PBL, chat rooms, narrated PowerPoint, simulations, etc.)
				11)		Required textbook(s)/e-books
				12)		Student Responsibilities
						a.		Academic integrity statement Cheating/Plagiarism: Consistent with the College of Nursing policy, a student who engages in any form of cheating, plagiarism or deception regarding clinical activities and/or classroom assignments, will be subject to disciplinary action based upon the severity of the act. The student is referred to the statement entitled “Academic Integrity and Professional Conduct” in the UNMC Student Handbook. Students who are unsure what plagiarism is should refer to the McGoogan Library of Medicine webpage, click on “online resources,” then click on “plagiarism.” If the act is judged to be serious enough to constitute a grade adjustment, this could mean a zero on the paperwork, a failure of clinical, or a failure of the course.
						b.		Student obligation to provide care (clinical courses only) All students are obligated to provide care to assigned clients regardless of race, creed or religion. Any student with health, religious, or ethical concerns that proscribe their participation in a health care activity must inform the clinical instructor no later than clinical orientation to the course, or as soon as the information becomes available. The clinical instructor shall make the final decision about assignment of care, taking into consideration the student’s expressed concerns.
						c.		Student right to evaluate course and faculty Students have the right and responsibility to evaluate courses and faculty. If you choose not to complete an evaluation, please submit an “empty form.” All evaluations are anonymous. All evaluations, whether completed or not, must be submitted within the posted time frame (usually two weeks). No evaluations will be reopened after the closing date.
				13)		CON Inclement Weather/Emergency Closure Procedures As an academic health center, UNMC operates on a 24-hour, 12-month basis. There may be occasions, however, when the College suspends some operations due to severe inclement weather or other emergencies. Decisions for delayed openings, early releases, or cancellation of classes/suspension of operation due to inclement weather will be made by the Dean (for Omaha) and the assistant deans for each division for their respective communities. If adverse weather conditions or other emergency conditions preclude safe travel, individual judgment is required to determine whether and when it is prudent to leave work/class/clinical to travel home. If you have questions contact your course faculty.
				14)		Classroom Etiquette Guidelines For the traditional BSN courses without a distance component only the following short statement regarding classroom etiquette is to be included: Classroom: telephones and pagers are to be turned off or to vibrate. Personal computers should be used for classroom activities only.
						For the three “traditional” BSN courses with a distance component, i.e., NRSG 311/Pathophysiologic Alterations in Health I, NRSG 331/Pathophysiologic Alterations in Health II, and NRSG 332/Pharmacology for Healthcare Professionals, the wording of the “Classroom Etiquette” section is to read:
						Distance Learning Courses: Distance education can be a challenge for students, since telephone and other distributive technologies used during class time offer opportunities for distractions and extraneous noises that can interfere with everyone’s ability to hear and participate fully.
						1.		Class attendance is expected if specified synchronous experiences are part of the course. Absences are to be reserved for illness or other serious event, and the instructor is to be notified prior to class. Students are expected to be on time for such scheduled classes, regardless of location and time zone, and remain in attendance for the entire class unless otherwise directed.
						2.		Disruptions during class are to be avoided. Telephones should be muted when not sharing ideas or presenting information to the class.
						3.		Faculty members are aware that at times, the weather and other technical complications can interfere with the quality of sound during class. Students experiencing difficulties hearing class should notify faculty immediately.
						For Graduate (MSN, DNP, PhD and RN to BSN courses) Expectations During Distance Classes Distance education can be a challenge for students, since telephone and other distributive technologies used during class time offers opportunities for distractions and extraneous noises that can interfere with everyone’s ability to hear and participate fully. Faculty teaching distance courses have developed a few expectations that we wish to share with you here, based upon a philosophy of facilitating full participation from each student, regardless of their location.
								1.		Class attendance at scheduled times is mandatory. Absences are to be reserved for illness or other serious event, and the instructor is to be notified prior to class. Students are expected to be on time for class, regardless of location and time zone, and remain in attendance for the entire class.
								2.		Avoid disruptions during class. You may not be aware that you are causing difficulties for other students, so try to avoid any noises next to the phone (e.g. breathing into your phone, shuffling papers), since these noises can “take over” the conference and make it impossible for anyone else to participate and be heard by the rest of the class. Do not call in or listen to class discussion from your automobile as noises in and outside of the car can interfere with class. If you must have a conversation with someone in your home and you are using a telephone with a mute button, please select that button until your conversation has been completed.
								3.		Your full attention during class is expected. If you are calling in from your home and you have small children, please arrange for someone to care for your children during class. Do not wash dishes or do housework during class as these noises can be heard by others. Please help to assure full participation from everyone so that learning is enriched.
								4.		Faculty members are aware that at times, the weather and other technical complications can interfere with the quality of sound during class. We will try our best to deal with these complications as they arise. Please do not request that class be tape-recorded for you if you must be absent or there are technical difficulties as it is almost impossible to satisfactorily capture a group discussion using tape-recording equipment.
						Thank you very much for your consideration of others. Faculty very much value the time spent with the class in the learning environment, and want to maximize each student’s participation to the best of our ability.
				15)		Proctor Statement Please refer to CON Policy 5.1.11 and Appendix V located in the UNMC College of Nursing Policies.
				16)		Evaluation
						a.		Didactic/Classroom
								1.		Assignments/work, with guidelines for completion, grading rubrics and percentage weights for each. (If these are campus-specific, this information MUST appear in the campus-specific addendum).
								2.		Grading scale SEE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE THROUGH PAGE 6
								3.		Make-up exam policy (If this is campus-specific, this information MUST appear in the campus-specific addendum).
								4.		Minimal requirements to pass
								5.		Other criteria or policies related to didactic/classroom performance
						b.		Clinical/Laboratory (if applicable)
								1.		Criteria for clinical requirements
								2.		Clinical evaluation tool (Undergraduate Program only)
		B.		Undergraduate Campus Specific Syllabus Addendum
				1)		Standard header (UNMC, CON, department name if applicable, campus name)
				2)		Course number and complete name/title (should match Handbook)
				3)		Course year and semester
				4)		Faculty (list all campus-specific faculty, with room numbers, telephone, email, and pager information).
				5)		Course calendar
				6)		Students’ classroom and clinical responsibilities/expectations specific to course or course work
				7)		Assignments/work with guidelines for completion, grading rubrics, and percentage weights for campus-specific course work (other than exams) if not included in the syllabus
2.		All course syllabi, including the campus specific addendum, need to be stored on the “O” drive.

Undergraduate Policy 5.2.16 – May 2013:

Policy:

1. For theory nursing courses, the following criteria apply:
   The percentage system used to award grades within the College of Nursing is the following:
   
   

   A+		98-100		D+		68-69
   A		93-97		D		63-67
   A-		90-92		D-		60-62
   B+		88-89		F		below 60
   B		83-87
   B-		80-82
   C+		78-79
   C		73-77
   C-		70-72

   
   Quality points are calculated according to the following system:
   
   

   Grade		Quality Points		Grade		Quality Points
   A+ & A		4.0		C		2.00
   A-		3.67		C-		1.67
   B+		3.33		D+		1.33
   B		3.00		D		1.00
   B-		2.67		D-		0.67
   C+		2.33		F		0.00

   
   Grades of C or above are considered to be passing grades in the College of Nursing. Students must maintain a cumulative University of Nebraska average of 2.000 GPA in order to remain in good standing.

2. For clinical courses, the following criteria apply: The faculty will assign the student’s grade by evaluating the student’s performance according to the critical clinical behaviors for each course.
   
   A student who faculty deems is unprepared or unsafe will be required to leave the clinical setting and enter into a remediation plan until they are deemed prepared to return to the clinical setting.
   
   The student may be removed for a short duration or the rest of the semester. A student not able to return and to complete the critical clinical behaviors before the end of the semester will receive a fail for the clinical course.
3. The grade of "Incomplete" is awarded according to guidelines set forth in Policy 5.1.9.
4. For courses in which theory and clinical are combined, clinical laboratory performance is rated on a Pass/Fail basis. A rating of "Fail" in clinical laboratory performance results in a "D" in the course unless the theory grade is an "F." If the clinical laboratory performance is "Pass" the grade awarded for the course will be based upon the theory grade.
5. For courses with only a clinical component, clinical laboratory performance is rated on a Pass/Fail basis. A rating of “Pass” in clinical performance results in a “P” in the course. A rating of “Fail” in clinical laboratory performance results in an “F” in the course.
6. Withdrew or Incomplete grades are indicated as follows:
   
   

   W -		Withdrew within 1st eight weeks of class. After the 1st eight weeks the instructor must assign a WP or WF grade for students withdrawing.
   WP -		Withdrew passing.
   WF -		Withdrew failing.
   WX -		Administrative withdrawal.
   I -		Incomplete. (Grade average is not affected until the incomplete has been removed. Students have one semester to remove the Incomplete grade or the “I” reverts to an “F.” Refer to current Student Policy Manual for additional guidelines regarding incomplete grades.)

   
   Grades of W, WP, WF, WX, and P are not assigned grade points and therefore are not used in computation of a student's cumulative GPA.

7. In courses or clinical components that run for less than 15 weeks, students who withdraw after more than half of the course or clinical has been completed will be assigned one of the following grades:
   
   WP = Passing
   WF = Failing

Graduate Policy 5.3.6 – February, 2013

Policy:

1. Grade guidelines for all College of Nursing professional graduate courses.
   
   The percentage system used to award grades within the College of Nursing is the following:
   
   

   A+		98-100		D+		68-69
   A		93-97		D		63-67
   A-		90-92		D-		60-62
   B+		88-89		F		below 60
   B		83-87
   B-		80-82
   C+		78-79
   C		73-77
   C-		70-72

   
   Quality points are calculated according to the following system:
   
   

   Grade		Quality Points		Grade		Quality Points
   A+ & A		4.0		C		2.00
   A-		3.67		C-		1.67
   B+		3.33		D+		1.33
   B		3.00		D		1.00
   B-		2.67		D-		0.67
   C+		2.33		F		0.00

Please see UNMC Graduate Studies Scholarship Requirements for detailed information.