Syllabus for PSG-101

THEORETICAL FUNDAMENTALS OF POLYSOMNOGRAPHY


COURSE DESCRIPTION

Theoretical Fundamentals of Polysomnography provides students an overview and history of the field of sleep disorders medicine and the role of the polysomnographic (PSG) technologist. The course covers the fundamental concepts of the PSG discipline: roles, ethics, and professional behavior of the PSG technologist; basic sleep physiology and cardiopulmonary physiology; basic concepts of PSG recording and testing preparation; and basic therapeutic interventions for sleep-related breathing disorders and other sleep disorders.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  1. Articulate the history and scope of practice of sleep medicine and PSG technology.
  2. Identify normal sleep patterns and patterns observed in common sleep disorders.
  3. Discuss diagnostic and treatment modalities used for specific sleep disorders.
  4. Describe the role of the PSG technologist and the legal, ethical, and professional principles of patient care.
  5. Describe the anatomy and physiology of sleep and breathing systems and the classification of human sleep stages.
  6. Describe the anatomy and physiology of the cardiac system, the elements of the electrocardiogram, and common cardiac patterns and arrhythmias seen during sleep.
  7. Assess the patient and clinical information provided to determine completeness and appropriateness prior to testing, assure patient safety, and provide appropriate patient education.
  8. Prepare the patient and equipment for PSG recording.
  9. Explain the principles of common treatment modalities for sleep-related breathing disorders.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following textbook to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the University's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

  • Mattice, C., Brooks, R., & Lee-Chiong, T. (Eds). (2012). Fundamentals of sleep technology (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
    ISBN-13: 978-1451132038

COURSE STRUCTURE

Theoretical Fundamentals of Polysomnography is a three-credit online course, consisting of seven modules. Modules comprise a list of topics, learning objectives, study materials (including lecture notes, reading assignments, and supplemental Flash/PowerPoint presentations and other resources), an online discussion, a written assignment, and a module-ending quiz. Module titles are listed below.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in seven module discussions, complete seven written assignments, take seven online module quizzes and an online final exam. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.

Discussion Forums

The course requires you to participate in seven graded discussion forums. There is also an ungraded but required Introductions Forum in Module 1.

Communication and collaboration among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct assignments: an initial response to a discussion question and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.

Written Assignments

The seven written assignments consist of a series of six short papers (200–300 words) leading to and culminating in a cumulative final project in Module 7.

Written Assignments 1–6 each focus on a particular aspect of a sleep disorder you choose to research (e.g., describing the symptoms; diagnosing the disorder; discussing appropriate therapies; determining the sleep, respiratory, or cardiac functions affected; developing a patient education plan; and summarizing the results of treatment). Then, in Written Assignment 7, you compile the information gathered in the previous module assignments to develop a project paper on your chosen sleep disorder. In this final project, you are to present your material in a clear, concise, and organized manner. Use a cover page and references in APA format.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

For help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.

Module Quizzes

At the conclusion of each module, following the written assignment, is an online module quiz. The module quiz consists of from 10 to 25 multiple-choice questions based on the module's lecture and assigned reading.

Depending on the number of questions on each quiz, you will have from 20 to 35 minutes in which to complete the online quiz. Please set aside sufficient time to complete the quiz before starting it. Consult the Course Calendar for quiz deadlines.

Final Examination

Theoretical Fundamentals of Polysomnography requires you to take a final examination during the last week of the semester.

The final examination is proctored and taken online using the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

The final is a closed-book, comprehensive exam. It is one hour long and includes fifty multiple-choice questions based on study assignment lectures and the assigned reading.

The exam is administered through the course Web site. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of final exam week.

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

C+

=

78–79

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–77

B+

=

88–89

C–

=

70–72

B

=

83–87

D

=

60–69

B–

=

80–82

F

=

Below 60

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.

Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:

Plagiarism

Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.

If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.

For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.

Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism

When to Quote and When to Paraphrase

Writing Assistance at Smarthinking

Originality Report Checking at Turnitin

Disciplinary Process for Plagiarism

Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.

If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.

If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.

Possible sanctions include:

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