Syllabus for PSG-102

INSTRUMENTATION THEORY


COURSE DESCRIPTION

Instrumentation Theory provides an overview of the basic electrical principles involved in polysomnographic recording. The course covers, in detail, issues related to patient safety, operation of PSG equipment, recording specifications involved in data acquisition, troubleshooting of recording equipment, and patient documentation.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  1. Relate basic electrical principles to the performance of polysomnography.
  2. Summarize the principles of electrical safety.
  3. Explain the principles of operation of PSG equipment.
  4. Explain the effects of digital sampling and resolution factors and time-base on signal display quality.
  5. Outline the frequency and voltage characteristics of the physiologic signals measured during polysomnography.
  6. Explain the principles of operation of ancillary monitoring equipment.
  7. Choose, interface, and calibrate ancillary recording equipment.
  8. Explain the principles of operation of oximeters and capnographs.
  9. Explain the principles of electrode function and impedance measurements.
  10. Explain the principles of analog and digital signal calibration.
  11. Determine appropriate recording parameters based on the signal to be recorded.
  12. Differentiate physiological signals from artifact.
  13. Explain the principles for determining data validity.
  14. Explain the principles of derivation, amplifier, and environmental alteration and documentation.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following textbooks to do the work of the course. Fundamentals of Sleep Technology, 2nd ed., is available from the University's textbook supplier, MBS Direct. The AASM Manual for Scoring . . . Version 2.0 is available by subscription or access code from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

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

  • The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications Version 2.0. [Available by calendar year subscription or access code from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. See http://www.aasmnet.org/scoringmanual/default.aspx.]

COURSE STRUCTURE

Instrumentation Theory is a three-credit online course, consisting of ten modules. Modules include topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in ten online discussion forums, complete ten written assignments, take ten quizzes, and complete a final exam. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for due dates

Discussion Forums

The course requires you to participate in ten 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 activities: 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

You are required to complete ten written assignments, one for each of the ten modules that make up the course.

Your answers to the written assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Formulate responses in your own words, citing reading materials and other sources where appropriate and in an appropriate manner.

Prepare your written activities 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 activity, 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 activity 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 activities, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.


Quizzes

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

You will have 25 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

Instrumentation Theory 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 two hours long and includes 100 multiple-choice questions based on module lecture notes 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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