Course Syllabus
JOURNAL COLLOQUY
(Note that this is a first draft of the course syllabus)
GMS 7192
1 credit hour
Summer C 2016
ONLINE
Instructor:
Paul A. Gulig, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
College of Medicine
352-294-5544
Office Hours: By email or phone (email is best because I read it all through the day, night, and weekends)
Course web page: ufl.instructure.com/courses/329364
Course Communications: Specific questions are best asked by email. If a discussion/forum page is set up, questions that would benefit other students should be posted there.
Required Text: There is no assigned text book. Assigned research publications will be posted on the course web page.
Course Description: In GMS 7192 primary research papers correlated with the material being covered in GMS 6121 Infectious Diseases will be assigned for reading, analysis, and discussion in a bulletin board-type format.
The course may be repeated once as long as the alternate section with different papers is taken.
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills: Very basic biology and concurrent enrolment in GMS 6121 or other graduate level introduction to microbiology/infectious diseases course. A basic understanding of statistics would be helpful.
Purpose of Course: The purpose of this course is to teach students how to read and analyze the primary research literature in microbiology/infectious diseases.
Course Goals and/or Objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Read primary research publications (papers) in virology, bacteriology, and to lesser extents mycology and parasitology.
- Understand the methods used in study, either by having learned the methods as part of assigned papers or by using relevant web-based tools to learn new techniques.
- Comprehend data presented in figures, tables, and text within research papers.
- Constructively criticize the quality of presentation of figures and tables in research papers.
- Determine if experiments have been conducted with appropriate controls.
- Determine if appropriate statistics have been applied and interpreted.
- Determine if research conclusions for specific experiments and the paper overall are justified by the presented data.
- Participate in discussion about research papers in an informed, thoughtful, and thorough manner.
Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy for graduate students is that we are a team moving forward in education. I will do my best to teach the relevant material in the most effective manner. I expect students to participate in their own education by studying assigned material, completing assignments, and asking for help in a timely manner having exhausted their resources and abilities.
Instructional Methods: A research paper will be assigned for reading and review by posting the PDF on the course web page every week. A homework assignment with a definite deadline will be posted for each paper. The homework is aimed at enforcing the timely reading of the paper and directing thoughtful analysis of certain aspects of the paper. A bulletin board discussion page will be created for each paper, and all students must participate in the discussion by contributing an original comment and/or by commenting on the comments of others.
The instructor will provide prepared material on how to read, critique, and discuss the scientific literature and may initially provide an example of a critique. There may be guest presentations by other faculty who are content experts for the assigned papers
Course Policies:
Attendance Policy: As an online course, there is no attendance per se. However, students are expected to read the assigned research papers, complete assigned homework for each paper, and participate in the bulletin board discussions for each paper. If a student cannot complete an assignment, he/she must contact the instructor ahead of time (see Make-up policy below).
Make-up Policy: If a student misses an assignment such as a homework or discussion contribution, it may be made up according to University of Florida policy for allowable excused absences (https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx).
Assignment Policy: Every assigned research paper will have an accompanying homework and discussion. Students must complete the homework before the discussion begins. Failure to complete homework by the assigned deadline or failure to participate in discussions will result in grade penalties. Turning in a homework or contributing to a discussion within one week will result in a 50% deduction in points. Submissions more that a week late will not receive credit.
Quiz/Exam Policy:
There are no quizzes or exams.
Netiquette: Communication Courtesy: All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. http://teach.ufl.edu/docs/NetiquetteGuideforOnlineCourses.pdf
Grading Policies:
The final grade will be calculated as follows:
Homework 50%. Homework will be graded as percent correct for questions asked.
Discussions 50%. Discussions will be graded on participation and the quality/thoughtfulness of the questions/comments that are posted.
Grading Scale: The grading scale for the class is: A ≥90, A- 87-89.9, B+ 84-86.9, B 80-83.9, B- 77-79.9, C+ 74-76.9, C 70-73.99, C- 67-69.9, D+ 64-66.9, D 60-63.99, D- 57-59.9, E ≤56.9. See the UF policy on grades at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx
Course Schedule:
The subjects of the research papers will follow the subject matter being taught in GMS 6121 Infectious Diseases. The first half of that course is virology, followed by bacteriology, ending with a small section on mycology/parasitology. The initial papers will be basic, classic papers and will progress in complexity to contemporary papers using state-of-the-art methods.
UF Policies:
University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Dean of Students Office (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/). The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting assignments or taking the quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.
University Policy on Academic Misconduct: Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the University community. Students should be sure that they understand the UF Student Honor Code at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/students.php.
COURSE/FACULTY EVALUATION: Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course based on 10 criteria. These evaluations are conducted online at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results.
Getting Help:
For issues with technical difficulties for E-learning in Sakai, please contact the UF Help Desk at:
Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the ticket number received from LSS when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.
Other resources are available at http://www.distance.ufl.edu/getting-help for:
- Counseling and Wellness resources
- Disability resources
- Resources for handling student concerns and complaints
- Library Help Desk support
Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please visit http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaints to submit a complaint.
Course Summary:
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