CLS 465:  MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY 

Instructor:  	Michelle Shulfer, MS Ed., MLS (ASCP)CM
Office:  		D-145, Science Bldg.
Phone:  		715-346-2780	
E-mail:  		mshulfer@uwsp.edu 		
Office Hours:	Virtual, M-Th, 6-6 :30 pm or by appointment 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
      CLS 465:  Molecular Pathology (3 cr.)
Students will study the composition, structure, function, and characteristics of DNA.  Laboratory exercises use clinical laboratory techniques to isolate, amplify, manipulate, and analyze DNA sequences.  Students will learn how the results relate to human health and disease states.

FORMAT:
Hybrid format.  Students will be guided through the course material in a logical manner beginning with the fundamentals, progressing to the principles of molecular methods, and end with the application of molecular techniques in the clinical lab.  Each day constitutes 1 week of classes during a regular semester.  Each week therefore accounts for ¼ of the course!  Plan to spend 4-6 hours per day on course material, worksheets, and quizzes.    Students will be held responsible to read and review the assigned textbook chapters, listen to recorded lectures, complete worksheets & check your understanding quizzes, and present a final applied technology presentation.     

CORE ABILITIES:
•	Communicate Effectively (verbal and written)
•	Think Critically
•	Exercise Problem-Solving Skills
•	Work Collaboratively in Diverse Teams
•	Respect Cultural Diversity & Pluralism

COURSE GOALS AND PURPOSES:
1.   Solve restriction enzyme scenarios.   
2.   Evaluate sample integrity for testing protocols.  
3.   Classify the principles of common techniques used in molecular technology. 
4.  Utilizing molecular techniques to analyze, interpret and correlate data with 
     various disorders.   

ATTENDANCE:  
Daily engagement with course material will likely be the single most important factor in determining your performance and grade in the course.  Plan to engage daily!  The relationship between engagement and achievement in education has been extensively documented in peer-reviewed research. Absences will be excused only with appropriate proof (i.e., note from a physician, funeral notice of an immediate family member, athletic competition, or military service).

DERIVATION OF COURSE GRADES:
   	      Total points percentage.

GRADING SYSTEM: (grades are NOT rounded!)
A  	90.00-100%		C+   75.00-79.99%  		D   60.00-64.99%
B+	85.00-89.99%		C     70.00-74.99% 		F   < 59.99%
B	80.00-84.99% 		D+   65.00-69.99%

QUIZZES / WORKSHEETS / PRESENTATION:
1.   Check your understanding quizzes will be made available at regular intervals throughout the 
	course.  These are low stakes quizzes meant to help you practice and learn a concept.  There will
	be no formal exams.     
2.   Worksheets will be given to strengthen the depth of understanding.  
3.   Technology Presentations – Individual topics will be approved by the instructor to 
       alleviate duplication. Students will create a case study and demonstrate an understanding 
       of molecular techniques by explaining how the technology works and providing an   
       example of how the test would be interpreted to make a diagnosis for their case study.  
	 
REQUIRED TEXTS:
	Molecular Diagnostics: Fundamentals, Methods, & Clinical Applications, 3nd edition 
		Lela Buckingham

REFERENCE TEXTS:
Molecular Diagnostics For the Clinical Laboratorian
	William B. Coleman & Gregory J. Tsongalis
Molecular Pathology: Approaches to Diagnosing Human Disease in the Clinical Laboratory
	Edited by Ruth A. Heim & Lawrence M. Silverman
Principles of Molecular Virology, 3rd edition
	Alan J. Cann
DNA Science: A First Course 2nd edition
	David A. Micklos & Greg A. Freyer

Supplemental texts and journal articles will be provided as needed.

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
1.	Email is the best way to reach me at mshulfer@uwsp.edu.  I will respond or talk with you in person in a reasonable amount of time (~24 hours).  Please note, I do not check email on a regular basis after 5 pm.  Please be professional in all correspondences.  Yours should be clear and concise.  If you would like to talk real time, feel free to leave a call back number or request a Zoom meeting.     
2.	Phone:  You may call my office at 715-346-2780.  Please leave a voicemail if I do not answer as I may be away from my desk or assisting another.
3.	Office hours:  Virtual office hours:  M-Th, 6-6:30pm or by appointment. Additional meetings can be arranged through an email request.   

General Student Expectations
1.	You are expected to complete units, assignments, quizzes, and worksheets according to the course schedule and syllabus.  If an emergency or illness occurs that prevents you from accomplishing the above, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor (in person, by telephone, voicemail or email) within 48 hours.  
2.	It is your responsibility to read and take notes or course materials.  Each instructor reserves the right to determine how they will incorporate units, assignments, quizzes, and worksheets not completed into your final grade.
3.	It will be the instructor’s decision to allow or not allow make-up units, assignments, quizzes and/or worksheets pending proper proof for the excused absence (i.e., funeral notice, doctor’s note). 
4.	Verification of your attendance in class will be accomplished by the completion of class assignments and participation in laboratory sessions.  Class attendance records may be reviewed as part of determining the affective portion of your evaluation that counts toward determination of your grade by your instructor.  If an absence is lengthy, you may not receive credit and may be asked to repeat the course the next time it is offered.
5.	The turning off of cell phones is encouraged during laboratory sessions and while studying.  Research supports that having visual access to a cell phone diminishes our ability to learn. Checking social media, texts, emails, and messages is unprofessional and disrespectful to our class community. Please turn off your phone during class. Thank you for following these guidelines as they help create a positive learning community.
Professional Demeanor
1.	You will interact professionally with instructors and peers at all times. Courteous behavior and use of only appropriate language will be expected. 
2.	You will demonstrate appropriate professional demeanor by promptly and consistently attending all classroom and laboratory sessions.
3.	You will follow all safety policies and other procedural guidelines consistent with OSHA and university requirements.  Personal protective equipment must be worn at all times in the laboratory. 
4.	You will demonstrate appropriate professional demeanor by consistently remaining in the work area during scheduled lab times and completing all required work in a thorough manner.
5.	You will demonstrate appropriate professional demeanor by adhering to the current dress and appearance codes while in the laboratory.  Absolutely no open-toed shoes may be worn in the lab. 
6.	You will demonstrate a high degree of professional demeanor by consistently cleaning/disinfecting work areas when entering and leaving the laboratory and returning supplies to their original location at the beginning of the lab session.
7.	Professionalism will be assessed mid-term and at the end of the term collaboratively by the CLS faculty & staff. You will receive a copy of the assessment midterm.      

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: (Dismissal from the Program)   
You will maintain academic standards, ethics, and honesty, including UWSP, SHCP, and individual course standards.  The following policy statement does not replace, but rather defines the SHCP cheating policy as it relates to all students in the programs.  SHCP faculty equate unethical and/or dishonest behavior as demonstration of the potential for harmful and life-threatening behavior in the clinical setting.  Therefore, cheating in any of its forms will not be tolerated.  The following activities are specifically prohibited and will warrant a warning or reprimand, failure or reduction of your grade on and assignment or exam, probation, temporary or prolonged suspension, or permanent expulsion from the SHCP programs. 
1.	Cheating includes but is not limited to the following:
a.	Copying from another student’s test/quiz paper.
b.	Copying from another student’s assignment without faculty approval for collaboration.
c.	Using materials, or inappropriate procedures during a test/quiz not authorized by the person giving the test/quiz.
d.	Collaborating with any other person during a test/quiz without faculty approval for collaboration.
e.	Knowingly obtaining, using, buying, selling, voluntarily revealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or in part the contents of any test/quiz without authorization of appropriate official.
f.	Bribing any other person to obtain a copy of a test/quiz.
g.	Soliciting or receiving unauthorized information about any test/quiz.
h.	Substituting for another student or permitting any other person to substitute for you in completing a test/quiz.
2.	Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of any other person or group’s ideas or work.  This includes purchased or borrowed papers.
3.	Collusion is the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing assignments or projects in course work.
4.	Falsification is the intentional and unauthorized altering or inventing of any information or citation in an academic exercise, activity, or record-keeping process. 
5.	Giving, selling, or receiving unauthorized course or test information.
6.	Using any unauthorized resource or aid in the preparation or completion of any course work, exercise, or activity.
7.	Infringing on the copyright law of the United States which prohibits the making of reproduction of copyrighted material except under certain specified conditions.
8.	Falsifying data and submitting as true, authentic data.
9.	Altering test responses after the test is corrected and stating that altered response was actually misread by the faculty or staff reviewing the test responses.

You are subject to cheating policies, codes, definitions, and sanctions established by the SHSW, the University of Wisconsin System, and the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.  Please refer to the university handbook for details https://catalog.uwsp.edu/content.php?catoid=21&navoid=987#section-2-ch-uwsp-14-student-academic-disciplinary-procedures

Specific SHSW sanctions that typically apply to cheating during test-taking or to cheating on class assignments are listed below. 
1.	Warning.  A warning will be issued if the incident cannot be verified beyond a reasonable doubt.  A warning is a verbal or written notice to you that your conduct may be in violation of UWSP and/or SHSW’s rules and regulations.  Continuation of such conduct or actions may result in further disciplinary action.
2.	Grade Reduction.  Reduction by one full letter grade of your grade for the course (example B to C) will be implemented if you have previously committed no verifiable acts of cheating.
3.	Failure of course.  A failing grade for the course will be assigned if you have previously participated in at least one verifiable act of cheating.
4.	Dismissal from the Program.  Dismissal from the program will be implemented if:  
a.	you previously participated in more than one verifiable act of cheating.
b.	you fail to meet time deadlines to correct deficiencies pursuant to academic probation matters.
c.	you fail to attend a scheduled practicum.
d.	you fail to successfully complete a practicum with minimum proficiency.
e.	you fail to consistently follow guidelines for protection of self and others in matters regarding health and safety.

You are encouraged to consult with your instructor or advisor if you are having problems meeting program goals, objectives, or academic standards.  The following provides a summary of the due process procedure which should be followed.
1.	Schedule a conference with your clinical or academic instructor.
2.	If unsatisfactory progress is made or no resolution can be reached, schedule a meeting with your director, program coordinator, or department chair for review and resolution of the matter.

INCLUSIVITY:
It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.

If you have experienced a bias incident (an act of conduct, speech, or expression to which a bias motive is evident as a contributing factor regardless of whether the act is criminal) at UWSP, you have the right to report it by contacting the Dean of Students office directly at dos@uwsp.edu.

CONFIDENTIALITY:
Learning requires risk-taking and sharing ideas. Please keep your classmates’ ideas and experiences confidential outside the classroom unless permission has been granted to share them.

EQUAL ACCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: 
UW-Stevens Point will modify academic program requirements as necessary to ensure that they do not discriminate against qualified applicants or students with disabilities.  The modifications should not affect the substance of educational programs or compromise academic standards; nor should they intrude upon academic freedom.  Examinations or other procedures used for evaluating students' academic achievements may be adapted.  If modifications are required due to a disability, please inform the instructor and contact the Disability and Assistive Technology Center to complete an Accommodations Request form.  Phone: 346-3365 or Room 609 Albertson Hall.

HELP RESOURCES:

Tutoring	Advising	Safety & General Support	Health	
Tutoring and Learning Center helps with Study Skills, Writing, Technology, Math, & Science. Albertson Hall, ext 3568	Academic and Career Advising Center, Albertson Hall, ext 3226	Dean of Students Office, 212 Old Main, ext. 2611	Counseling Center, Delzell Hall, ext. 3553. 

Health Care, Delzell Hall, ext. 4646	

UWSP Service Desk
The Office of Information Technology (IT) provides a Service Desk to assist students with connecting to the Campus Network, virus and spyware removal, file recovery, equipment loan, and computer repair. You can contact the Service Desk via email at techhelp@uwsp.edu or at (715) 346-4357 (HELP).

Care Team
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is committed to the safety and success of all students. The Office of the Dean of Students supports the campus community by reaching out and providing resources in areas where a student may be struggling or experiencing barriers to their success. Faculty and staff are asked to be proactive, supportive, and involved in facilitating the success of our students through early detection, reporting, and intervention. As your instructor, I may contact the Office of the Dean of Students if I sense you are in need of additional support which individually I may not be able to provide. You may also share a concern if you or another member of our campus community needs support, is distressed, or exhibits concerning behavior that is interfering with the academic or personal success or the safety of others, by contacting the Dean of Students office or by calling university police (911).