• The Society for Neuroscience presents a series of publications written for the lay public and students:
  • Brain Backgrounders: A series of articles that answer basic neuroscience questions.
  • The 2005 version of the 'Brain Facts' publication is a 64-page .pdf file that you may save and read electronically, or you may print out a hardcopy.
  • You might as well visit and bookmark the Brain Briefings page now, so you may easily locate and read about the topics listed in the course timetable.
• The Hyperbrain Stimulus from University of Utah - a beautifully done on-line introduction to brain structures, but just look over Chapters 2 and 4 for now...but you'll want to return to this website again and again throughout this course!
• The Anatomy Atlases website contains a variety of on-line images and information about human anatomy:
  • Microscopic Anatomy: nervous system (this is for background information - you won't be asked to identify microscopic images as part of this course!)
  • Atlas of Human Anatomy: Plates 23 - 32 (Nervous System)
  • Atlas of Human Anatomy in Cross Section: Section 1. Head & Neck (Plates 1.1 to 1.26)
• Can't find what you need there? Try the more extensive digital library at MedicalStudent.com.
• Another web-based site related to brain structure and function is the The Whole Brain Atlas, produced by K.A. Johnson and J.A. Baker. This site presents an extensive series of brain images in multiple formats, both for normal brain and in relation to various neurological disorders. You might also want to read through the Neuroimaging Primer if you find that medical imaging rings your chimes!
• The Charles A. Dana Foundation and Alliance for Brain Initiatives also maintains a website that provides information on brain diseases and disorders and links to organizations and support groups. Bookmark this site for future reference!
• An interactive on-line guide to the Neurologic Examination provides 76 (!) video demonstrations of common neurologic exams. This is an on-line companion to Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases, by Hal Blumenfeld, MD, PhD (Sinaur Associates, publishers). Note that you'll need the RealPlayer software (a free version is available at http://www.real.com/) to view these video sequences; a high-speed internet connection would be helpful, too....
• Patient Education Materials for Neurology, a wonderful public resource from the University of Iowa.

Attendance Policy: Students will bear full responsibility for all materials relating to this course, including material presented in lecture, tutorials, discussions, and readings. Regular attendance, reading required materials prior to class, and asking questions about issues raised in class are suggested as efficient learning strategies. An anticipated absence should be discussed with the instructors prior to the class meetings. A cooperative approach to learning among students (i.e., study groups, review sessions) is encouraged strongly, and should be considered from the outset of this course.

Disability: If you require an accommodation because of a disability in order to complete the course requirements you should contact the instructors or the Equal Opportunity / Disability Specialist (913-588-7813, TDD 913-588-7963) as soon as possible so that appropriate accommodations may be considered.

Performance Expectations/Evaluation Methods/Grading Scale: Please note that learning assistance, academic performance enhancement, and psychological services at KUMC are free, confidential, and available at Student Counseling & Educational Support Services by calling 913-588-6580 or visiting G116 Student Center.

1. There will be one competency quiz for material related to gross anatomy of the central nervous system. 90% or greater must be obtained on this quiz in order to have achieved the required competency. The quiz is worth 2% of your course grade. It may be accessed through the ANGEL portal.
   • Your recorded grade for this quiz will be the score obtained on your first attempt. You must, however, must obtain 90% or better to meet this course requirement. If your first attempt results in a score of less than 90%, you must retake the quiz until a score of 90% is obtained. All students must have successfully completed the quiz by August 30th. If the 90% criterion has not been met by 4 pm on this date, your recorded grade for the quiz will be reduced by 10%. If no attempt to take the quiz has been made by this deadline, you will forfeit these points entirely.
   • If you have not reached the 90% criterion after your second attempt, make arrangements to go over the material with an instructor without delay and before you take the quiz for the third time.
2. There will be periodic pop quizzes that will be worth 5-20 points each. They will cover recent course information, serving as a mechanism to develop mastery of content. Collectively, these will be worth 3% of your grade.
3. You will be required to complete written summaries of three different disorders related to nervous system dysfunction. We have placed a Template for Disorder Summaries on-line and in your course packet. These summaries are intended to help students utilize resources available to them through traditional sources (library, journals) and more recent technologies (web-based sites, news groups). They also are intended to encourage students to become familiar with perspectives from the academic, clinical, and research domains. These summaries will be due by 4 pm on November 20, and each disorder summary will be worth 5% of your course grade.
4. There will be four in-class exams, and each will take one class period to complete (1hr 50 minutes). While some factual knowledge will be tested, the primary goal of these tests will be to develop problem-solving skills. These tests will be worth 20%, 15%, 20% and 25% of your final grade.
5. Any assignment submitted after the deadline will automatically lose one letter grade unless discussed with the instructor prior to the deadline.

Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

Additional information:

Academic and Professional Conduct: We encourage all students to read the School of Allied Health's Student Handbook (link downloads a .pdf file) for policies regarding academic and non-academic misconduct. We also have placed a statement on-line regarding Departmental expectations for academic and professional conduct in class.

Professional Writing: Clear professional writing is an essential skill in professional practice. Developing skill in professional and technical writing is an important aspect of your learning within this curriculum. To support this learning, instructors will consider elements of language use in the grading of written communications, including appropriate content, style, word choice, syntax and mechanics. If you need help with your writing, please contact the Student Center (ext. 8-6580) or visit the KU Writing Center.

Snow Policy: The KU Medical Center's standard policy is to remain open for business as a medical institution and as an academic institution in spite of weather conditions (even though KU-Lawrence may not be having classes). Calling your Department or the KU Medical Center has not been a useful strategy in the past - on these sorts of days, offices are often short on staff available for answering telephone calls, and if you wait to call until the offices are open (remember that the staff have to get to work, too) you will probably be late to class anyway. Use common sense and plan ahead - you are responsible for all material presented as part of this course.

Class Evaluations: An important part of all learning and teaching is regular evaluation. Your evaluation of the instructor and the course content will be very important for helping to continually improve this classroom experience. We feel that student evaluations are particularly helpful in gauging the quality of a course and its content. Your evaluations will be taken seriously, and they deserve your careful thought. For this reason, two sample forms appear as part of the packet for this course - one for a mid-semester evaluation and another for an end of term evaluation. These samples are presented so that as the term progresses you may think about the things that make this a good course and the things which could stand to be improved. We encourage you to jot these things or ideas down as they occur, rather than waiting to fill an evaluation out at the last minute. You can then copy your accumulated comments onto the form I will supply in class. Be proactive - this is a good opportunity for you to help me teach more effectively.

Student Responsibility: Any student who does not understand and/or accept the contents and terms of this syllabus must notify the instructor in writing within one week after receiving this syllabus.

End of OCTH 455 syllabus

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