Course Introduction

1. Course Objectives
2. Methods and Grading
3. Textbooks
4. Initial Readings
5. Additional Syllabus Components

This course will consider the effects of changes in modern technology, cultural diversity, and governmental policies on the administration of health services organizations and appropriate administrative strategies for responding to those changes.

Upon successfully completing this course, the student will be able to:

• Identify key terms associated with the development, diffusion, assessment and regulation of new health care technologies, diversity issues, and governmental health care reform issues.
• Discuss structures and procedures associated with these issues.
• Critically compare alternative approaches related to them.
• Critically compare alternative administrative and societal strategies for appropriate actions to resolve these issues and specic problemss facing health care organizations.
• More effectively use electronic workgroups.
• More effectively produce professionally written projects.
• More effectively conduct professional presentations.

• Course Requirements

  Assignment	Due Date	Grade Percentage
  Class Presentation 1	.	10%
  Class Presentation 2	.	10%
  Class Discussion	.	15%
  Mid-Term Exam	Oct. 14, 16	15%
  Paper Outline	Sept. 16	5%
  Paper Draft	Oct. 23	10%
  Research Paper	Dec. 7	20%
  Final Exam	Dec. 9	15%

• The Class Presentations will focus on one of the possible presentation subjects listed under designated sessions in the Course Schedule and will be due on the date of the particular session. One of the two class presentations will be a preview or summary of the student's research paper. The first presentation must be selected from topics falling before the mid-term exam, the second after.

  The presentation should use Microsoft Powerpoint (5-15 slides). A paper handout of those slides printed using Powerpoint's "handout" print option and an electronic copy (the latter sent via Blackboard e-mail) should be furnished to the instructor before the presentation.

  Presentations should go beyond the regular assigned readings for the date, employing appropriate outside sources. Presenters should seek to involve their fellow students through relevant means, definitely including time for questions from others.

  Each presenter should provide the class with 1) an outline or summary of his/her presentation, or a copy of the Powerpoint handout given to the instructor, and 2) a bibliography of at least six sources relevant to the particular presentation subject, including call numbers. At least three of these sources must be professional journal articles. Class lectures and texts used in HA courses are not acceptable sources for the class presentation or the related research paper (see below).

  Note Well: To allow maximum time for preparation of materials, students must choose their class presentation subjects by August 24. If no choices have been made by then, I reserve the right to assign subjects.

  To choose presentation subjects, post the titles of your two choices with your name by each directly to the relevant days on the calendar of the class Blackboard site (see below). Keep in mind that no more than two presentations will be made per day. So, if you see a day on the calendar that already has two presentations, you must choose another day.

  Once a student has been assigned two presentation topics, he/she should contact me by e-mail ASAP as to which one will also be the research paper topic. This must be done no later than Sept. 2, or I will assign a topic from the student's chosen presentations.

  Once a student has been assigned a research paper subject, he/she has the responsibility to make a preliminary evaluation of available resources for the research paper (see below) and to notify me as soon as possible, but absolutely no later than class time on Sept. 4, if there appears to be a shortage of materials for the subject.

• For the Class Discussion grade, students will be evaluated on the basis of quality and quantity of interaction in class discussion. All students are expected to come to class prepared to use the information in the readings assigned for that day.

  Class discussion is not a grade for class attendance, although one generally cannot discuss without attending class. However, students who attend class without ever participating in class discussion can expect no higher grade than "D" in class discussion.

  As an alternative to discussion in the physical classroom, students are also welcome to raise questions on the readings or lectures, add useful links to relevant articles, or otherwise make comments on the course's Blackboard site (see below); details on these opportunities will be discussed in class.

  Students expecting even a minimal grade in class discussion should attend any class sessions involving outside speakers or field experiences. Forthcoming speakers or field experiences will be announced in class and on the class Blackboard site.

• The Mid-Term and Final Exam will be closed book, mixed objective-subjective, with a greater emphasis on the latter. Both the mid-term and the final exam will cover both assigned readings and in-class materials (including lectures, class discussion, and outside speaker presentations). Test Procedures are discussed in the Additional Course Information.

• The Research Paper, around twenty typed pages, will intensively analyze the same subject as one of the student's class presentations. Students must obtain a copy of my Guidelines for Research Papers and are responsible for following those guidelines. In addition, at least half the sources for the paper must be professional journal articles.

  The paper is broken down into three components:

  1. An outline of the research paper must be submitted in Microsoft Word via Blackboard e-mail no later than Sept. 16. For those unfamiliar or uncomfortable with outlines, some good examples appear on the following Website:
     • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlinS.html
     This particular outline includes statements of purpose, thesis, and audience, which I do not require, but the structure of the outline itself is very good. The outline will be returned with comments which should be incorporated into the next component. In some cases, students may be asked to submit a redraft of the outine before proceeding.
  2. A rough draft must be submitted no later than Oct. 23, including a copy sent to me, preferably via Blackboard e-mail. The core of this assignment should be a typed document of the approxiate length of the final paper, but may have legible handwritten corrections, inserted text, marked out paragraphs, suggested inserted text on a separate page, etc., as long as the document is basically coherent and includes all the essential elements required for the paper itself. The rough draft will be returned with comments which should be incorporated into the next component.
  3. The final paper is due Dec. 7. The physical copy of the rough draft must be handed in with it. The final paper itself must include a physical copy plus an electronic copy (via Blackboard e-mail). Please do not staple the rough draft and final draft together.

• There will be three Assessment Meetings throughout the course to give each student and the instructor an opportunity to review the student's goals for the course and progress. These meetings are not required, but each will add one point to the student's final grade. Students should make appointments for these meetings at least 24 hours in advance. The first of these will be Thursday August 26. (Students with a documentable conflict on that day may see me on my regular office hours through Sept. 4. The second will be on Sept. 23, and the third will be on Nov. 18.

Communication Matters

It is a class requirement that students use the class Blackboard site or their A.U. e-mail accounts to communicate with each other and with the instructor. These methods provide students experience in modern electronic communications. The primary souce of e-mail communication with the instructor should be through our class Blackboard site. (see below) This site is similar to using professional workgroups.

The class Blackboard site is a center for course announcements and communications which allows students to pose discussion issues, post comments, and raise questions outside of the physical classroom. Students should check this site at least one day prior to each scheduled class meeting for announcements and relevant class readings; failure to do so will be the sole responsibility of the student. This site is restricted to class members; access requires your standard Auburn IT user name and password. Informational materials posted to this resource are just as much "fair game" for tests as standard lecture/reading/class discussion materials.

• Date: Aug. 17 (M)
  • Topic: Course Organization; General Overview
  • Readings:
    1. Bell, Ch. 1, "Introduction, Legislation, and Theories," 3-28.
    2. Burke, Preface, xv-xvi.
    3. Burke, Ch. 1, "Introduction to Information Technology," 1-20.

• Date: Aug. 19 (W)
  • Topic: Technology in Modern America; The Creation of New Health Care Technologies (1)
  • Readings:
    1. Patel, Ch. 1, "Technology, Values, and Health Care Policy in the New Millennium," 3-27.
    2. Ellis, Ch. 4, "Advances in Research Methods," 69-96.*

• Date: Aug. 21 (F)
  • Topic: The Creation of New Health Care Technologies (2)
  • Readings: Ellis, Ch. 4, "Advances in Research Methods," 69-96.*

• Date: Aug. 24 (M)
  • Topic: The Diffusion of Innovations in Health Care (1)
  • Reading: Banta, "Embracing or Rejecting Innovations," in Reiser and Anbar, The Machine at the Bedside,65-92*

• Date: Aug. 26 (W)
  • Topic: The Diffusion of Innovations in Health Care (2)
  • Readings: Griner, "New Technology Adoption in the Hospital," in Gelijns, Technology and Health Care in an Era of Limits, 123-132.*
  • Other: Choice of Presentation Topics Due

• Date: Aug. 28 (F)
  • Topic: The Diffusion of Innovations in Health Care (3)
  • Readings: Hilman, "Physicians' Acquisition and Use of New Technology in an Era of Economic Constraints," in Gelijns, Technology and Health Care in an Era of Limits, 133-149.*
  • Other: Choice of Paper Topics Due

The other parts of this syllabus are listed below. If you are taking the class, you are responsible for reading ALL of them, as well as this introduction, and following their instructions.

Are you reading this introduction on the Worldwide Web? Simplicity itself. Just use the links below to read each component. As you probably know already, that also means you can save them as printed copy or files on your computer or USB drive..

Are you reading a paper handout? Then you can access this introduction--and its links to the other course components--through the Worldwide Web address "http://www.auburn.edu/~burnsma/HADM4810/intro.html". If you don't know how to access the Worldwide Web, request the handout "Finding This Course on the Worldwide Web" from the instructor.

1. Course Schedule. What's happening on what days, and what you need to be reading/doing.
2. About the Instructor. Information about Mark Burns and his expectations for the class.
3. My Office Hours, contact information, etc.
4. Additional Course Information you need to be aware of.
5. To correctly prepare two major assignments for the course, you will also need to read these:
   1. Guidelines for Oral Presentations
   2. Guidelines for Research Papers

Components of the syllabus, as well as other useful links to course materials, my office hours, etc. may be quickly accessed through the Course Hub, at http://www.auburn.edu/~burnsma/HADM4810/hub.html

Caveat Inventor

". . .major advances in technology all but destroy the civilizations in which they occur."
--Alfred North Whitehead

Have ideas for other information that should be included here? Send your suggestions!

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Introduction Page by MB, Ver. 7.02 (last updated 10/17/09)

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