Basic Principles of Medicine II

Course
Semester
Spring
Year
2021
Location
St. George’s, Grenada

Version March 24th, 2022

This version will supersede any previous editions of this document. The university reserves the right to change or amend the rules and regulations at any time. The new rules and regulations will be applicable to all students registered on the course.

Course Requirements

How do we define participation in course activities?

For all onsite activities, participation is defined as full engagement for the whole duration of the academic activity at the scheduled time and venue and answering all participation questions provided through the audience response system. 

For all online activities, participation is defined as full engagement for the whole duration of the academic activity at the scheduled time on the appropriate Zoom session and answering all participation questions through the audience response system. Note that different students in the class may be scheduled at different times, your scheduled time is the only one that counts for your participation. If you miss an activity do not ask to be placed at a later time, this will not be permitted because students at the last session of the day do not have this opportunity.

All Wi-Fi enabled electronic devices must be registered to the user for use on campus. The Wi-Fi connection of your registered devices to the SGU internet will be used along with the participation data from the audience response system to verify your presence in teaching facilities. Using a device not registered to you may result in you loosing participation credit. Misrepresentation of participation records using another person’s device is unprofessional behavior and will result in academic penalties outlined in the Unprofessional Behavior section of the syllabus. 

SGU expects that students enrolled in the MD program demonstrate 100% participation in all scheduled activities. Participation below 100% means you are failing to meet our expectations, additionally, if your participation falls below 80% there are academic consequences. 

Basic Principles of Medicine II (BPM501)

 

Points

Date

Comments

# of Events

Examinations and Assessments (Total Points = 809)*

 

 

BPM Exam 1: ER

101

January 27th 

Mandatory

1 + completion

BPM Exam 2: DM

125

February 28th 

Mandatory

1 + completion

BPM Exam 3: NB

125

March 24th 

Mandatory

1 + completion

BPM Exam 4: NB

125

April 13th 

Mandatory

1 + completion

Objective Structured Practical

Examination (OSPE)/ Online

Clinical Evaluation Exercises

(OCEX)

48

May 5th and 6th 

Mandatory (onsite) Mandatory (online)

1 + completion

BPM2 Laboratory

Examination

25

May 4th 

Mandatory

1 + completion

BPM Exam 5: NB

125

May 9th  

Mandatory

1 + completion

BSCE 1

135

May 11th 

Mandatory

1 + completion

Weekly Online Quizzes

24

 See schedule

 

Each submission = 1.5 point**

20

IMCQ Assessments

13

 See schedule

 ≥ 50% correct in a session = 1 point***

17

HPWP/SG/ LAB/ US/ SIM

LAB/Mini OCEX/Mini OSPE

0

See schedule

 80% participation requirement

30

Lectures 

0

See schedule

80% participation requirement

140

ITI Sessions*****

0

See schedule

80%       participation requirement

70

Post Exam Advising Meetings

******

0

See Sakai Announcement

Mandated for students who receive advising email from AADS

As mandated

Total Points

876

*These activities are mandatory, and a score must be achieved for every assessment. Without scores in all of the listed examinations and assessments, a passing course grade cannot be assigned, and a course grade of F will be registered at the end of term. A score of zero will be retained for any exam that is missed and not subsequently completed on the scheduled completion date.

** Maximum of 24 points available. ***Maximum of 13 points available

**** All activities must be fulfilled to the required performance, participation, and professionalism standards to earn these 30 points. Any single event activity must be remediated before a course grade can be earned. Participation in any element <80% may incur an additional professionalism penalty (up to 10% of the total course points per incidence). <70% participation in any of the multiple event activities subject to the 80% participation requirement will result in an incomplete grade that will be converted to an F at the end of term. For events where participation is recorded using the audience response system, all questions in the session must have a recorded response to earn for the session. Late submission of any mandatory assignments will result in a reduced professionalism grade (see unprofessional behavior section).

***** In addition to the lectures, ITI students need to participate in 80% of their scheduled ITI sessions. There is a 1-hour ITI session scheduled to cover 2 lectures and to earn the participation credit for the ITI session you must participate for the entire 1-hr session. On days where there is only 1 lecture, the ITI session is scheduled for 30 minutes and to earn participation credit you must participate for 30-minutes.

Note: For any activity in which the audience response system is used, participation credit is only awarded for full participation in all polled questions. Some activities (e.g. IMCQs) have an additional performance requirement standard (i.e.  all questions are answered with at least 50% accuracy) in order to earn points associated with the activity.

****** Mandatory Advising Meeting

After the APRC meetings, students who have not performed will receive an email regarding the attendance to a mandatory advising with an academic advisor from AADS.  Failure to attend will result in loss of Participation and Professionalism points.

The final course grade is calculated by converting the course points obtained by the student into a percentage. The student manual outlines the grading scales used in the SOM. Student Manual

To pass this course a minimum of 627 points is required, corresponding to a percentage score of 71.50%. In addition, all relevant assessment and participation criteria must be fulfilled.

Course Delivery

ONSITE DELIVERY

Live onsite course activities are delivered by course faculty in predetermined venues. Venues will be available in the course schedule and on Sakai. All lectures, small groups, IMCQ’s and ITI sessions are delivered live onsite. 

ONLINE DELIVERY

Synchronous course activities use a live online platform for delivery. The live online platform is used for all lectures, small groups, IMCQ’s, ITI sessions and faculty office hours. It is important that you sign into the Zoom platform using the application (not the browser version) and sign in using the SGU SSO – see link below for instructions.

ZOOM

https://www.iorad.com/player/1657673/SGU-Zoom---How-to-Sign-in-with-SSO

Additional guidance for online delivery of course requirements is given from IT/OIA in the following link:

RESOURCES FOR LEARNING REMOTELY FOR STUDENTS

https://mycourses.sgu.edu/access/content/group/7a7ac639-acc5-4f33-b106ae0778aabff6/TeachingLearningRemotely/LearningRemotely.html https://mycampus.sgu.edu/office-of-institutional-advancement/Training-Resources

For all technical support for course delivery at home please contact support@sgu.edu see link below https://www.sgu.edu/office-of-information-technology/it-support/

Computer requirements for the course and examinations are outlined in the above link under Examplify guidelines from Examination Services. 

TIME ZONE:

All live activities will follow the time zone in Grenada (Atlantic Standard Time GMT -4) with no summertime adjustment in Grenada.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Class schedules can be found on the Office of the University Registrar’s page (under Student Departments Tab).  https://mycampus.sgu.edu/group/oep-registrar/academic-class-schedules

GRADING

Any errors in scores for formative assessments or participation data that are displayed in the Sakai gradebook must be reported to the Course Director within 48 hours of their publication. Errors reported later than this will not be considered for correction. You will not be able to query participation scores once modules are completed.

Any errors in summative course assessment that are displayed in the Sakai gradebook must be reported to the Course Director within 24 hours of their publication. Errors reported later than this will not be considered for correction. 

For all online proctored examinations, the published scores are preliminary at the time of publication; course penalties may apply if a subsequent investigation demonstrates a failure to comply with examination regulations or the online proctoring requirements. For Online Assessments, where results are immediately accessible upon submission, errors must be reported before the submission deadline. 

CONTACT DETAILS

Please direct all queries to:

sombpm2@sgu.edu

Course Description

The Basic Principles of Medicine 2 (BPM2) course is a 17-credit course delivered over 18 weeks in Term 2 of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program of St George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, and within the Keith B. Taylor Global Scholar’s Program (KBT GSP), in collaboration with Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. It is part one of an organ system-based curriculum for the first academic year of the Basic Sciences program and is taught in three consecutive modules:

Module Name

Duration (weeks)

Endocrine and Reproductive Systems (ER)

3

Digestive System and Metabolism (DM)

4

Nervous System and Behavioral Science (NB)

11

Total:

18

 Endocrine and Reproductive (ER) Module

This module provides the knowledge and understanding of the gross and microscopic structure, physiology, biochemical processes and metabolic disorders in relation to the endocrine organs. This includes the study of gross and developmental anatomy, physiology, microscopic anatomy and cell biology of the male and female reproductive systems. Students will learn to integrate and apply this knowledge through examination of cadavers at wet lab sessions and, micrographs and radiological images in small group sessions. At the end of each system pathological conditions are explained through micrographs and imaging relevant to the specific organ systems. Students will also cover developmental genetics, genetic screening techniques and facts about nutrition in relation to neonates, infants and the elderly. Students will be able to appreciate the normal structure and functions of these organ systems and will be able to correlate pathological outcome due to abnormal changes within the respective tissue.

Digestive System and Metabolism (DM) Module

In this module students learn about the anatomy and histology of the digestive system and actively integrate it with the biochemistry and physiological function of this organ system. Students will familiarize themselves with the digestion and metabolism of the macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and their nutritional significance. Special emphasis is placed on the inborn errors of metabolism associated with each of these metabolic pathways and the lab tests and the molecular basis for the clinical signs and symptoms of these disorders. The module will be interspersed with clinical cases and study of imaging and histology of the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical cases on inborn errors of intermediary metabolism and metabolic disorders enhances students’ understanding of the importance of these aspects of metabolism. 

Nervous System and Behavioral Sciences (NB) Module

This module is an interdisciplinary study of the structure and function of the head, neck and the peripheral and central nervous system, simultaneously addressing the anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry and some pharmacology and pathophysiology. Behavioral science (psychopathology), life span development and learning theory are covered, as well as the behavioral aspects of medicine. Neurological and psychiatric case studies will be presented as integral components. The overall goal is to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the effects of damage to the head, neck, spinal cord, and brain, as well as the behavioral disorders of cognition as presented in general clinical medicine and the specialties of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry and Ophthalmology.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Basic Principles of Medicine 2 (BPM2) course embraces the mission of the Doctor of Medicine Program of St George’s University School of Medicine: the 4-year outcome objectives are listed in Section B: SGU SOM POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Basic Principles of Medicine TWO (BPM2) Course specifically addresses a number of 4-year outcome objectives within the three categories of knowledge (1a, 1b,1c), clinical skills (2a, 2c, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2i, 2l) and professional attitudes (3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3g, 3h, 3i) of the Doctor of Medicine Program of St. George’s University School of Medicine.

Basic Principles of Medicine 2 (BPM2) Course Objectives

A student who successfully completes this course should be able to:

  1. Analyze normal biochemical, genetic, physiological, histological, cellular, neural and behavioral mechanisms of the human body and their relationship to medicine. 
  2. Describe the development, anatomical, histological and physiological principles of the endocrine and reproductive system. 
  3. Understand and describe the development, anatomical, histological and physiological principles of the digestive system and understand the metabolic processes of the human body. 
  4. Discuss, analyze and apply biochemical, genetic, physiological, histological, developmental, neural, behavioral and anatomical knowledge to normal and pathological processes 
  5. Demonstrate professional behaviors and develop effective communication and interpersonal skills during small group practical sessions and interactive clinical settings. 
  6. Identify strengths, deficiencies and limits in one’s own medical knowledge, clinical skills and professional behaviors.
  7. Set learning and improvement goals in medical knowledge, clinical skills and professional behaviors.
  8. Identify resources to guide and perform learning activities to address one’s gaps in medical knowledge, clinical skills and professional behaviors.
  9. Continually identify, analyze and implement new and updated knowledge, guidelines, standards, technologies, products or services that have been demonstrated to improve outcomes.

Endocrine and Reproductive Systems (ER) Module Objectives

A student who successfully completes this module should be able to: 

  1. Describe the gross and microscopic anatomy of the endocrine organs, male and female reproductive systems. 
  2. Explain the normal physiological and biochemical processes within the endocrine organs and correlate endocrine disorders. 
  3. Explain the physiology of male and female reproductive systems and the significance of developmental genetics, genetic screening techniques and facts about nutrition in relation to neonates, infants and elderly. 
  4. Identify gross anatomical structures on cadaveric specimens and microscopic structures of basic tissues, organ and organ systems on micrographs and images and correlate with pathological changes. 
  5. Apply knowledge of and demonstrate physical examination techniques and ultrasound guided studies on standardized patients.  
  6. Demonstrate effective communication and professional conduct during discussion of relevant clinical cases and labs/Small Groups. 

Digestive System and Metabolism (DM) Module Objectives

A student who successfully completes this module should be able to:

  1. Explain the underlying basis of normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system at the structural, microscopic, molecular, cellular, and physiological level.  
  2. Apply the knowledge of normal metabolic pathways in the understanding and interpretation of disorders of intermediary metabolism 
  3. Apply the knowledge of nutritional factors contributing to the development of metabolic diseases 
  4. Analyze the lab findings and be able to differentiate the various disorders of intermediary metabolism.  
  5. Demonstrate effective communication and professional conduct during discussion of relevant clinical cases and labs. 

Nervous System and Behavioral Sciences (NB) Module Objectives

A student who successfully completes this module should be able to:

  1. Describe the structures of head, neck and the nervous system, their development, and their sensory, motor and psycho-neuro-behavioral functions. 
  2. Apply this knowledge to analyze the mechanisms that lead to pathological processes of head, neck and brain functions. 
  3. Apply this knowledge to analyze normal and abnormal progression though the lifespan, including mechanisms of learning. 
  4. Identify and describe differential diagnoses and the bio-psycho-social treatment options for disorders of head, neck and brain including pathological and behavioral neuropsychiatric conditions. 
  5. Demonstrate effective communication and professional conduct during discussion of relevant clinical cases and labs/Small Groups. 
Faculty Staff and Contact Information

For all administrative questions (including notification of absence from lab or small group activities) contact our departmental secretaries and course director at SOMBPM2@sgu.edu

Please do not send a message to all faculty. Your query will typically be responded to within 24 hours. Response to queries received after 4:00PM on Friday may be delayed.   

Course Leadership Team

The course director oversees the overall organization of the course. Module coordinators organize specific modules within the course and are responsible for Sakai sites. Content managers are responsible for the content related to their discipline. This includes content related to lectures, small groups and multiple-choice questions.

Course Directors

Course Director

Location

 

Email Address

Dr. Juanette McKenzie

St. George’s, Grenada

 

jmckenzi@sgu.edu 

Dr. Briana Fahey

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

 

bfahey@sgu.edu

 

Module Coordinators

ModuleCoordinators - Grenada

Module

 

Email Address

 

 

Dr. Mohamed Idries and Dr. Christopher Chinnatambi

Endocrine and Reproductive Systems 

midries@sgu.edu and 

cchinnat@sgu.edu

 

Dr. Sharmila

Upadhya

Digestive System and Metabolism 

shupadhya@sgu.edu

 

Dr. Earlan Charles

Nervous System and Behavioral Science 

echarle3@sgu.edu

Associate Module  

Coordinators -

KBT GSP, Newcastle

Module 

Email Address

Dr. Nahidh Al-Jaberi 

Endocrine and Reproductive Systems 

naljaber@sgu.edu 

Dr. Mark Williams

Digestive System and Metabolism 

mwilliams@sgu.edu

Dr. Briana Fahey

Nervous System and Behavioral Science 

bfahey@sgu.edu

Content Managers

Content Manager Grenada

Discipline 

Email Address

Dr. Deepak Sharma

Anatomical Sciences

dsharma1@sgu.edu

Dr. Brenda Kirkby

Behavioral Sciences

bkirkby@sgu.edu 

Dr. Sharmila Upadhya

Biochemistry and Nutrition

shupadhya@sgu.edu 

Dr. Andrew Sobering

Genetics

asobering@sgu.edu 

Dr. Chrystal AntoineFrank

Histology and Cell Biology

cantoinef@sgu.edu

Dr. Duncan Kirkby

Neurosciences

dkirkby@sgu.edu 

Dr. Stephan Bandelow

Physiology

sbandelo@sgu.edu 

Content Manager KBT GSP, Newcastle

Discipline

Email Address

Dr Briana Fahey

Neuroscience

bfahey@sgu.edu

Dr Mark Williams

Biochemistry

mwilliams@sgu.edu

Dr James Coey

Anatomy

jcoey@sgu.edu

Dr Haider Hilal

Physiology

hhilal@sgu.edu

Dr Kristna Thompson

Behavioral Sciences

kthompso@sgu.edu

Dr Nahidh Al-Jaberi

Histology and Cell Biology

naljaber@sgu.edu

Dr Robert Finn

Genetics

rfinn@sgu.edu

Teaching Faculty 

A full list including a biography of the teaching faculty will be provided on SAKAI.  

Clinical Instructors and Teaching Fellows 

A group of physicians responsible for facilitating small group sessions and other educational activities. See SAKAI for further information. 

Standardized Patient (SPs) 

St. George’s University employs standardized patients in the training and evaluation of medical students. Individuals of various backgrounds who are trained to portray, in a consistent and standardized manner, a patient in a medical situation, allowing students to practice their communication, history taking and physical examination skills.  The standardized patients have agreed to undergo physical examination and ultrasound thereby affording student’s the opportunity to learn surface anatomy, physical examination skills and professional communication and conduct in a simulated clinical environment. 

Course Material

Copyright 2021 St. George's University.  All rights reserved. 

All course material, whether in print or online, is protected by copyright. Course materials, in part or in their entirety, may not be copied, distributed or published in any form, printed, electronic or otherwise. 

As an exception, students enrolled in the course are permitted to make electronic or print copies of all downloadable files for personal and classroom use only, provided that no alterations to the documents are made and that the copyright statement is maintained in all copies. 

Lecture recordings are explicitly excluded from download and creating copies of these recordings by students and other users is strictly prohibited.

Course Website

The Basic Principles of Medicine 2 (BPM2) course offers a website through Sakai, our learning management system. This site is used for COMMUNICATION (including Announcements, Calendar and Discussion Forums), COURSE TOOLS (including Syllabus, Resources, Tests & Quizzes, Gradebook, a web link to the student resources of the Required Books, and a link to Lecture Recordings).

To login, go to myCampus Secure Login (Carenage), type in your user ID and password, and click on MyCourses. 

Printed Material

All lecture notes are provided electronically through Sakai. 

Electronic Resources

Distribution of course material including lecture notes will be in electronic format via the Learning Management System Sakai. Links to external websites are included, where appropriate. In accordance with Committee for Technology based Teaching and Learning (CTTL) recommendation, students are provided with unlocked PDF files, which may be annotated for personal use. This format facilitates active learning, as it allows highlighting and annotations, using a variety of platforms, operating systems and annotation software. Copyright restrictions regarding the duplication of materials apply (see copyright statement above).

Resources folder contains multiple subfolders in which you will be able to find the course material provided.

Required Textbooks

Textbooks can be accessed via the ClinicalKey Student tab on Sakai.

(Textbooks with hyperlinks below are available online at no extra cost through SGU library. You need your SGU login and password to access these resources on campus and off-campus. For off-campus access, please allow all security exemptions)

Biochemistry & Genetics (ER & DM Modules)

Anatomy (ER, DM & NB Modules)

  • Gray’s Anatomy for Students 3rd ed.  Richard Drake, Wayne Vogl, and Adam Mitchell 
  • Gray’s Anatomy Review Book 2nd ed. Marios Loukas, Gene Colborn, Peter Abrahams, Stephen Carmichael 
  • McMinn's Clinical Atlas of Human Anatomy 7th ed. Peter H. Abrahams, Jonathan D. Spratt, Marios Loukas, Albert Van Schoor 
  • Atlas of Human Anatomy 7th Ed. Frank H. Netter
  • Clinical Photographic Dissector of the Human Body. Marios Loukas, Brion Benninger, Shane Tubbs 
  • The developing Human: Clinically oriented embryology 10th ed. Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. Elsevier.

Physiology (ER & DM Modules)

Histology (ER Module)

Neuroscience (NB Module)

Behavioral Sciences (NB Module)

Optional additional resources for self-study:

List of all online medical textbooks available through SGU library:

https://mycampus.sgu.edu/group/library/ebooks

Free online access for SGU students (requires log-in with SGU credentials) AccessMedicine https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com.periodicals.sgu.edu/

Searchable medical textbooks. Highly recommended with search function to look up concepts relevant to medical student education.

Required Readings

The content of each Required Reading is integrated into course activities including lectures, Small Groups, and Directed Learning Activities. 

Each required reading should be previewed before the relevant lecture and/or Small Group and read closely afterwards to reinforce knowledge and understanding. Some readings are referred to repeatedly during different parts of the course. 

Small Group Instructions for Students

Read the instructions before each Small Group and also the Cases and Readings relevant to each Small Group, which are listed on MyCourses.

Turning Point

Turning Point is the audience response system utilized in all basic sciences courses. Its use is assumed to reflect the participation and performance of the student to whom the device or account is registered. Misrepresentation of participation and/or performance through the misuse of the audience response system constitutes academic dishonesty and may result in loss of professionalism points, additional course penalties and/or referral to the Office of Judicial Affairs. Participation in academic activities is monitored through Zoom, Turning Point (Turning Technologies) and Wi-Fi log in data. For lectures, there are two options for submitting a response to a clicker question:

  1. Turning Point App from Google Play or Apple Stores: This must be accessed with the students SGU turning point account.
  2. Browser based TTPoll.com can also be used for the audience response system.

Students are required to participate with the audience response system in scheduled teaching sessions, and it is the students’ responsibility to ensure that they are able to do so. Any technical failures fall within the normal 80% participation requirement.

If there is any problem with the app or browser, ensure adequate steps are taken to resolve the issue (e.g. download of new app, seek assistance from IT, etc.). 

Required Medical Equipment

A Physical Diagnosis (PD) Kit, which is included in the official list of required material for all terms is essential for all courses. The PD Kit contents will not all be used every term and it is the responsibility of the student to maintain the kit and its contents throughout their time in Medical School.   The kit includes:

  • Combined ophthalmoscope/otoscope set (with reusable otoscope specula), 
  • Reflex hammer, 
  • Set of tuning forks (512 Hz, 256 Hz), 
  • Penlight (batteries not included), 
  • Pocket eye chart, 
  • Tape measure, 
  • Stethoscope 
  • Sphygmomanometer with two cuffs (1 adult, 1 pediatric). 
  • Disposable items; cotton tipped applicators, tongue depressors and tourniquets 

Please ensure that you check the contents of the PD Kit on receipt and report any missing items to the course email SOMBPM2@sgu.edu by the end of the 1st week of term 2. Any report of missing items after this date will be treated as lost and replacements will not be issued.   

Faulty items must be reported to Mr. Marieo Castle MCastle@sgu.edu within 24hrs of the first small group which require its use. All correspondence regarding faulty equipment must be cc’d to the course email SOMBPM2@sgu.edu.  

Please note that you will need the PD Kit for the Small Group Practical Sessions. You will perform practical clinical skills in class and for continued practice outside class to prepare you for practical clinical examinations, including Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) in Terms 1 and 2 as well as for Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) exams in Terms 4 and 5. It is your responsibility to ensure that the PD Kit remains fully stocked and that broken and lost items are replaced before the OSPE/OSCE exam and at the start of each new term. Disposable items are issued once only, replacement items may be purchased from the SGU bookstore. 

Required Electronic Equipment  Laptop 

Students need a personal laptop that meets the specifications outlined by SGU Examination Services (access to a webcam and a stable internet connection is also required for online course delivery and assessments;  https://mycourses.sgu.edu/access/content/group/7a7ac639-acc54f33-b106-ae0778aabff6/TeachingLearningRemotely/LearningRemotely.html  see section on Examplify guidelines from Examination Services).

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure his/her laptop is in full working condition, as specified by Examination Services, and keep it up to date. For those students in ITI on campus an ethernet cable and USB ethernet dongle will be required. In ITI venues no Wi-Fi streaming of content is allowed and all students must be equipped to have wired access to the internet. Ethernet cables and wireless dongles are available for purchase from the University bookstore.

COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE  

The components of the BPM 2 course are listed below.

  • Lectures 
  • Directed Learning Activities (DLAs)
  • Small Group Practical Sessions
  • Health Promotion, Wellness, and Professionalism Sessions (HPWPs)
  • Cadaver Laboratory (LAB)Session
  • Simulation Laboratory Sessions (SIMLAB)
  • Ultrasound Sessions (US)
  • Interactive Multiple-Choice Sessions (IMCQ’s)
  • Weekly ExamSoft (ESoft) Quizzes

Ensure that you review the Learning Pathway document on SAKAI for further details on the expectations for each course component

Students MUST participate in all components of the course WITH THEIR ASSIGNED COHORT. No switching is permitted. Any student who fails to participate in a session with their assigned cohort will lose the participation for that particular course activity.

Please be advised that all course activities will be subject to video recording for educational and other purposes and your participation in this course is deemed to constitute consent to the recording and use of your image and voice.

COURSE ASSESSMENTS  

Course assessments may be summative (a high-stakes assessment that counts towards points in the gradebook), formative (a low stakes assessment that provides valuable feedback to students to optimize their learning strategies), or both. 

Summative Assessment

The total assessment points that can be earned in the course are listed in the table below:

Assessment                                              Grade Points                       Points Breakdown

BPM Examination 1: Examsoft

101

101 MCQ x 1 point + (No cumulative)

19 experimental

BPM Examination 2: Examsoft  

125

125 MCQ x 1 point (4 cumulative) +

19 experimental

BPM Examination 3: Examsoft  

125

125 MCQ x 1 point (14 cumulative) +

19 experimental

BPM Examination 4: Examsoft  

125

125 MCQ x 1 point (18 cumulative) +

19 experimental

BPM Examination 5: Examsoft  

125

125 MCQ x 1 point (25 cumulative) +

19 experimental

Lab Exam

25

25 MCQ

BPM2 OCEX/OSPE

48

48 MCQ / 4 stations

BSCE 1

135

144 MCQ (no experimental questions)

Student Support

Discussion Forum

The major platform for all content related questions is the Discussion Forum on the course website. Students are encouraged to post their questions on the Discussion Forum and to respond to questions posted by others.

Students are expected to make use of the Discussion Forum rather than emailing questions to individual faculty. Many students have the same questions; therefore, posting on the Discussion Forum allows all students to benefit from the posted questions and their timely responses. Course faculty will regularly monitor the Discussion Forum and participate when appropriate.

 When posting questions on the discussion forum please tag each post with the lecture number, the small group, IMCQ or ExamSoft quiz that the question is referring to. This will ensure that the relevant faculty members will be available to answer your questions.

Students should only use professional language. Discussions should remain relevant to course material. Use of derogatory remarks or inappropriate language is unprofessional. All posts must also be accompanied with the full name of the person posting it. Failure to do so will result in deletion of the post. 

Office Hours

Office hours will be provided by the teaching faculty through a live online delivery platform as open office hours (walk in/log in) or by appointment. The available hours (open or appointments) for the different faculty members will be posted on Sakai. All appointments will be made through sombpm2@sgu.edu or by directly contacting individual faculty members. 

Cadaver Laboratory Office Hours:

Every student can make lab appointments. Please note that these spots are limited and are offered on a first come first served basis. Students must make these appointments in groups of 5 or more and the appointment counts for every student in the group. Appointments for the cadaver lab can only be made one week in advance. In addition to faculty appointments, visiting professors may be available during the weekday morning Anatomy Cadaver Lab Open Hours. Visiting professors do not require individual or group appointments.

Cadaver Lab Open Hours:

The Anatomy Cadaver Lab will be opened during the weekday when there are no BPM1 or BPM 2 Anatomy Cadaver Laboratory classes taking place.  It will also be open on weekday evenings and on weekends. This is to facilitate students’ individual or group study with the cadaver specimens. A schedule of the open hours will be provided on Sakai and in the Cadaver lab.

ACADEMIC, LEARNING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT  

We would like to remind you of the opportunities available at SGU if you experience academic difficulties or wellness and/or mental health concerns. 

Academic Advising, Development and Support (AADS) 

The goal of the Academic Advising, Development and Support Division is to ensure that each student optimizes their path through Basic Sciences by taking full advantage of the resources available at St George’s University. 

Academic advisors are available for all SOM students who wish to receive academic advice during their time in Basic Sciences. Full time academic advisors are available by appointment or during open hours (9 am – 4 pm daily). To schedule an appointment please send an email (academicadvisingSOM@sgu.edu), give us a call (444 4175 ext.3027 or 3494) or visit our office (Lower David Brown Hall, below the Food Court).  

Department of Educational Services (DES) 

DES is your one-stop for improving your academic performance and adapting your learning strategies. You can schedule one-to-one individual appointments with a learning strategist, MCQ approach appointments with a learning strategist (individually and in small groups of 2-3) or strategic online learning strategy support through MyCoach Med. For more information, check out the DES web site: https://www.sgu.edu/student-support-services/departmenteducational-services/  

Psychological Services Center (PSC) 

PSC provides psychological counseling services through scheduled and walk-in hours from 9 am to 4:30 pm AST, in addition to 24-hour crisis coverage. The PSC also provides group services for dealing with anxiety, grief and chronic conditions, and for learning Mindfulness Skills. Please see the attached PDF for the PSC November Group offers. For more information, please see the PSC web site: https://mycampus.sgu.edu/web/psc

School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections

Plagiarism Policy

Academic Integrity

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).

Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.

Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.

Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.

Attendance Requirement

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).

Examination Attendance

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).

For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services Policy

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).

Disclaimer

It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.