FACULTY:		SeonAe Yeo, PhD, RN 400 N. Ingalls Building, Room 3174 Phone: 763-3413
SCHEDULE:	Section 001:	Tuesday, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Room 1234, School of Nursing, 400 N. Ingalls

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course introduces the student to the knowledge and skills necessary to understand nursing research. Students will acquire the basic competencies necessary to critically read, evaluate, and interpret findings of nursing research studies. A variety of types of research processes will be explored. Students will explore ways to incorporate research findings into professional nursing practice and become consumers of research.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Students will:

1.	Discuss the process of scientific inquiry and its role in knowledge development in nursing.
2.	Describe the components of the research process.
3.	Identify health problems that can be investigated through nursing research.
4.	Evaluate research findings in nursing and related fields with respect to the problems, methods, and findings.
5.	Interpret research findings in nursing and related fields with respect to their relevance to nursing practice.
6.	Describe sources of published research in nursing.
7.	Explore the use of technology in conducting research.

TEXTS:

Required:

1. LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (1998). Nursing research: Methods, critical appraisal, and utilization. (4^th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.
2. Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., & Williams, J.M. (1995). The craft of research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
3. Coursepack. (Required)

GRADING:

Class participation. 10%

Group sign-up. Due on January 12^th 5%

Annotated bibliography. Due on January 26^th 15%

Research topic. Due on February 9^th 10%

Abstract. Due on March 9^th 10%

Group presentaion. Due on the day of presentaion 25%

Home page. Due on the day of presentation 25%

All papers must be typed on a word processor and must be grammatically correct, concise, well-organized and must utilize APA format. Points will be deducted for the absence of these requirements. All assignments are due at the designated time. Handwritten work will not be graded.

GRADING SCALE:

97-100	A+	77-79	C+
93-96	A	73-76	C
90-92	A-	72-70	C-
87-89	B+	67-69	D+
83-86	B	63-67	D
80-82	B-	60-62	D-

ASSIGNMENTS:

Class Participation:

Students are expected to come prepared and participate in classroom/laboratory activities. Grading will be based on informed participation in class discussions, facilitation of classmates’ knowledge, and evidence of teaching and/or using the content of this course. Emphasis will be on substantive and thoughtful participation.

Annotated bibliography:

Identify a nursing practice problem in your field. Using Medline or CINAHL, select two recent databased research articles particularly relevant to this problem. The articles should be recent and substantive. State relevance of each. Cite each article using APA style. Each annotation should take no more than 1 double-spaced page. Discussion of relevance may be on a separate page. Provide a copy of each article included in the bibliography. Grading will be based on appropriate selection, quality of summary, clarity, and style.

Research question:

One sentence of a research question. The research question should reflect a study design, a target population, and variables of interest.

Abstract:

One page, including key words. Double-spaced, with one inch margin on both sides and headed by the title of the study and names(s) of investigators (i.e., you). Below the abstract, list 3 to 5 key words or short phrases for indexing purposes.

A structured abstract, limited to 150 words, is to be used. The structured abstract is to contain the following major headings: Objective(s); Study Design; Results; and Conclusion(s). The Objective(s) reflects the purpose of the study, that is, the hypothesis that is being tested. The Study Design should include the setting for the study, the subjects (number and type), the treatment or intervention, and the type of statistical significance if appropriate. The Conclusion(s) states the significance of the results.

Group Presentation:

Groups of five or six students will orally present to the class a critique of articles selected from the course pack. Critique will include all major aspects of the research process as described in the text and/or one of the nursing research texts. Consideration of utilization must be included in presentation. Estimated presentation time for each group is 30 minutes, including class discussion. A sign-up sheet for sets of articles will be available at the first day of class. Grading will be based on quality of critique, thoroughness of review, and dialogue with peers.

Home Page:

Each group will prepare for public display a home page related to implementation/utilization of research focused on a defined nursing problem relative to his/her specialty area. The home page may focus on a plan for implementation in either a hypothetical or actual setting. The poster should describe the intervention and how it will be implemented. The project may be a planned replication of a research intervention study. The targeted audience should be indicated, for example, for faculty members or students of nursing school. Text on the home page should be kept to a minimum. It is expected that graphs from computer programs, such as Power Point, will be part of the poster. Color is optional. Grading will be done by classmates and professor, based on content; visuals; materials; arrangement of components; and display.