Section I. Introduction and Review of Course Documents

Welcome to “Introduction to Drug Information” and to UNMC!

Instructor Introduction

Sean N. Avedissian, Pharm.D., M.Sc.

• PDD 3014
• 402-836-9787
• sean.avedissian@unmc.edu

Cynthia M. (Cindy) Schmidt, M.D., M.L.S.

My name is Cindy Schmidt.  I am the library’s liaison to the College of Pharmacy.  I teach the first half of “Introduction to Drug Information.”

Librarianship is a second career for me.  I graduated from medical school in 1986 and earned my masters degree in library science in 2000.  You can call me Cindy (the librarians at UNMC generally go by their first names), or you can call me Dr. Schmidt, whichever is more comfortable for you.

Please, do contact me if you have any questions or need help.  I enjoy working with students, and enjoy one-on-one sessions or small group work even more than classroom teaching.

• While we will not meet in person before the mid-term exam, I plan to spend the class hours in PD 1002 so that I will be easily available anyone who wants to ask questions or work on the assignments with someone immediately available to answer questions.
• I will usually be available Monday and Tuesday (outside of class time) in PDD 2001C (in the Office of Experiential Programs suite).
• Phone:  402-650-5056
• E-mail cmschmidt@unmc.edu
• Make an appointment to meet with me via Zoom using the scheduling tool at:  https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CindySchmidt@univnebrmedcntr.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

Overview

I’m going to start by explaining the objectives and structure of the course, the purpose of the major course assignments, and how the various scheduled activities contribute to completion of the major assignments.  Please, don’t skip this section.  

Course Objectives

To be an effective pharmacist, you will also need  to have had practice identifying your own and others’ information needs, skill in using the resources that can address these needs,  and practice formulating answers to questions that have been posed.   This course is dedicated to preparing you for these “lifelong learning” and “information provision” aspects of pharmacy practice.

The figures below outline the major course objectives and the way information will be provided, practice will be encouraged, and assessment will take place for each of these objectives.

More Detail on Assessments:

The point-earning activities are listed in the excerpt from the syllabus shown below.

Lab Assignments                                                                45 points

Online Drug Information Resources Quiz           25 points

Examination 1  (mid-term)                                          150 points

           Final Search Assignment                                                 50 points

Drug monograph-related assignments(5)          125 points

Oral monograph presentation  and questions    50 points

A.  Presentation – 40 points

B.  Questions – 10 points

Monograph Score                                                                 50 points

Total Points                                                                            495 points

Lab Assignments differ from the remaining point-earning activities listed above:

• The lab assignments are pass/fail.  They are intended to make you practice rather than assess your final skill level.
• Due dates are needed to keep the class moving along together.  As long as 95% of the class is submitting assignments by the due date, it’s not a problem if the others are up to a week late.   If a longer delay is needed, an excuse must be submitted to the instructor.
• If you fail a lab initially, you can rework and resubmit the lab and still earn all the points.    Watch your e-mail and your grades and comments in Canvas for indications that you need to re-do and re-submit a lab.
• Some of your labs will be corrected by you and a fellow student.    You will submit your  initial version and later submit your corrected work.
• Almost all labs contribute to completion of the major course assignments, the monograph assignment (MA) or the final search assignment (FSA), in some way.  The labs are marked accordingly in the course schedule.
• After you have completed all FSA-related labs and correction sessions, you should have a complete final search assignment ready to submit.

Major Assignments/Quizz/Exam

• The major assignment due dates are firm deadlines.
• Unexcused late submission will result in a 10 % point deduction for each day late.   If an assignment is more than 3 days late, the instructor may refuse to accept it (resulting in a zero point grade).

Organization of the Class Schedule

The course is split in half.

• Dr. Schmidt teaches the first half of the course  using an online, asynchronous approach (except for the in-person mid-term exam).
  • Lessons and “Lab” assignments include tasks that will help you complete the FSA and MA and/or learn material needed for the quiz and exam.
  • Lab correction videos.
    •  Will go over students’ typical problems with the assignments so that you learn to troubleshoot.
    • Most weeks, you will correct your own and a classmate’s FSA-related lab work and will submit your corrected FSA searches.
  • Resources Quiz
  • Mid-term Exam
• Dr. Avedissian teaches the second half of the course using an in-person, class session approach.
  • You will meet in PDD 1002 on Monday from 1 PM – 3 PM and Tuesday from 2 PM – 3 PM.
  • Includes 
    • submitting your own written monograph assignment  and monograph-drug-related questions (due the Fri. before the powerpoint presentations begin).
    • presenting your own monograph powerpoint to the class
    • viewing your classmates presentations
    • taking weekly quizzes on the previous weeks presentations.

Why is the first half of this course online?

You might wonder why someone (Cindy) who claims to like classroom, one-on-one, and small group teaching is using an online, asynchronous approach to a class.  I’m taking this approach because it allows you to do the work when you have access to a desktop or  laptop computer.   Tablet computers are not optimal for most of the assignments for this course and will not work at all for at least one of the assignments.

Expected Time Commitment

• You should expect to spend a minimum of 3 hours a week going through the learning materials and assignments for this course.
• The week’s assignments are due the following week on Monday at midnight  (for example, week 1 assignments are due on the Monday of week 2 at midnight).
• Some of the assignments are quite lengthy — just as real life information seeking efforts are sometimes quite complex and lengthy.
• Remember, I want to help.  I miss seeing students and will be pleased to hear from you!  So don’t hesitate to contact me.  I will do my best to:
  • be available in the Rm 1002  during class time (Mon 1-3, Tuesday 2- 3, first half of the semester).
  • be available most of the rest of the day on Mondays and Tuesday morningss in the COP Experiential Program Suite Rm 2001C for drop-in meetings (if no appointments are scheduled).
  • be available via Zoom, e-mail, or phone as needed.    During evenings or weekends, you can often reach me by e-mail or phone, and I am often available to meet via Zoom during evenings and weekends.

• • • Phone:   402-650-5056
    • E-mail cmschmidt@unmc.edu
    • If you want to meet with me outside normal class time,  you are welcome to make an appointment to meet with me via Zoom.  You can book appointments during the workday using the scheduling tool at:  https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CindySchmidt@univnebrmedcntr.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/
    • To request an evening or weekend Zoom meeting, contact me by e-mail or phone.

Introduction to Course Documents

The course syllabus and schedule are available in the next two chapters of this Pressbook

1.  The course syllabus is a static document.
2. The course schedule may change in response to unexpected circumstances.  Please, pay attention to the course announcements in Canvas.

Want to go to the Next Chapter or Section of this course book?

You can proceed to the next chapter or section of the book using the link on the right-hand lower edge of this window .  The link is contained in the red page footer (see arrow in the screenshot of a pressbook page, below).

Questions, Problems, Text Errors?

Before you leave, …

• Do you have any questions or do you feel that clarification of some aspect of the materials would be helpful?
• Have you noticed any errors or problems with course materials that you’d like to report?
• Do you have any other comments?

If so, you can submit questions, comments, corrections, and concerns anonymously — or with your e-mail (your choice) — through this online form .  Alternatively, you’re always welcome to contact Cindy Schmidt directly 402-650-5056, cmschmidt@unmc.edu, or by making an appointment to meet with Cindy via Zoom.

Answers to questions or requests for clarification that are submitted anonymously will be answered in Canvas on the “Discussions” page for this course.