NUR4165 COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Title: NUR 4165Nursing Research
Credit Hours: 3 hours
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites: All statewide common for
Baccalaureate Nursing.
Faculty Name and Contact Information: Lela Hobby, DNP,
MSN, RN, Assistant Professor
E mail: lhobby@uwf.edu
Phone: (850) 473-7756 (Nursing department )
On-line office hours will be announced weekly in "Course
News"
Instructor Availability: Since I am an adjunct professor, I am rarely at the UWF nursing office. The best way to reach me is through the course Discussion Q&A forum or e-mail You may reach me via e-mail at lhobby@uwf.edu
Please allow 24 hours during the work week to respond to your questions. Weekend emails will be answered on Monday. I will have on-line office hours in "LiveRoom." Times will be posted in "News." For in office hours, please call me for an appointment.
Course Description: Introduction to research design from conceptualization to dissemination of results. Designed to assist the nurse to appreciate the contributions of research to improvement of nursing practice, it will provide a necessary base in rudiments of research and an incentive to explore the research potential in the clinical setting. All statewide common prerequisites for Baccalaureate Nursing must be completed prior to taking this course. Permission is required.

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, students will:
I. Content*
A. Use the concepts of nursing theory, research, and practice, based on the
 foundation of the arts and sciences courses, in the provision of care to diverse
 clients of all ages.
 1. Relate the nursing process to scientific investigation.
 2. Recognize the impact of cultural differences upon research.
II. Critical Thinking
A. Evaluate and use appropriate research findings in own evidence based nursing
 practice.
1. Evaluate research findings for applicability to nursing practice.
2. Critically evaluate nursing research studies.
III. Communication
A. Uses media resources and information technologies to enhance knowledge base.
 1. Discuss the importance of identifying factors which would affect selection of a sample population.
 2. Describe the steps in the evidence-based research process in nursing issue identification and the study of problems relevant to nursing.
IV. Integrity/Values
A. Demonstrate accountability, responsibility, authority, and professionalism based on the American Nurses
Association Code of Ethics in own professional nursing
 practice.
 1. Identify legal and ethical issues related to nursing research.

V. Project management / Project Conceptualization
A. Selects and defines a realistic problem to be solved.
 1. Formulate a research problem in nursing.
Project Delivery
A. Delivers a quality project on time.
*This student learning outcome will be tracked as part of capstone pathway.
About this Course: This course is delivered totally online. You must have regular and reliable access to the internet as well as an email account. It is expected that you will have basic word processing skills, the ability to send/receive email with attachments, be able to search the internet and upload/download files. Also, you will need basic knowledge of PowerPoint. You will generally set your own study schedule as to which days and time of the day that you do your work and participate in class discussions, but please note that there are set due dates for all assignments. You cannot wait until the end of the semester and begin turning in all your assignments. You are responsible for your own learning - be sure to discipline yourself appropriately.
You should be prepared to spend approximately 6 - 8 hours per week online completing lessons, activities, and participating in class discussions. Finally, you may want to incorporate these tips to help you get started:
Set a time each week (schedule) to:
Check the course web site to determine your tasks for the week.
Check the course web site frequently throughout the week for updates.
Within the first week, become familiar with the site and how to use it.

It is a tool to help you learn!
Team up with your classmates to discuss class assignments and questions you might have.
Check the “Classlist” link for fellow student biography information and email addresses.
Ask questions when you need answers.
Bottom of Form
Special Technology and Required Materials:
Internet Access (The faster the better!)
Activated UWF ArgoNet E-mail Account
Selected research reports and articles posted on eLearning
NIH online access to tutorial on protecting human rights in clinical trials
Respondus Lockdown Browser
Microsoft Publisher
If you need additional software (such as Adobe Acrobat, Flash
Player, Microsoft Publisher, etc.) to view all of the components of the course, go to UWF eLearning home page at https://elearning.uwf.edu/ and click on the link for Software
Downloads. You can download them at no cost.
Students must have the ability to use search engines for supplementary course information.

Students are urged to check eLearning at least twice per week for course updates and announcements.
Required Texts / Materials:
Brown, S. (2012). Evidence-based nursing: The research-practice connection (2 nd ed.).
 Sudsbury, MA : Jones & Bartlett
Learning
Recommended texts:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.
(6th ed.).
Washington, DC: Author.
Dust off your old statistics book to refer to.
Grading / Evaluation:
The course grade will be determined as follows:
Assignment
Online Scholarly Journals vs Popular Magazine Tutorial
Practice Critiques (2) + self evaluation (2)- (15 points each)
Discussions (6) - (10 points each)
Online NIH Office of Extramural Research: Protecting
Human Research Participants
Points
5 points
60 points
60 points
20 points
Mid-Term Exam
EBP Group Assignment (Intro & PICO)
Lit Review of PICO question (Individual)
70 points
20 points
60 points

Group Evidence-Based Presentation (final)
Total Points
TOTAL
Grading / Evaluation: Grading Point Scale:
A 366-395
A-
354-365
B+ 342-353
B 326-341
B- 315-325
C+
303-314
*287-302 C
C- 275-286
D+ 263-262
D 247-262
F <247
* Nursing Students: Grade Average below 73%
(287points) constitutes failure in this Course.Please refer to
Nursing Student Handbook for Program Requirements.
100 points
395 points

General Information: Most assignments
(Discussions/Critiques/Projects) will be due by 1159PM on
Tuesdays unless otherwise specified. Guidelines/Rubric for critiques, projects and threaded discussion are posted online under
Important Course Information.
Extra Credit: Extra credit is not available in the course.
Discussions: Please see the Threaded Discussion rubric posted online under "Important Course Information".
Critiques/Projects/Presentations: Papers are due in the Drop Box on the date & time specified. Students should retain the email receipt indicating successful submission of assignments to dropbox. Any paper received after the designated date & time will be considered late and may have 1 point deducted for every day it is late. Exception to the due date and time will be made only under extraordinary circumstances in the opinion of the faculty member, and must be negotiated before the paper is due. 

 Papers are to follow APA 6 th edition guidelines.
The UWF Writing Lab is available to assist you with anyAPA problems. Papers will not be returned. It is recommended the student keep a clean copy of all papers submitted.
This instructor will not be teaching APA format.
All papers are to be in WORD or.rtf format. If the instructor is unable to open a document because it is submitted in the wrong format, it will be treated as as late work with points deducted until it is resubmitted in a format that can be opened.
DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA AS A REFERENCE ON ANY
ASSIGNMENT OR DISCUSSION IN THIS COURSE OR
ANY NURSING COURSE.
TurnItIn : UWF maintains a university license agreement for an

online text matching service called TurnItIn.
The instructor may use the TurnItIn service to determine the originality of student papers. If the instructor submits your paper toTurnItIn, it will be stored in a TurnItIn database for as long as the service remains in existence.
If you object to this storage of your paper:
1. You must notify the instructor no later than two weeks after the start of this class. 
2. The instructor will utilize other services and techniques to evaluate your work for evidence of appropriate authorship practices.
Disability Assistance: 
 The Student Disability Resource Center
(SDRC) at the University of West Florida supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, please notify the instructor or the SRDC as soon as possible. You may contact the SRDC office by email at srdc@uwf.edu
or by phone at (850) 474-2387. Appropriate academic accommodations will be determined based on the documented needs of the individual. The student is responsible for discussing implementation of any special accomodations/personal or course conflicts with the course coordinator. This must be completed by the second week of class.
Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996
(HIPAA): All healthcare providers must comply with the federal regulations of this Act. It requires that identifiable patient information be disclosed on a need to know basis with a minimal amount of disclosure to perform a task. The patient's consent for treatment covers access to the medical record for information needed for treatment puposes and educational purposes. All students will protect patient privacy during oral and written

communications. Patient name, initials, address, phone/fax numbers, and social security number will be removed from all student assignments. Students may not copy or circulate papers containing private, confidential patient information. Faculty members will store confidential papers in a locked file or will shred confidential papers. Additionally, students will meet all mandated agency requirements for HIPAA. Since HIPAA is a federal law; violations may result in fines and/or imprisonment. A grade of zero will be assigned to any work submitted that does not adhere to this requirement.
University Policy On Academic Conduct
As members of the University of West Florida, we commit ourselves to honesty. As we strive for excellence in performance, integrity-personal and institutional-is our most precious asset.
Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly act in ways which erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor to tolerate cheating, nor to plagiarize the work of others. We pledge to share commuity resources in ways that are responsible and that comply with established policies of fairness.
Cooperation and competition are means to high achievement and are encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is expected unless our directive is to individual performance. We will compete constructively and professionally for the purpose of stimulating high performance standards. Finally, we accept adherence to this set of expectations for academic conduct as a condition of membership in the UWF academic community.
The Student Code of Conduct at http://www.uwf.edu/cas/resources sets forth the rukes, regulatins and expected behavior of students enrolled at the UNiversity of
West Florida. Violations of any rules, regulations, or behavioral expectations may result in a charge of violating the Student Code of Conduct. It is the student's responsibility to read the Student

Code of Conduct and conduct themselves accordingly. You may access the current Student Code of Conduct at http://www.uwf.edu/judicialaffairs
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined by the university as "the act of representing the ideas, words, creations, or work of aniother as one's own." Should a student be found plagiarizing in a paper, nursing care plan, or log, the student will be reported by the faculty member to the Chair of the Nursing Department and follow the process described in the university's Student Life Handbook.
Plagiarism is a serious offense in academia and may result in expulsion from the university. Students are directed to the examples available in the UWF Pace Library tutorials. See http://www.uwf.edu/cas/resources
For complete information regarding Academic Misconduct, refer to the UWF Student Handbook or contact Student Affairs in
Building 10, Room 201, 474-2214.
Online Quiz/Test Taking Guidelines--Important Information
Please do not begin any timed, online exams/quizzes in the course that may overlap with eLearning maintenance window. The eLearning maintenance window runs 3:00-6:00am CST (Central
Standard Time) each day. If you initiate an exam that overlaps with the eLearning maintenance times and experience technical difficulties, your score may not translate accurately and may be lost all together. There are no exceptions to this policy.
If you experience any other technical problems or errors during any timed exam/quiz, you are to notify your instructor via email immediately and then notify the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwf.edu or
(850) 474-2075. Failure to contact the Help Desk for any technical problems will result in a grade of "0" for the assignment.. If you are unable to get immediate assistance from the Help Desk during

the exam or assignment attempts, but have documented the problem in an email or voice mail, you may attempt to restart the exam using the same browser, or attempt to re-enter the exam with another browser. If you are still unable to restart the exam and continue with saving, please note that for your final submitted score to be recorded, you must still prove that you documented the original technical problem with the Help Desk via email or phone.
Failure to do so will result in an automatic "0" being assigned.
Weather Emergency Information:
In the case of severe weather or other emergency, the campus might be closed and classes cancelled. Official closures and delays are announced on the UWF website and broadcast on WUWF-FM.
WUWF-FM (88.1MHz) is the official information source for the university. Any pertinent information regarding closings, cancellations, and the re-opening of campus will be broadcast.
In the event that hurricane preparation procedures are initiated, the UWF Home Web Page and Argus will both provide current information regarding hurricane preparation procedures, the status of classes and the closing of the university.
Emergency plans for the University of West Florida related to weather or other emergencies are available on the following UWF web pages:
Information about hurricane preparedness plans is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/hurricaneprep.cfm
Information about other emergency procedures is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/
Specific Topics:

Topic 1 Introduction to Class: (SLO 1, 3)
Review technical skill requirements needed to participate in this on-line
 course
Review course syllabus and corresponding course information.
Become a part of the on-line learning community through participation in 
Discussion.
Explain the Research-Practice Connection.
Topic 2. Introduction to Nursing Research: (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Identify how to read research articles
Outline the format of study reports and describe what is included in the various sections
Recognize characteristics of Qualitative research design
Describe what researchers must do to obtain ethical approval to conduct a study.
Recognize the impact of cultural difference upon research.
Topic 3. Understanding Research Process and Ethical Issues in
Nursing Research: (SLOs
 1, 4, 5)
Recognize the characteristics of Descriptive research
Recognize the characteristics of Descriptive research
Obtain NIH certification for protecting human research participants (online)
Identify legal and ethical issues related to nursing research.
Topic 4: Reading research reports of studies: (SLOs 2, 6)
Read studies using five research designs commonly used in clinical nursing research.
Qualitative studies, descriptive studies, correlational studies, experimental studies, and cohort studies.
Topic 5: Application of research concepts (SLO 7)

After reading a study reported in a scholarly journal, explicate
1. why the study was done
2. how it was conducted
3. what results were found.
Apply important research concepts to the reading of research reports.
Summarize how systematic reviews are conducted and how research-based clinical practice guidelines are produced.
Topic 6. Selecting and Developing a clinical question: (SLO 8)
Compose a clinical question that is focused enough to guide an
EBP project and database search
Formulate a nursing research question into PICO (Patient -
Intervention - 
Comparison - Outcome) format.
Topic 7 Searching the databases (SLOs 5, 6)
Conduct a basic database search for research evidence using database language and options functions.
Name sites of at least 3 professional organizations or government agencies that produce and/or compile research-based guidelines and systematic reviews.
Topic 8. Appraising findings (SLO 7)
Using pre-specified questions pertaining to credibility, clinical significance and applicability, appraise the recommendations of clinical practice.
Using pre-specified questions pertaining to credibility, clinical significance and applicability, appraise the conclusions of integrative research reviews.
Using pre-specified questions pertaining to credibility, clinical significance and applicability, appraise the findings of individual studies

Topic 9 Understanding evidence-based protocols (SLO 5)
Describe how clinical agencies produce evidence-based protocols specific to their setting.
Discuss how clinical agencies evaluate evidence-based protocols.