ESS 120
Medical Terminology (2 credit hours)
Professor:
Contact:
Dr. Joyce A. Davis
davisj@elon.edu
Summer 2012
Course Description
This course is an exploration of basic medical terminology. Prefixes, roots, suffixes, and the combining
vowels will be examined with special interest given to the use of medical terminology in correct context
as applied to a variety of body systems and medical professions.
Student Outcomes
At the completion of the course, students will:
 identify the origins and purpose of medical terminology
 construct medical terms by assembling word parts
 define medical terminology by breaking them down into word parts
 correctly spell common medical terms associated with the human body
 compare medical terminology and common diagnostic procedures associated with a variety of
human body systems
 apply knowledge of medical terminology to written text
Course Content and Calendar
June 1
Course website becomes active
June 2 – 4
Ch. 1-2
Analyzing medical terms, common suffixes, prefixes
June 5 – 8
Ch. 3-4
The body’s organization and integumentary system
June 9 – 14
Ch. 5-7
Skeletal, muscular and nervous systems
June 15 – 19
Ch. 8-10
Endocrine, cardiovascular and lymphatic/immune systems
June 20 – 24
Ch. 11-13 Respiratory, digestive and urinary systems
June 25 – 27
Ch. 14-15 Reproductive system and special senses (sight and hearing)
June 28 – 30
Review and case studies
July 1
Completion of course
Evaluation: Following study of the text and completion of the printed and online learning exercises for
each chapter, the online quiz is to be completed.
Each quiz has 10 to 15 questions. There are a total of 188 quiz questions contributing equal weight
towards 75% of your final grade. The case studies will contribute the remaining 25%.
Each quiz can be accessed once and you will have a 20 minute time limit. Questions will be displayed
one at a time and you may not backtrack. You should not use any resources when taking a quiz or
interpreting the case studies.
Grading
Final numeric grades will be calculated based on the percentage correct method and letter grades assigned
according to the following scale:
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F<60
Note: There will be no + or – grades.
Resources
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU PURCHASE A NEW TEXT WITH ONLINE ACCESS CODE
If you purchase a used text (without access code) you will still need to purchase the online access code.
Consult the campus shop if you have questions.
Required Textbook with online access code: Short Course in Medical Terminology by Collins Second
Edition: Text and Online Course Access Code Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins (publisher)
ISBN-10: 0-7817-9979-1
or
ISBN-13: 978-0-7817-9979-9
Policies:
If you are a student with a documented disability who will require accommodations in this course,
please register with Disabilities Services in the Duke Building, Room 108 (278-6500) and make an
appointment to visit with me in my office no later than the last day of classes during spring semester
for assistance in developing a plan to address your academic needs.
Students are responsible for meeting all published deadlines and must complete all assignments in
order to pass the course however late work will not receive credit.
All students are expected to uphold the shared values of Elon University:
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HONESTY: Be truthful in your academic work and in your relationships.
INTEGRITY: Be trustworthy, fair and ethical.
RESPONSIBILITY: Be accountable for your actions and your learning.
RESPECT: Be civil. Value the dignity of each person. Honor the physical and intellectual
property of others.
The Elon Honor Code applies to every aspect of this course. To be clear about what constitutes violations
of these values; students should be familiar with the Judicial Affairs policies in the student handbook,
including violations outlined at http://www.elon.edu/e-web/students/handbook/violations/default.xhtml.
Students with questions about the specific interpretation of these values and violations as they relate to
this course should contact Dr. Davis immediately. Violations of the academic-related areas will be
documented in an incident report to be maintained in the student’s judicial record, and may result in a
lowering of the course grade and/or failure of the course with an Honor Code F.