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Course Guide
Welcome to the Biochemistry Universe!
This course is designed to introduce nursing students to biochemistry via reviewing general and organic chemistry, covering the basic concepts of structures and functions of macromolecules, describing major metabolic pathways, discussing basic information of enzymes including their mechanism of actions and regulation, the cofactor essential for enzyme function and their use in clinical settings.
It is essential for nursing students to have solid knowledge of basic sciences like Biochemistry in order to understand better the biochemical processes taking place in human bodies. Nursing interventions are based on this understanding. For instance, in critical care, nurses learn how to preserve patients' energy by spreading cares throughout the day and night. Blood gasses are performed to ensure that patients’ acid- base balance and oxygenation levels are maintained to promote aerobic metabolism, aiming for short recovery period and wellbeing of the clients.
In this course guide, I will share the course learning outcomes, the overview of the plan of the course and the assessments. I will also share the expectations of being a student in this course. It is our intent to make this learning experience both convenient and fun while achieving the intended outcomes.
Course Learning Outcomes
A course learning outcome (CLO) is the expectation of what you should be able to do by the end of the course. It provides a guide to both the educator as well as the student to focus on achieving the intend outcomes. For this course, we have two course learning outcomes (CLO) that can be categorized in 1 domain; cognitive. The CLOs are as follows:
CLO 1 Explain the structure of macromolecules, their building blocks and metabolism (C2, PLO1). CLO 2 Explain the functions and mechanism involved in maintenance of water, electrolyte and acid-base balance. (C2, PLO1). Overview of Teaching and Learning Plan
As an online course, we will use the Learning Management System (LMS) for all our communication, materials and assessments. We will have synchronous meeting via the LMS as well as Self Instructional Materials (SIM) to facilitate your learning and progress through the course. As an ODL learner, you are expected to be self directed. The SIM will provide you with a complete guide of the course materials and resources. Each topic will have topic learning outcomes followed by the lesson notes. Links to videos and other resources will be provided to support your learning process. You will also be given reading materials out of the SIM. At the end of each topic, there will be self check questions. Here you can test yourself. Review the notes and resources should you need to. We will also have scheduled online meetings. Here we will have discussions and tutorials. Number of meetings: 4 two-hours online sessions.
Assessment
The assessments are planned as coursework and final examination. The breakdown of the weightage is as below:
a. Continuous Assessment
Quiz 1 10% Quiz 2 10% Test 20% b. Final Assessment
Final Examination 60%