California University of Pennsylvania
Guidelines for New Course Proposals
University Course Syllabus
Approved: 4/22/2013
Department of Health Science
A.

Protocol
Course Name: Evidence Based Practice
Course Number: ATE 215
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the professional phase of the undergraduate athletic training
education program
Maximum Class Size (face-to-face): 30

B.

Objectives of the Course:
1. Define Evidence Based Practice and exercise the EBP process
2. Develop a clinical question
3. Develop EBP searching strategies
4. Define different types of research approaches
5. Demonstrate the process and purpose for reviewing literature
6. Review and utilize other health care literature so students can collaborate with other health care
providers’ best practices when making clinical decisions

C.

Catalog Description:
Students will be introduced to evidence based practice approaches to help in making educated
clinical decisions once they become a certified athletic trainer. The course will provide the
student with skills to differentiate between academic and non-academic literature with the intent
to strengthen their knowledge for clinical practice, engage in academic writing, and interpret
academic literature relating to statistical reporting.

D.

Outline of the Course:
Week 1: Introduction of EBP, Applying EBP to clinical settings
Week 2: Clinical Scenarios, Practice developing PICO concepts
Week 3: Practice Database searching
Week 4: Evaluating Primary vs. Secondary resources
Week 5: Review of research methods: Retrospective vs. Prospective, Meta-analysis, Systematic
Review, RCS
Week 6: Review of research methods: Cohort Studies, Case Control Studies, Case Reports,
Animal Research, CAP
Week 7: Understanding Levels of Evidence
Week 8: Appraisal Scales
Week 9: Statistical Understanding: Validity, reliability, Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics, IV
vs. DV
Week 10: Statistical Understanding: Probability, CI, Types of Errors, Statistical Power, Kappa
Statistics, % Agreement
Week 11: Testing Your Knowledge: Assessing your patient, Asking a question, Acquire the
Evidence

Week 12: Testing Your Knowledge: Appraisethe evidence, analyze the results, apply to patient
Week 13: Developing a clinical question, using PICO, specific to the AT setting
Week 14: Clinical Application of EBP in AT: review of special tests
Week 15: Clinical Application of EBP in AT: review of evaluative & rehabilitative techniques
E.

Teaching Methodology:
1)
2)
3)
4)

Lectures
Discussion
Video/audio
Distance Education and ITV Classroom

F.

Text: Law, M. & MacDermid, J. (2008). Evidence-Based Rehabilitation: A Guide to Practice
(2nd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.

G.

Assessment Activities:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

H.

Exams
Quizzes
Writing Assignments
Presentations
Group Work
Peer Review Activity
Class Participation

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

OSD
Revised December 2012
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities:
•

Reserve the right to decide when to self-identify and when to request accommodations.

•

Will register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) each semester to receive
accommodations.

•

Might be required to communicate with faculty for accommodations, which specifically involve the
faculty.

•

Will present the OSD Accommodation Approval Notice to faculty when requesting
accommodations that involve the faculty.
Office for Students with Disabilities

Requests for approval for reasonable accommodations should be directed to the Office for Students with
Disabilities (OSD). Approved accommodations will be recorded on the OSD Accommodation

Approval notice and provided to the student. Students are expected to adhere to OSD procedures for
self-identifying, providing documentation and requesting accommodations in a timely manner.
Contact Information:
•
•
•
•
•

Location:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Web Site:

Azorsky Building – Room 105
(724) 938-5781
(724) 938-4599
osdmail@calu.edu
www.calu.edu (search “disability”)

*************************************************************
I.

Supportive Instructional Materials
• Cal U Library
o
Frequently Used Resources – Health Sciences Databases
o
Bill Denny: Reference Librarian liaison for students and faculty in the Department of
Health Science
• The Cochrane Library accessed through the Cal U Library webpage
• Purdue On-line Writing Lab (Purdue OWL): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
o
This resource can be used for appropriate reference formatting, paper content
development and structure, and other writing resources and instruction.
o
The Purdue On-line Writing Lab also provides students with approaches to analyzing
and reading evidence based academic literature.
Additional Information for Course Proposals

J.

Proposed Instructors: Certified athletic trainers practicing clinically, athletic training education
program faculty

K.

Rationale for the Course: This course is being developed to meet competencies set forth by the
National Athletic Trainers’ Association as part of the standards governed by the Commission on
Accreditation for Athletic Training Education. The specific competencies covered in the class fall
within the Knowledge and Skills of Evidence Based-Practice. This course will prepare students to
enter into their senior year Sports Medicine Research course prepared to engage in reviewing
literature, deciphering academic literature from non-academic literature, interpret academic
literature, and understand the role of evidence based practice. This course will also provide
students with the ability to apply learned skills over the course of their educational experience.

L.

Specialized Equipment or Supplies Needed: Distance education classroom; the undergraduate
athletic training education program collaborates with students at Clarion University who are
enrolled in the undergraduate athletic training education program at Cal U.

M.

Answer the following questions using complete sentences:

1.
Does the course require additional human resources? (Please explain) NO. The addition
of this course/credits will not exceed the major’s required credits because of changes made to the
existing curriculum and general education updates.
2.
Does the course require additional physical resources? (Please explain) NO. There are
enough faculty in the athletic training education program and certified athletic trainers working
clinically to teach this course.

3.

Does the course change the requirements in any particular major?
(Please explain) YES, this is a new and required class added to the spring semester of the
sophomore year of the undergraduate athletic training education program.
4.
Is the course replace an existing course? (If so, list the course) NO
5.
How often will the course be taught? Every Spring Semester
6.
Does the course duplicate an existing course in another Department or College? (If the
possibility exists, indicate course discipline, number, and name) NO
7.
What is the recommended maximum class size for this course? 30
N.

If the proposed course includes substantial material that is traditionally taught in another
discipline, you must request a statement of support from the department chair that houses that
discipline. N/A

O.

Please identify if you are proposing to have this course considered as a menu course for
General Education. If yes, justify and demonstrate the reasons based on the categories for
General Education. The General Education Committee must consider and approve the course
proposal before consideration by the UCC. NO

P.

Provide Approval Form (electronically).

Additional Guidelines
The following are additional guidelines that you must follow which will expedite your course
proposal. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in the return of the proposal to the department.
1.

Be sure that your proposal is in the correct format (Guidelines for New Course Proposals)
and that all questions have been completely answered.

2.

Be sure that you have completed and attached the Application to Establish a New Course
form and/or the Advisement Sheet Revision form and that the appropriate signatures
have been affixed. Please send through the process electronically (the preferred method)
or by paper. No items will be placed on the agenda until the Chair of the UCC is in
possession of these forms.

3.

Be sure that you include an updated advisement sheet for any course that is being
required by the department or is classified as a restricted elective. In addition, you must
include an electronic copy (MS Word or PDF) of the current advisement sheet(s) with
your proposal. Be certain that all advisement sheets affected by the proposed course
change be included with your proposal.

4.

When submitting materials for consideration by the Curriculum Committee, you must
provide an electronic copy of each item to be reviewed to the Chairperson.

5.

All completed items must be in the hands of the Chairperson of the Curriculum
Committee a minimum of one week prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

6.

Any department requesting a course name change, number change, prefix changes, credit
changes, etc. must submit this request on the Application to Establish a New Course
Form and submit electronically.

7.

New advisement sheets, major proposals, minors, or changes to advisement sheets will
become effective the fall semester following committee approval. The advisement
sheets must also include the committee approval date and the effective date on the
advisement page. Submit this request on the Advisement and /or Program Changes
form.

8.

New courses will become effective the semester following committee approval.

9.

Any references listed must be in the appropriate bibliographic format for the discipline.

10.

Online courses must follow the Quality Matters™ rubric and is posted on the UCC
website. Be sure that you include the online teaching methodology statement (refer E.2
above) that refers to the Quality Matters™ rubric.

11.

All course objectives must follow Bloom’s Taxonomy learning domains located on the
UCC website.