Pamphlet addressing non-scientific community and presentation

Addresses Learning Outcome:

• Recognize risk factors leading to disease and identify preventive measures and treatments.

This assignment is designed for you to demonstrate your ability to communicate your knowledge of a disease to the lay (non-scientific and non-medical) public.

The disease or disorder should not be a common disease that has already addressed in our course. Common diseases include coronary artery disease, Alzheimer disease, arthritis, diabetes, AIDS, hypo- and hyper-thyroidism, hypertension, psoriasis, sleep apnea, Lyme’s Disease, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, mononucleosis, asthma, urinary tract infections, many STDs (check with your instructor), irritable bowel disease, strep throat, MRSA, polio, tuberculosis, Lockjaw, anorexia nervosa, autism, Down syndrome, and many cancers (check with your instructor). For any additions to this list, check with your instructor.

In this assignment, you will develop good working knowledge of unique (uncommon) chronic disease or a unique preventable disease. Check with your instructor for approval of your topic selection.

Process

• You will choose a unique chronic or preventable disease during the first two weeks of the course.
• Seek approval for your topic from your instructor.
• Create an informative pamphlet about the chosen chronic or preventable disease for a non-scientific community. Ideally, the pamphlet should be in the form of a six-page pamphlet.

Content

• The pamphlet should contain the following:
• Content and language that targets a lay audience. All terms should be explained and diagrams and graphics should be provided to clarify concepts and ideas.
• A brief description of the disease, including its symptoms and signs
• Explanation of the effects of the disease on healthy body function including cellular, tissue, organ and organ system levels
• Risk factors contributing to the onset of the disease
• Description of preventive steps to avoid the disease (if avoidable)
• Available diagnostic and therapeutic tools
• Outcomes of the disease (such as prognosis or recovery potential)
• Information about how a person suffering from the disease can maintain a desirable quality of life, minimize or slow the progress of the disease

Format of the pamhlet

• Single-spaced
• Tri-fold
• All content written in your own words
• Reference citations included in APA format (not part of the tri-fold; should be provided on a separate page)

Submission

• Discussion Conference Week 8 (beginning of Week 8) and to the Assignment Folder
• You will post your pamphlet in a designated discussion conference by the end of Week 7. As a presenter and topic expert you will be responsible for answering classmates’ questions and reacting to their comments. You will also read classmates’ pamphlets and will have a chance to discuss them during the last week of the class.

Grading Rubric

This project has three phases:

1. Select a Topic. By the end of the second week of the course (see Course Schedule for due date), you will be required to post your chosen topic and information about why you chose it in a designated area in the Conferences. The information you present should include sufficient detail to demonstrate that you have completed some preliminary research and should present a clear rationale for your choice.

2. Develop a reference list and outline. By the end of the fifth week of the course (see Course Schedule for due date), you will be required to submit a list of references and an outline for your pamphlet in the Conferences. The outline should go beyond the list of required elements to sketch out some of the facts you have learned about the disease – for example, it might include a bullet list of the symptoms. The reference list and outline should demonstrate that you have conducted at least preliminary research into the topic and that you have a grasp of the facts related to the disease. Note that the reference list and outline that you present in week five could still be subject to change as you complete the research and writing of your final paper.

3. Write the pamphlet and be prepared to discuss it. You will post the pamphlet in a designated discussion conference by the end of week 7 (see Course Schedule for exact due date). As a presenter and topic expert, you will be responsible for answering classmates' questions and reacting to their comments. You will also read classmates' pamphlets and will have a chance to discuss them during the last week of the class.

At a minimum, your pamphlet should contain the following required elements:

• Introductory paragraph describing your subject and its importance
• Body of the pamphlet

• • Addresses signs, symptoms
  • Explains effects of the disease on healthy body functions, and relates this to signs and symptoms
  • Analyzes risk factors and preventive steps
  • Describes maintenance of quality of life
  • Discusses diagnostic and therapeutic tools
  • Explains expected outcomes and prognosis
  • Describes current areas of research into prevention, treatment or cure
  • Describes possible future areas of research into prevention, treatment or cure
• References
• Conclusion – summary of your findings

List all references at the end of your pamphlet. You must use at least five references from credible, scientifically rigorous sources and cite them using American Psychological Association (APA) style. Two or more references should be from the UMUC Library. The references cited should be no older than seven years (published 2004 – 2011). References should be listed on a separate page that does not count toward the required length of the paper.

Helpful resources include the following:

• Research skills tutorial—http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutor/intro.html
• Online databases, websites, e-books, and other resources identified by UMUC librarians as helpful for science students—http://libguides.umuc.edu/BIOL301
• Criteria for evaluating websites— http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/evaluate.html
• Guidance on citing websites, articles, and books—APA citation examples and the APA tutorial in the Course Content area in our WebTycho classroom
• UMUC's Guide to Writing and Research—http://tychousa4.umuc.edu/writinggde/
• Online access to writing advisors—http://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/

Your grade will depend upon the content and clarity of your presentation as well as your ability to answer questions from classmates and the instructor. Keep in mind that longer does not always mean better. Good writing practices, including the use of correct grammar, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure, and a clear flow of thought, will account for a portion of your grade.

The entire Pamphlet project is worth 15% of final grade.

There are three parts to the Pamphlet project:

Prepamphlet is worth 5%.

• Selection of topic and explanation (Week 2)
• List of References (Week 5)
• Pamphlet Outline (Week 5)

Pamphlet (final product) is worth 12% (Week 7)

• Introduction
• Addresses signs, symptom
• Explains effects of the disease on healthy body functions, and relates this to signs and symptoms
• Explains effects of the disease on healthy body functions, and relates this to signs and symptoms
• Analyzes risk factors and preventive steps
• Describes maintenance of quality of life
• Explains outcomes and prognosis
• Describes current areas of research into prevention, treatment or cure
• Describes possible future areas of research into prevention, treatment or cure
• Conclusion
• Final list of references included in pamphlet
• Clarity, proper grammar, punctuation, spelling

Conference Discussion will be a discussion of your pamphlet and is worth 3% (standard conference discussion percentage)

• Discussion Conference presentation of pamphlet (discussion during week 8)
• Conference reaction to classmates’ pamphlets (discussion during week 8)