Syllabus
Description
Quality Control (QC) has one of the most important impacts on clinical laboratory testing. QC ensures both precision and accuracy of patient samples, testing, and testing results, and is critical to the overall success of a clinical laboratory. The role of QC in the laboratory is to improve process methods, testing efficacy, and customer satisfaction. This course on QC methods dives deeper into important concepts and approaches to providing and maintaining the most accurate and rigorous clinical testing, to maximize the positive impact of clinical laboratory testing on patient care. Here you will learn how to identify problems in the laboratory and make improvements reactively and proactively. Ultimately, the goal is to create a culture of quality in your laboratory. The focus of this course is to introduce you to process control methods, explain the cost of quality in the laboratory, and provide key methods for finding errors and preventing them from occurring again. You will also learn about systematic factors affecting diagnostic testing, evaluation and implementation of diagnostic technology, and new innovations occurring in the laboratory.
Minimal mathematical or statistical theories are presented in this course. The focus is on practical quality concepts that can be implemented into your laboratory.
You can also download the course syllabus.
You are required to take a Course Policy Quiz to ensure you understand policies and grading for this course.
Instructor
Instructor: Stephen Polyak, PhD
Professor, Director, Master's of Laboratory Medicine Gradute Program
University of Washington
Dr. Polyak is a Research Professor in the Virology Division of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments in the UW’s Departments of Global Health (DGH) and Microbiology. Dr. Polyak received his Ph.D. in Molecular Virology and Immunology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1993. After post-doctoral training at the UW, Dr. Polyak was appointed to the faculty in February of 2000.
Dr. Polyak’s research laboratory studies virus-host interactions, including work on flaviviruses (hepatitis C virus and Zika virus), filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg, arenaviruses (Lassa, Junin, and Pichinde), and more recently, coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2). Work involves characterizing innate antiviral and inflammatory responses to virus infection, natural products that combat virus infection and virus-induced inflammation, and development of synergistic drug combinations for viral pandemic preparedness and response.
Dr. Polyak’s work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including NIAID, NIDDK, NCCIH, and NIAAA. He is an editorial board member and/or reviewer for several virology and cell biology journals. He regularly reviews grant applications for the NIH and internationally for multiple countries including Belgium, Canada, England, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, France, Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
Dr. Polyak is also actively involved in undergraduate and graduate education. He is the Director of the DLMP Master’s program, where he teaches a course on critical thinking. He also teaches two courses for DGH.
Student Support
Student Support Specialist: Lucy Yates (DLMP-Cert@uw.edu)
Lucy Yates (she/her/hers) is the course Student Support Specialist for the Certificate Program in Clinical Laboratory Leadership and Management. She is a Program Coordinator for the eDGH team within the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington.
Course Announcements for System Issues
If you experience broken links or system-wide problems (e.g., videos not playing), please check the course Announcements first. The eDGH support team will post updates and fixes there.
Course Learning Objectives
The goal of this course is to strengthen the operational skills of program participants in order to improve the quality of operations in a clinical laboratory.
Participants completing the course at the highest level of achievement should be able to:
- Explain the importance of systems thinking in the clinical laboratory;
- Identify problems in the laboratory and implement process improvement methods;
- Explains basic terminology used in quality control and recognize key methods for ensuring quality in the laboratory;
- Implement quality assurance practices (timeliness, reliability and accuracy of testing);
- Explain the importance of maintaining sample integrity and assuring that all regulations and requirements are met when transporting samples;
- Recognize the costs associated with laboratory quality control;
- Deploy managerial methods to improve laboratory testing and processes;
- Develop methods to measure customer satisfaction;
- Establish methods to implement and evaluate new clinical laboratory diagnostic tests using the principles of test verification, validation, and quality control;
- Prevent, detect, and act on unwanted laboratory testing errors;
- Apply processes to encourage and implement innovation in clinical laboratory testing practices.
Target Audience
This program is most useful for medical laboratory scientists and or mid-level managers of health laboratories in domestic or international settings. The course is a professional training program.
To be admitted to the course you must have an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and experience in a health-related field.
The course is taught in English. Participants should be comfortable with written and spoken English.
Format
This is a self-paced, online modular course divided into 10 weeks. It will be delivered entirely online.
Participants are expected to review the pre-recorded weekly lectures, complete assigned readings and activities, and participate in discussion via the discussion forums. Most participants will also meet with a local study group that is led by a site facilitator. This is meant to increase opportunities for discussion about the relevance of the material to the local setting. Completion of a final course evaluation is strongly encouraged for successful completion of the course.
If you have any questions, please look at the course FAQ. If your question isn't answered there, please email DLMP-Cert@uw.edu.
Materials
All reading materials for this course are provided, in PDF form, or by linking to online sources.
Grading
To be successful in the course you will need to complete all of the learning activities listed.
| Activity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Discussion Forums (2 points each, 5 total) | 10% |
| Quizzes (3 points each, 10 total) | 30% |
| Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Assignments (30 points total) | 30% |
| Module Assignments (30 points total) | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
Submitting Assignments
All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through Moodle. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline.
Viewing Grades in Moodle
Points you receive for graded activities will be posted to the Moodle Grade Book.
Quizzes will be graded upon submission. Grades are posted by the end of the day Monday after an assignment is due. If you submit your assignment late (after the due date), please allow at least 24 hours for your grade to be updated. We do not update late submission grades over the weekend. Participants have access to their course for a defined period, which includes a four-week period after the course ends. During this time, scores on graded activities can be viewed and downloaded from within the course platform. After access ends, grades are no longer available and cannot be retrieved.
Please note:
- eDGH does not retain or provide grade reports after course access ends.
- eDGH does not issue academic transcripts.
- Certificates of completion serve as the official record of participation and include CEUs (Continuing Education Units) earned.
We recommend downloading your grades during the course or shortly after it ends if you wish to retain a personal copy.
Assignments
Module Assignments
Throughout the course you will complete a series of short assignments in each module aimed to help you apply the concepts taught in each module. Each are worth 3 points per module.
Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Assignments
The emphasis of this course is on the ability to think critically and to understand, interpret, and apply new skills to your laboratory work and management. The Individual Learning Plan (ILP) serves as a reflective tool throughout the course. It captures insights from course activities and serves as a record of your learning and professional development intentions. Each are worth 3 points per module.
Discussion Forums
Your participation in the discussion forums is critical for maximizing your learning experiences in this course. Please refer to the information on posting to discussion forums to read about expectations for posting.
Quizzes
Quizzes will open when the module opens. You will have 2 attempts on each quiz. The learning management system will record your highest score.
Note, there is no final exam.
Optional Learning Activities
In some modules, we have included optional learning activities. These contain additional resources, learning activities, and downloadable resources. Completing these optional activities is for your own enrichment and will not count toward your grade.
Certificate of Completion
Active participation is required in order to receive a Certificate of Completion for the course. To receive a Certificate of Completion from the University of Washington, USA, you must pass the course, which means getting a final score of 70% or higher on all graded activities. Certificates will be distributed digitally after completion requirements have been verified.
If you are a site participant, you must earn a qualifying score and attend 3 of the site meetings your site will hold. Attendance at more, if offered, is encouraged but not required to meet the site participation requirement. After the course, site participant certificates will be sent to site coordinators for distribution.
Late Work Policy
We will NOT accept assignments submitted by email or posted in discussion forums. Additionally, no assignments will be accepted after the course has ended.
Commitment to Academic Integrity
Commit to Integrity
As a participant in this course you are expected to maintain high degrees of professionalism, commitment to active learning and participation in this class and also integrity in your behavior in and out of the classroom.
Definitions
"Plagiarism is defined as the use of the words, ideas, diagrams, etc., of publicly available work without appropriately acknowledging the sources of these materials. This definition constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional and whether it is the work of another or your own, previously published work. Plagiarism is a very serious offense that the University of Washington's eDGH Program does not tolerate."
Enforcement
Corroborated reports of plagiarism, cheating, or other misconduct will result in no credit on that assignment and may result in suspension from the course and ban from participation in future courses.
Library Resources
The University of Washington offers a comprehensive collection of resources for continuing education participants, providing access to valuable research materials, academic databases, and global health tools. These resources can help expand knowledge, support research, and facilitate lifelong learning.
- Unpaywall: A free, legal browser extension that helps you find open-access versions of research articles. If an article is behind a paywall, Unpaywall searches for an openly available copy in institutional repositories or preprint servers.
- PubMed Central (PMC): A free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences literature from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). PMC provides unrestricted access to millions of peer-reviewed articles.
- PubMed: A widely used search engine for scientific and medical research. To access free articles, use the "Free full text" filter on the left-hand side of the search results page.
- Global Health Toolkit: A UW curated collection of global health resources. Articles and tools without a lock icon are freely accessible to the public, making it a valuable reference for global health professionals and researchers.
Use of AI Tools in This Course
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard) can be useful for tasks such as clarifying complex concepts or refining your writing for better readability. You are welcome to use AI in these ways to support your learning.
However, using AI to generate or significantly revise responses for course assignments, activities, or discussion posts is not permitted and constitutes academic misconduct. Copying and pasting AI-generated content or feeding assignment prompts into AI tools is not allowed. These practices undermine your learning, as this course is designed to help you develop your own skills and express your own ideas.
Grammar, spelling, and phrasing will not be graded in this course; the focus is on the clarity and depth of your ideas rather than perfect language.
Keep in mind that AI-generated content can contain factual inaccuracies or misinterpretations, particularly in complex scientific discussions. Always verify information before using it. If you have any questions about the appropriate use of AI in this course, please reach out for clarification.
Watch this video for more information and resources.
Disability Accommodations
Your experience in this class is important to the teaching team. As per the policy and practice of the University of Washington, we are committed to creating inclusive and accessible learning environments in accordance with federal and state law.
If you require accommodations for a disability or have specific accessibility needs, please contact DLMP-Cert@uw.edu to discuss your requirements.
We are dedicated to working with you to ensure that you have equal access to all aspects of the course and to providing reasonable accommodations as needed. We value your feedback on the accessibility of this class. If you encounter any barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please reach out to us.
Religious Accommodations
eDGH uses the UW's policy on religious accommodations for participants who need to make special arrangements in meeting course deadlines due to reasons of faith or conscience or for religious activities. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course by contacting DLMP-Cert@uw.edu.
Copyright Statement
All content associated with this course is copyrighted. This includes the syllabus, assignments, reading lists, and lectures, as well as any material generated by your fellow students. Within the constraints of "fair use", you may copy these materials for your personal use in support of your education. For example, you may download materials to your computer for study, but you may not copy the materials and distribute or upload to a website. Such "fair use" by you does not include further distribution by any means of copying, performance or presentation beyond the circle of your close acquaintances, student colleagues in this class and your family. If you have any questions regarding any use violates the creator's copyright interests, please feel free to email DLMP-Cert@uw.edu.