Faculty Syllabus

Course Requirements, Examinations, and Grading
Time Commitment

According to “Hints on How to Succeed in College Classes”, you should budget your time per week for this four-hour credit course as follows:

1. 1. Reading assigned text 2 to hours
   2. Homework assignments 3 to 6 hours
   3. Time for review and test preparation 3 hours
   4. Total study time per week 9 to 13 hours PER WEEK

Instructor Recommendations

This course is conducted in a hybrid format where the student will be required to listen to narrated lectures and read laboratory procedures prior to the date on which those lectures and labs are assigned on the course schedule.

Due to the hybrid nature of this course, the instructor recommends that the student follow the below process in preparation for each class day:

• Print out and review the course objectives.
• Print out the PowerPoints in note form.
• Listen to the presentation and take notes as appropriate.
• Write down questions that you have as you review the material.
• Look the questions up in the required textbook or review the PowerPoint slides again.
• If you are still confused on a concept or principle, submit the question(s) when you walk into the classroom and these questions will be used as discussion items during the “guided lecture.”
• As soon as you start to get lost in understanding the material, do not wait to speak with the instructor. Make an appointment or email her as soon as possible.

Student Evaluation and Grading

Measurement, Written- constitutes 67% of the course grade

Five (5) exams, quizzes, other miscellaneous assignments, admission tickets, and a comprehensive final exam encompass the lecture portion of the grade for MLAB 2431. These will be given in Blackboard over lecture material covering lecture and the accompanying laboratory exercises, and will comprehensively assess the student's knowledge of concepts, principles, techniques, and procedures as related to the

instructional material.

Exams

Five (5) course examinations will be given over lecture and related laboratory material to comprehensively assess student’s knowledge of concepts, principles, techniques, and procedures.

Admission Ticket

MLAB 2431 is a “hybrid” course. A portion of the lecture component is taught on campus and the remaining portion is self-directed learning. To ensure that students are committing the necessary time to prepare for the classroom lecture component, an Admission Ticket must be completed prior to coming to class. The questions will address the objectives, reading material and power points. The student will also be able to develop a list of questions to ask during the lecture presentation on topics they are having difficulty with and share these with the professor. Students can use any course materials to complete these assessments.  

The admission tickets must be submitted by 8:30 am on day of the week the material is covered to receive full credit. If the student does not complete the admission ticket prior to 8:30 am, a zero will be recorded. Admission tickets will not be accepted late. 

Measurement, Practical - constitutes 33% of the course grade.

Proficiency in clinical laboratory skills will be measured by performance of required skills within specific tolerance limits of each procedure. Points will be awarded for successful completion of laboratory exercises.

All laboratory exercises must be read before attending the laboratory period. A prelab assessment may be given over the scheduled laboratory to ensure review of the laboratory material.  A prelab assessment may be given at scheduled times to evaluate the student’s level of preparedness for laboratory activities. Students can use any course materials to complete these assessments.  

Prelabs must be submitted by 8:30 am on the day of the week the material is covered. If the student does not complete the prelab prior to 8:30 am, a zero will be recorded. Prelabs will not be accepted late. Information that can be used to answer the laboratory prelab assessment may be found in your laboratory exercise, your notes from lecture, and your textbook.

NOTE: Admission tickets and prelab assessments may contain comprehensive questions because the material in the MLT courses builds upon itself.

Study Questions and Lab Reports 

Study questions will reinforce theory and must be turned in on time. Lab Reports will be due by midnight of the day that the lab is completed. Unless otherwise noted, lab study questions are due the Friday of the week of the lab procedure. If you are absent for the lab, you are still required to submit the completed study questions by the stated deadline.  

Practical Exams

Two practical exams will be given that will cover all laboratory units covered in MLAB 2431.

Determination of Final Grade

Submission of Work and Late/Missed Work

• Assignments, study questions, and laboratory exercises must be uploaded into the Dropbox found in the Blackboard course by the posted due date on the course webpage, unless otherwise directed by the instructor.
• Laboratory exercises are DUE the day of the laboratory by 11:59pm.
• Study questions will reinforce theory and must be turned in on time. Unless otherwise noted, lab study questions are due the Friday of the week of the lab procedure. If you are absent for the lab, you are still required to submit the completed study questions by the stated deadline.
• NO assignments will be accepted by email.
• Any assignment turned in after the due dates posted will receive a zero. NO exceptions. This includes laboratory exercises and study questions.
• It may not be possible to make up a missed laboratory assignment due to specimen, reagent, and/or instructor availability.  However, the study questions can be turned in for full credit, if turned in by the posted due date.  It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate with the instructor regarding potential lab make-up time. Rescheduling must be done within 2 days of the absence.

A passing grade (75% or better) is required in both the lecture and laboratory components to receive a passing grade for this course.

                        A = 90-100%

                        B = 80-89%

                        C = 75-79%

                        D = 60-74%

                        F = 59% and below

Incomplete = To receive an “I,” a student must have a passing average (75% or better) and have completed at least 80% of the course work. An instructor may award a grade of “I” (Incomplete) if a student was unable to complete all the objectives for the passing grade in a course. An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. The completion date is determined by the instructor but may not be later than the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester.

Course Materials

Required

• Paula R. Howard, MPH, MS, MLS(ASCP)SBB and Wyenona Hicks, MS, 6th edition, 2026.     ISBN:  9780443113659
• Three-ring notebook with dividers for the syllabus, objectives, lecture and lab.
• Sharpie permanent marking pen/Ink pen
• Digital timer capable of counting seconds
• Teal Scrubs
• Tennis shoes
• Gloves – latex or nitrile NOT vinyl. Nitrile preferred due to latex allergies.
• Padlock- combination or keyed (Round Rock Campus only)
• Face mask or covering, if applicable

Follow this link for the outline of course subjects.

Course Web Site and Schedule: http://sites.austincc.edu/health/mlab/courses/immunohematology/

Course Goals/Rationale

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Apply the principles of safety, quality assurance, and quality control in immunohematology.
2. Apply the theoretical knowledge of immunology to pretransfusion and posttransfusion testing.
3. State the preparation method, use, storage requirements, and expiration of each blood component.
4. Evaluate specimen acceptability.
5. State the principle of each testing procedure performed in immunohematology.
6. Describe blood group genetics as related to immunohematology.
7. List the methods used to identify the most commonly encountered blood group antibodies.
8. Explain the principle of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN).
9. Describe the testing, antibody specificity, and treatment for HDFN.
10. List the adverse complications of blood transfusion.
11. State the requirements for performing compatibility testing.
12. Evaluate the common blood antigens and antibodies identified when performing pretransfusion testing.
13. Describe the quality control performed in Immunohematology.
14. Describe the donor selection process and accurately determine donor eligibility when given results of donor screening tests.
15. Describe the preparation and the appropriate use of blood components by determining the component needed based on laboratory data.
16. Describe the characteristics of the antigens and antibodies of the ABO, Rh, and other blood group systems, applying the knowledge to sample testing and case study materials.
17. Perform blood bank testing in the resolution of antibody problems, HDFN, and transfusion reactions.
18. Evaluate blood bank laboratory test results.
19. Analyze the adverse effects of blood component transfusions.
20. Correlate test results with the patient’s condition.
21. Utilize constructive criticism to correct deficiencies and improve performance.
22. Work cooperatively with professors and fellow students to achieve the goals of each activity assigned.
23. Develop a working knowledge of the principles and procedures of blood bank testing.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Laboratory Technology, the student will be able to:

1. Collect and process biological specimens for analysis.
2. Perform analytical tests on body fluids, cells, and products.
3. Recognize factors that affect procedures and results, and take appropriate actions within predetermined limits when corrections are indicated.
4. Monitor quality control within predetermined limits.
5. Perform preventive and corrective maintenance of equipment and instruments or refer to appropriate source for repairs.
6. Demonstrate professional conduct and interpersonal communication skills with patients, laboratory personnel, other health care professionals, and with the public.
7. Recognize the responsibilities of other laboratory and health care personnel and interact with them with respect for their jobs and patient care.
8. Apply basic scientific principles in learning new techniques and procedures.
9. Relate laboratory findings to common disease processes.

Course Unit Objectives

When you go to the course website, each unit will have a set of objectives. Print these out and use them to study the course materials. Exam questions are created from the course and unit objectives. Each laboratory exercise will have objectives. One helpful way to study is write the objective on an index card and write the information pertaining to that objective on the back.