The following Course Outline is for the Spring 2007 semester.

PEP-530 : Laboratory Procedures

Pre-requisites

Purpose

To  gain "hands on" experience using methodology and software suited to data collection and analysis in exercise physiology or related research.

Rationale

To graduate educational and research experience in exercise physiology is complicated by the diversity of research topics.  This course allows students to become familiar with the potential for research in exercise physiology, and is beneficial for the Masters candidate who needs to apply research findings, as well as the prospective Ph.D. student who is seeking a career in higher education and research.

Objectives

1. interfacing instruments to computer analogue signal acquisition.
2. indirect calorimetry: RMR, BMR, steady state, VO₂ kinetics, VO₂max, critical velocity, EPOC.
3. limitations of current commercial systems used for indirect calorimetry.
4. metabolic thresholds and maximal steady state.
5. spectral analysis of heart rate variability.
6. quantifying the work of breathing.
7. indirect methods used to compute cardiac output during exercise.
8. ³¹P MRS methods and data collection.
9. laboratory methods used to directly and indirectly quantify the anaerobic capacity.
10. EMG acquisition and data analyses.
11. Heart valve sounds and changes in cardiac systole and diastole during exercise.
12. Metabolic and cardiopulmonary responses to acute hypoxia.

Alliance With Program, Division and College Missions

There is an increasing need to justify how academic courses "fit" within the theoretical framework of the college they are located within.  Explanations of the College of Education Mission and Conceptual Framework are found within the College section of the UNM website.

This course provides pertinent knowledge that extends the academic training in exercise physiology of the graduate students of UNM.

Format

This course is taught by a combined lacture and laboratory format.  When lectures are given, content will be presented using computerized Powerpoint slide projection.  Lecture/slide notes are found linked to this page, organized by the topics listed on the course calendar.  For most sessions, a lecture will only take 30-45 min of the class time, followed by laboratory exercises designed to apply theory.

Students will be required to complete eight (8) assignments. This work is required to allow the student to computer process the data they collect, interpret the data, graph and/or table the data, and write a very brief report (<3 pages) that includes citations of past research on the topic.

During the course, students are also required to develop a manual of equipment manufacturers, along with information such as contact names, numbers, and addresses, prices, and applications.

Textbook and Other Required Items

Due to the laboratory-specific content of this course, and the up-to-date content, no textbook exists for this material.

However, the student is required to do the following;

Assessment

Student assessment is based on the scores from,

The point and percentage contribution of each assessment item is summarized in the table below.

Your final grade will simply be based on your percentage score of the 1,000 total assessment points.

The grade letter and points distribution is provided in the table below.

Note that according to Department of Physical Performance and Development policy, a grade of C^- or worse is a failing grade.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism, will not be tolerated.  The College of Education, as with the entire university, has policies on how to handle such infractions.  All faculty are required to abide by these rules and punishments, and students should read about such issues at the following sites: