Example – Draft Outline of Essay
A critical evaluation of the Hand Hygiene Compliance Procedure of Goldfish Aged Care Facility
Introduction:
This essay will _______________
___________________________
Background and context:
- In this section refer to facilities Hand Hygiene Compliance Procedure and the requirement for staff to comply with the 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene.
- Refer to recent Hand Hygiene Audit results which shows poor compliance rates for moment 2 and moment 3.
- Expand on why this presents a risk (evidence in support from literature incl. The National Hand Hygiene Initiative)
- Provide some relevant context about facility, room numbers, layout, staffing and importantly the availability and location of hand washing basins and alcohol based handrub.
Strategy:
- Refer to what the literature suggest as possible interventions (e.g. having ABHR available at the point of care etc.)
- Discuss approval and engagement to implement change processes (incl. Infection Control Committee and stakeholder engagement) - Discuss the intervention/s.
Evaluation:
- Explain how the effectiveness of the implemented intervention/s was measured (i.e. post implementation Hand Hygiene Compliance Audit). - Explain why this evaluation method was chosen (i.e. it reflects the aim and objective of the project).
- Discuss the outcome of the evaluation (i.e. the results of the audit).
- Discuss further action required and reporting requirements (i.e. to the Committee which oversees the compliance of the facility to the national standards).
Conclusion:
- In this section a summary of the reason for the project (why it was necessary), the interventions implemented and the outcome of the project.
References:
- In this section list all sources of information.
Why do you need to send a draft outline of your assignment to your facilitator?
- The facilitator will be able tell you if you are on the right tract with regards to topic selection (i.e. did you chose an IPC related topic and importantly, is your essay a critical evaluation of an IPC related Policy, Procedure or Guideline).
- The facilitator will be able to tell you if your topic risk being too broad or too narrow (example, if your topic risk being too narrow, you might not have enough information to discuss/include in your assignment or you might not find enough literature to support your argument)
Remember….
Title
- Must start with ‘A critical evaluation of ……’
- Have a look at the short video ‘What is a critical evaluation anyway?’ loaded under the ‘Academic
Writing Resources’
Introduction
- Provides a clear overview of why the improvement project is needed and convey the
direction the assignment will take - Makes the case for the argument
- Have a look at the short video ‘What is PEEL paragraph structure explained’ loaded under the ‘Academic Writing Resources’ to learn how to put together a paragraph (use this right through the essay)
Background and context
- Aim/rationale of project are clearly described (i.e. What is the problem? How do you know it is a problem? [e.g. audit, complaints, observation]) - Mounts a convincing argument for the intervention (i.e. What is the risk? [e.g. literature]) - Include detail and relevant context of facility (can incl. staffing, resources, age of facility, layout of facility, project team, workplace readiness, etc.)
Strategy
- Improvement strategy (intervention) explained
(i.e. What should we do to fix the problem?) - Possible interventions/solutions? (i.e. what does the literature suggest?)
- How to implement intervention? (e.g. stakeholder engagement, communication strategies, analysis of barriers/obstacles)
Evaluation
- How was the intervention evaluated or measured (i.e. How do you know if the intervention worked? [e.g. follow-up audit results, observation, feedback from staff etc.])
- Include discussion of evaluation method. - Evaluation method must reflect the aim and objective of the project
- Include reporting, need for further action if required and governance issues (i.e. where does this fit in terms of the national standards)
Conclusion
- Summarise and draw together findings and outcomes
- DO NOT introduce new info
References
- Include a minimum of 10 sources
- Use APA 7 referencing style (Harvard or Vancouver also acceptable). If you chose a style, stick with it (i.e. do not change between styles) - Refer to the short videos ‘Referencing APA7’, ‘How to use quality research sources to support your essay’, and ‘Finding credible sources for your essay’ loaded under the ‘Academic Writing
Resources’
- Remember to also cite within text
Other important points to remember:
• Your essay do not need to be based on a real IPC problem and intervention. The essay can be fictional (but must be plausible and academic accurate) demonstrating what you’ve learnt during the course
• No need to identify the organisation or products (for the example, we made up a facility – Goldfish Aged Care Facility ?)
• The references you use must be recent & relevant
• Include the given headings (i.e. Introduction, Background and Context, Strategy, Evaluation and Conclusion) in your essay
• Essay word count 3000 (+- 10%) – this exclude the reference list
• The recommended typing font – Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman, size 10 or 12, line spacing 1.5
• Write the introduction and conclusion last
• IMPORTANT – Essays MUST NOT be written in the first person. The essay must be written in the third person and therefore read like a journal article.
Where to start with your assignment?
1. Read/work through ALL the information included under the ‘Assessment Information’ tab. Keep a notebook
2. Work through ALL the information and resources provided in the ‘Academic Writing Course’. This course is listed under the ‘My courses’ tab on the left side of the Moodle screen. NOTE – Check in here frequently because more resources are being loaded occasionally.
3. Read through all the ‘Announcements’ listed as a link under the ‘Communications’ tab on the left side of the Moodle page. NOTE – Check in here frequently because the facilitators upload new announcements frequently.
4. Have a good look at the ‘Marking Guide’ loaded under the ‘Assessment Information’ tab on the left side of the Moodle screen.
5. Now you need to start thinking about an Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Policy, Procedure or Guideline you want to write about. Your essay must be a critical evaluation of an IPC related Policy, Procedure or Guideline. Your essay title must read: A critical evaluation of ........
6. Identifying a problem (i.e. a non-compliance with the IPC Policy, Procedure or Guideline you selected). Try to stay with a single issue or one aspect of a broad issue. You need to write about this problem: i.e. why it is a problem?, what is the risk?, how you know it is a problem?, what you should do to fix the problem?, how you know the problem has been fixed?, and who the problem need to be reported to?
7. Now you are ready to start working on a draft outline of your essay using the headings recommended: i.e.
introduction, background & context, strategy, evaluation, and conclusion. Headings a MUST! Under each heading, write a couple of sentences (or dot points) of what you want to say under the heading.
8. Once you have your draft essay outline (i.e. title, headings and sentence under each heading), send it through to your facilitator for review. Your facilitator will let you know if you are on the right tract. Please make sure your draft outline is in a word document and attached to an email.
9. Once your facilitator provided you with feedback, you can start writing the essay.
10. Once complete, submit your draft essay to Turnitin to check your work for matches to similar texts. For information about Turnitin, have a look at the ‘How to submit your essay to Turnitin’ link listed under the ‘Assessment Information’ tab on the left side of the Moodle page.
11. You can repeat step 9 multiple times until your similarity score is well under 40%.
12. When you are ready to upload your final assay:
• submit your essay by uploading your 'MS Word' file to the Final Submission tab in the Turnitin Assignment section.
• your essay should include as a first page the Assignment Cover Sheet, where you should write your title, word count, and sign it to confirm that the essay is your own work, and no one else's, and that you have not shared your work with any other student etc. The Assignment Cover Sheet can be found under the ‘Course Assessment’ link located under the ‘Assessment Information’ tab on the left side of the Moodle screen.
13. Once you have uploaded you final version to Turnitin, please notify your facilitator. Your facilitator will then start the assessment grading process.
Good luck to all of you!! ?
Sandra Roodt (Course Facilitator Groups 5, 22 & 56)