655.662.81 - Intro to Healthcare Systems Engineering

Course Structure

The course is divided into 13 course modules with the homework assigned during each lesson along with a final project that requires an integrated course solution.

Course Topics

• Introduction to Healthcare Systems Engineering
• System Types
• Baseline and Needs
• Concept Exploration
• Architectures
• Functional Analysis
• Developing Requirements
• Systems Design
• Interfaces
• System Integration
• Test and Evaluation
• Production and Deployment
• In-Service Monitoring and Updates and Final Project
• Team Final Project

Course Goals

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of healthcare systems engineering and their application to the development of complex systems. It describes how the systems engineering viewpoint differs from that of the healthcare provider, as well as the essential role that systems engineering plays as an integral component of program management. Topics include integrated system engineering lifecycle purpose and constructs, delineation of different complex system types, requirements analysis, concept definition, system synthesis, design trade-offs, risk assessment, interface definition, engineering design, system integration, and related systems engineering activities. The course defines the breadth and depth of the knowledge that the healthcare systems engineer must acquire concerning the characteristics of the diverse components that constitute the total system. Special topics such as architectures, interfaces, simulation and models and test and evaluation are discussed in relation to the healthcare systems engineering viewpoint. Students address typical systems engineering problems that highlight important healthcare issues and methods of technical problem resolution.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Delineate the system engineering lifecycle and illuminate organizational challenges to systems thinking introduction
• Provide foundational concepts and tools across the systems engineering lifecycle
• Explore and discuss healthcare challenges in the context of the systems engineering lifecycle
• Provide methods and tools for understanding and applying systems engineering to healthcare challenges

Textbooks

Required

“Systems Engineering Practices and Principles”, Kossiakoff (2020) – Third Edition; Systems Engineering fundamentals, to formally structure student’s thinking with discrete steps, activities, and outcomes, per lifecycle.

“The Fifth Discipline”, Senge (2006) – Organizational systems thinking and applications to help the students recognize the challenges and approaches associated with introducing systems thinking into an organization.

Textbook information for this course is available online through the appropriate bookstore website: For online courses, search the MBS website.

Student Coursework Requirements

Grading Policy

Assignments are due according to the dates posted in your Canvas course site. You may check these due dates in the Course Calendar or the Assignments in the corresponding modules. I/We will post grades one week after assignment due dates.

We expect well written and grammatically correct statements since communication is a large part of systems engineering. Grades will be decremented if the answers are note well written and communicated clearly.

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10). You should contact your Program Chair for guidance on the breakdown used by your program.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.