Authoring Level 2 Course Overview

1. Introduction

The aim of this Authoring Level 2 course is to teach you the knowledge and skills needed to perform advanced SNOMED CT authoring tasks. This will also prepare you for the SNOMED CT Authoring Level 2 certification exam.

• The Authoring Level 2 course, once completed, provides an ungraded course completion certificate.

• Students enrolled in the SNOMED CT Authoring Level 2 course are required to complete all mandatory activities in each module, including e-books, presentations, videos, webinars and assignments.

• All activities must be completed to successfully complete the course. 

• All students who successfully complete the course will have the opportunity to enrol in the SNOMED CT Authoring Level 2 certification exam (separate enrolment and payment). Passing the Authoring Level 2 certificate is a formal recognition of your competence in performing advanced SNOMED CT tasks. 

What to consider before enroling in the Authoring Level 2 course?

• Time required to complete the course

  • The Authoring Level 2 course is an advanced course and will require more time to complete than the Authoring Level 1 course. In the following sections we provide an estimate of the time that will be required to complete each module. This is an estimate and will be dependent on prior knowledge and authoring experience.

• Design of course

  • The Authoring Level 2 course structure is different to the Authoring Level 1 course.

    • This advanced course involves a substantially more practical approach to authoring than level 1. There is less focus on presentations and assessments, and more focus on learning by reading the Editorial Guide and a strong focus on students learning through practical authoring exercises using the training authoring platform.

  • The Authoring Level 2 course involves more complex thinking and self learning/reflection than level 1, the level of difficulty is greater than level 1.

2. Preparatory Information

Estimated time – depends on current knowledge

The Level 2 Authoring Course builds on the knowledge and skills developed in the Level 1 Authoring Course and Level 1 Authoring Certification.

As such there is an expectation that you already have a basic level of authoring knowledge and skills. The level of knowledge expected is detailed in the Level 1 competencies. To support a course participant in ensuring that they are ready to undertake the course, we have developed material to assist them in checking and refreshing their knowledge. This material is available once registered and is to be undertaken prior to start date of course.

Preparatory Material for Level 2 Authoring Course (ebook)

• Description Logic Basics
• SNOMED International Authoring Training Platform
• Locating and navigating SNOMED International Authoring Resources 
• Confluence
• Editorial Guide (Education) Version
• Clinical Finding Preparation
• Procedure Preparation

Finding and Using Guidance (ebook)

• Discusses general principles for using the international SNOMED CT guidance documents

Authoring Checklist for Adding or Modifying a Concept (ebook)

• A checklist for the steps involved in creating SNOMED CT concepts

3. Course Information

Guides

• The Authoring Level 2 Course Guide contains specific information about this course (ebook)

• The SNOMED CT E-Learning Course Guide which is essential reading for everyone taking a SNOMED CT E-Learning course (ebook)

• The E-Learning Assessment Guide which provides updated information about course exercises and quizzes (ebook)

• The SNOMED International Authoring Platform Guide which explains how to use the Authoring Platform to perform content development tasks (ebook)

Course Schedule

• Details each modules start, target and final deadline dates as well as assignment due dates

4. Module A - Literature Evaluation Principles and Clinical Finding Modeling

Estimated time – 30 hours

Evaluating Sources – Principles (ebook)

• How to select pertinent, credible sources to evaluate the validity of existing and potential content and to guide the naming and modeling of concepts (6 sources are evaluated)

Intermediate Primitives (ebook)

• Considerations when working with intermediate primitive concepts that are already present in the terminology (2 concepts need evaluating)

Combined Disorders and Temporal Considerations (ebook)

• Modeling concepts that represent combined disorders including those that require temporal considerations (4 concepts need creating and one concept needs evaluating)

Modeling Specific Disorders (ebook)

• Modeling of specific disorder concepts (5 concepts need creating and 4 concepts need modifying)

The Interprets and Has Interpretation Attributes (ebook)

• Modeling considerations using the Interprets and the Has interpretation attributes

Allergies, Hypersensitivities, Adverse Reactions and Intolerances (ebook)

• Modeling disorders that relate to allergies, hypersensitivities, adverse reactions and intolerances (1 concept needs creating and 1 concept needs modifying)

Other Clinical Finding Attributes (ebook)

• Severity, Finding method, Finding informer and Episodicity attributes are discussed

Understanding Conjunction and Disjunction (ebook)

• Focuses on how "and" and "and/or" can be used when creating concepts (2 concepts need creating)

Combined Disorders and Temporal Considerations Quiz

• Modeling interactive quiz to check knowledge of disorder modeling (8 concepts need creating)

Authoring in the Wild (ebook)

• Key principles to consider when managing requests

Module A Assignment

• Source evaluation assignments (Auto marked and Tutor marked)

• Disorder concept modeling assignment (10 concepts created or modified – Auto marked and Self marked)

Module A Webinar

• Tutor led webinar including practical exercises on source evaluation and disorder modeling (Preparation work before webinar – 3 concepts need creating and 4 sources evaluated)

5. Module B - Literature Evaluation Principles and Clinical Finding Modeling

Estimated time – 30 hours

Working With Procedure Attributes (ebook)

• Develops knowledge on modeling procedure concepts and covers the use of a range of Procedure attributes (6 concepts need creating)

Modeling Specific Procedures (ebook)

• Modeling of specific procedure concepts (5 concepts need creating)

Procedure Modeling Quiz

• Modeling interactive quiz to check knowledge of procedure modeling (8 concepts need creating)

Creating New Attribute Value Concepts (ebook)

• Key principles on creating new attribute values

Advanced Concept Inactivation (ebook)

• Explores what needs to be considered when inactivating a concept where the inactivation impacts other concepts

Concept Inactivation Additional Considerations (video)

• Demonstrates some of the more advanced considerations around concept inactivation including incoming relationships and historical associations

Concept Inactivation Exercises (ebook)

• Exercises to develop understanding of the principles to be considered when inactivating SNOMED CT concepts (3 focus concepts need review and appropriate actions need to be carried out)

Concept Reactivation (ebook)

• Discusses how a concept reactivation can be performed

Module B - Group Activity (forum)

• Course participants discuss and collaborate via a forum with other participants on a group activity to make suggestions about a modeling issue (Solution tutor marked)

Module B Webinar – Assignment Review

• Tutor led webinar reviewing Module A assignments

Module B Webinar

• Tutor led webinar including practical exercises on procedure modeling and inactivations (Preparation work before webinar – 3 concepts need creating, 2 focus concepts need review and appropriate actions need to be carried out)

Module B Assignment

• Procedure concept modeling assignment (4 concepts - Self marked)
• Concept inactivation assignment (6 focus concepts need review and appropriate actions need to be carried out - Self marked)

6. Module C - Authoring Tooling Techniques

Estimated time – 20 hours

Collaborative Task Based Authoring (ebook)

• Describes the process of working in a collaborative fashion including how task based authoring works, how tasks are promoted to the project level and how conflicts between tasks can be resolved

Merge Issues and Validation Quiz (lesson)

• Interactive quiz reinforces students understanding of task conflicts and validation errors (8 questions)

Introduction to the Expression Constraint Language (presentation)

• Introduces the SNOMED CT Expression Constraint Language

Authoring Platform and ECL Queries (video)

• Demonstration of ECL functionality within the authoring platform

Expression Constraint Language Exercise

• Practice exercises focusing on the use expression constraints to query SNOMED CT (12 questions)

Authoring with the Machine Readable Concept Model (presentation)

• Explains how the Machine Readable Concept Model is used in the SNOMED CT authoring process

MRCM Updates (video)

• Focuses on how changes to the MRCM impact authors of SNOMED CT content

Authoring with the MRCM Quiz

• Exercises to enhance knowledge of the MRCM and its impact to content authoring (5 questions)

Modeling Templates (ebook)

• Overview of modeling templates

Authoring Platform Modeling Templates (video)

• Demonstrates how SNOMED International modeling templates are defined and how they are used in the Authoring Platform

Module C Webinar – Assignment Review

• Tutor led webinar reviewing Module B assignments

Module C Webinar

• Tutor led webinar including practical exercises on ECL (Preparation work before webinar – 9 ECL queries need developing)

Module C Assignment

• Expression constraint language assignment (28 questions - Auto marked)

7. Module D - Description Logic and Content Projects

Estimated time – 20 hours

Content Creation - Description Logic (presentation)

• Introduction to the role of Description Logic in authoring SNOMED CT content

SNOMED CT’s Description Logic Profile (presentation)

• Introduction to the description logic features, which are supported by SNOMED CT’s Logic Profile, and which makes the underlying logical foundation of SNOMED CT

SNOMED CT Description Logic Features (ebook)

• Introduction to the various advances DL features supported by SNOMED CT

Description Logic Exercise

• Test knowledge of SNOMED CT's Description Logic features (12 questions - auto marked)

Modelling - Modelling - When the Parent is a GCI (ebook)

• How to model concepts with GCI parents

Task Planning (ebook)

• Introduces effective task planning

Editorial Guidance Development Principles (ebook)

• Focuses on the development of editorial guidance

Content Projects (ebook)

• High level overview of content projects

Advanced Authoring Considerations - URU concepts (ebook)

• Discusses applying URU principles to SNOMED CT Content

Module D - Group Activity (forum)

• Course participants discuss and collaborate via a forum with other participants on a group activity to analyse a number of concepts

Module D Webinar

• Tutor led webinar on description logic

Module D Assignment

• Hierarchy modeling assignment (multiple concepts - tutor marked)

8. Module E - Review, Quality Assurance and Extensions

Estimated time – 15 hours

Task Review Process (ebook)

• Discusses reviewing of tasks

SNOMED CT Editions (presentation)

• Introduction to SNOMED CT Editions, and it explains the difference between an Edition and an Extension, and how SNOMED CT releases are versioned

Modules and Module Dependencies (lesson)

• Explores the role of SNOMED CT modules and module dependencies (includes questions to reinforce learning)

Promotion and Demotion (lesson)

• Explores the role of SNOMED CT modules and module dependencies (includes questions to reinforce learning)

Extension Maintenance (lesson)

• Explores the principles for maintaining a SNOMED CT extension (includes questions to reinforce learning)

Content Reconciliation in the Authoring Platform (lesson)

• Explores the type of content changes that may be required in an extension, when a new version of an edition is imported (includes questions to reinforce learning)

Release Processes (lesson)

• Explores the processes involved with preparing a new version of SNOMED CT for release (includes questions to reinforce learning)

Release Validation (presentation)

• Explores the topic of release validation in SNOMED CT, and more specifically when and how it can be applied
  

The Impact of Authoring (video)

• Introduction to the impact of authoring, teaches the importance of authors being aware of how their work may impact users and uses of SNOMED CT

Translation of SNOMED CT (ebook)

• High level level information and links to resources on translation

Quality Assurance (ebook)

• Overview of quality assurance considerations

Quality Activities Exercises (ebook)

• Additional exercises relating to the errors that you may encounter when working on quality activities
  

Module E Webinar

• Tutor led webinar including practical exercises

Module E Assignment

• Content review assignment (Automarked - 34 Questions)

9. Optional Exercises

Organism Naming Convention Quiz

• Multiple choice quiz to check knowledge on Organism Naming Conventions (18 questions)

10. Continuing Professional Development

The SNOMED CT Authoring Level 2 course earns you Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits towards the following credentials.

CHIMA continuing professional education program page - 15 CPE credits

Certified Health Informatics Australasia (CHIA) - 20 CPD points