Surge and usability notes
Students take notes on medical surge, mobile response facilities, and usability principles for public-health apps, then complete the PLTW online task.
Annotated notes listing three usability principles with health-app examples, a sketch connecting user needs to a feature list, and one trust-building communication strategy.
- 1Do thisStudents take notes on medical surge, mobile response facilities, and usability principles for public-health apps, then complete the PLTW online task.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisNotebook check: Annotated notes listing three usability principles with health-app examples, a sketch connecting user needs to a feature list, and one trust-building communication strategy.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science) › Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept. › Notebook checkOpen Schoology
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: Public health communication fails when the message is accurate but the delivery is unusable: good information in a bad interface does not reach people in a surge.
- 0-5 minWarm-up: name one app you use in an emergency and one thing that makes it fast to use.
- 5-28 minTeacher-led notes: medical-surge planning, mobile facility types, and deployment criteria.
- 28-45 minNotes: usability principles (learnability, efficiency, error tolerance, satisfaction) with health-app examples.
- 45-55 minConnect communication clarity to user trust; sketch how user needs produce a feature list.
- 55-75 minPLTW online activity on surge response and design (individual, self-paced).
- 75-80 minExit check: name three usability principles and one health-app example for each.
- • Wednesday your team designs a surge communication app: today's notes give you the principles to justify every design choice.
- • Usability is not aesthetics: it is whether a frightened person in a crisis can figure out the app in 10 seconds.
- • WebXam 072110 connects biotechnology and data handling to public-health communication tools.
- • Finish the PLTW activity today: the platform covers the same usability framework your Wednesday wireframe will use.
- 1Annotate notes on medical-surge planning and mobile facility design.
- 2List the core usability principles for a public-facing health app.
- 3Connect clear public-health communication to user trust and uptake.
- 4Sketch how user needs drive an app feature list.
- 5Complete the assigned PLTW online activity on surge response and design.
- • Name three usability principles relevant to a health app.
- • Submit the PLTW online task fully completed.
- • Mobile surge facilities require usability planning just as apps do: the target user's needs drive every design choice.
- • Core usability principles include learnability, efficiency, error tolerance, and satisfaction.
- • User trust in a public-health app depends on clear language, reliable updates, and minimal cognitive load.
Your PLTW work today
Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept. · Surge and usability notes
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open myPLTW, navigate to Lesson 3.3 Information Sharing, and find the online activity on surge response and usability design.
Complete all questions and submit before end of period.
You submitted the surge-resource ethics reflection Monday. Today finish the full Lesson 3.3 surge-and-usability activity so Wednesday's design project uses the same principles.
Show completion confirmation to teacher before leaving.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit 3.2 to 3.3: Medical surge, mobile response facility, public-health communication, app design concept. · Surge and usability notes
Open myPLTW, navigate to Lesson 3.3 Information Sharing, and find the online activity on surge response and usability design.
You submitted the surge-resource ethics reflection Monday. Today finish the full Lesson 3.3 surge-and-usability activity so Wednesday's design project uses the same principles.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Students take notes on medical surge, mobile response facilities, and usability principles for public-health apps, then complete the PLTW online task.
- Annotate notes on medical-surge planning and mobile facility design.
- List the core usability principles for a public-facing health app.
- Connect clear public-health communication to user trust and uptake.
- Sketch how user needs drive an app feature list.
- Complete the assigned PLTW online activity on surge response and design.
Notebook check: Annotated notes listing three usability principles with health-app examples, a sketch connecting user needs to a feature list, and one trust-building communication strategy.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Annotate notes on medical-surge planning and mobile facility design. | _______ |
| List the core usability principles for a public-facing health app. | _______ |
| Connect clear public-health communication to user trust and uptake. | _______ |
| Sketch how user needs drive an app feature list. | _______ |
| Complete the assigned PLTW online activity on surge response and design. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- Name three usability principles relevant to a health app.
- Submit the PLTW online task fully completed.
Resources & readings
Hand-picked materials for this lesson. Class file items open the document directly; the rest are vetted readings and interactives from other biomedical programs.
WebXam practice
Cumulative WebXam review
A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.
Where this leads — careers
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
What to do if you were absent
Today is individual PLTW work, so do exactly what we did in class, from home: complete the same PLTW target above, then submit your Notebook check.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Ready.gov Emergency PreparednessOptional extra credit (async)
You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home (virtual labs included) for extra credit, all submitted on Schoology.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Fri, Dec 4, 2026 · Surge and usability notes here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project