DENT6000: Semester 1, 2020

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Units DENT6000 Semester 1 2020 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

DENT6000: Research Methods in Dentistry

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Westmead, Sydney

Overview

Research Methods in Dentistry is a postgraduate course designed to provide fundamental knowledge and skills in clinical research design and Evidence-Based Dentistry for students intending to undertake research at the Faculty of Dentistry. All course material is provided through eLearning via the University of Sydney's website. A detailed series of notes and tutorial exercises are included in the study material. Students are required to complete one tutorial exercise/assignment each week and a final assignment at the end of the course. Topics covered include introduction to Evidence-Based Dentistry, epidemiologic study design, basic biostatistics, as well as confounding, bias and measurement error. Considerable attention is paid to critical appraisal of journal articles which is an indispensable tool in the pursuit of clinical practice founded on Evidence-Based Dentistry. An introduction into conducting literature search, diagnostic test studies and systematic reviews is also provided.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Discipline of Restorative and Reconstructive Dentistry
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Shanika Nanayakkara, shanika.nanayakkara@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Lajos Bordas, lajos.bordas@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Shanika Nanayakkara, shanika.nanayakkara@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final assignment Written report	20%	Week 13	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Weekly assignments Module tasks	80%	Weekly	n/a
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Weekly assignments: These assignments will assess students’ knowledge and skills on the topics covered by each module. Assignments will consist of modified essay questions, developing literature search strategies, data analysis and interpretation, appraising scientific evidence and short reports.
Final assignment: Students will complete a summative final assignment after completing the weekly modules successfully. Students will design a research study to test a provided hypothesis, evaluating their knowledge on evidence based dentistry and research methodology.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction to evidence-based dentistry; 2. Formulating clinical questions and literature searching	Online class (3 hr)
Week 02	Study types	Online class (3 hr)
Week 03	Basic biostatistics 1	Online class (3 hr)
Week 04	Basic biostatistics 2	Online class (3 hr)
Week 05	Bias and confounding	Online class (3 hr)
Week 06	Critical appraisal of literature	Online class (3 hr)
Week 08	Systematic reviews and meta-analysis	Online class (3 hr)
Week 10	1. Data presentation and interpretation; 2. Ethics in research	Online class (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Attendance is a professional responsibility required of all students admitted to academic programs within the Sydney Dental School. All programs in the Sydney Dental School have a 90% attendance policy, for all compulsory components of Units of Study, as detailed in the Faculty of Dentistry Attendance Provisions 2015. This includes all clinical and practical sessions. The course requirements cannot be satisfied if more than 10% of any section of a course is missed for any reason.
Professionalism: Students in all Sydney Dental School programs are subject to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Professionalism Requirements 2019 and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Professionalism Provisions 2019. Professionalism is an essential component of developing competency to practice. It is important for students to demonstrate professional behaviour in all contexts and environments. In accordance with these local provisions: candidates who demonstrate serious or repeated unprofessional behaviour may be required to show cause as to why their enrolment should be continued. Failure to show cause may result in exclusion from the course.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of evidence-based dentistry
LO2. demonstrate familiarity with clinical study designs, their strengths and weaknesses, and the levels of evidence provided
LO3. develop skills to search for and critically appraise published research literature
LO4. interpret and present research evidence to a wider audience
LO5. demonstrate an ability to design clinical studies on oral health-related topics
LO6. demonstrate an understanding of basic statistical concepts, and an understanding of the role of a statistician in designing clinical studies.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes	Competency standards
	Professional competencies of the newly qualified dentist - 3.1. locate and evaluate evidence in a critical and scientific manner to support oral health care 4.4. understand the design, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based health promotion 6.2.4. formulate and record a comprehensive, patient-centred, evidence-based oral health treatment plan
	Professional competencies of the newly qualified dentist - 3.1. locate and evaluate evidence in a critical and scientific manner to support oral health care

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Students must comply with work health and safety, infection control and dress standard policies of all laboratories, placement sites and Local Health Districts (LHDs).

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

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