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Unit outline_

HSBH4101: Research Design and Analysis in Health

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

In this unit of study you delve deeper into the methods used in health research, building on your knowledge from previous years (see the prerequisites). You will attend lectures and interactive workshops, and complete online study modules. After the common foundations, the unit will be split in streams so that each student will learn either quantitative or qualitative data analysis in depth (not both), depending on their prior learning. As part of quantitative methods, we cover experimental and observational (survey, case­control, cohort) study designs, and linear model and logistic regression for data analysis. Qualitative approaches include ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology and narrative. Methods include interview, focus group and text based. The unit will help with your specific Honours project.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Health Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
HSBH3018 or HSBH3019
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

48cp of 3000 level units of study

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Tatjana Seizova-Cajic, tatjana.seizova-cajic@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Record+) Type B final exam Research methods exam
Online exam, open book
50% Formal exam period 1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO5 LO3 LO4
Assignment Foundations quiz
Foundations quiz on concepts in quantitative research
3% Week 03
Due date: 11 Mar 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 25 Mar 2022
10 questions, no time limit
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO5 LO7
Assignment My study design
Written description of basic aspects of your study design
3% Week 06
Due date: 01 Apr 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 15 Apr 2022
300-500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO5 LO4 LO3
Assignment Mid-semester quiz
Quiz on quant and qual study design and descriptive statistics
30% Week 07
Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 13:00

Closing date: 08 Apr 2022
50 min
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO5 LO7
Presentation group assignment Show and tell: Methods
Describe and justify method of a published study
7% Week 08 15 min
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO8 LO6 LO5
Presentation group assignment Show and tell: Results
Show and interpret published results
7% Week 11 15
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO5 LO8 LO6
Group assignment with individually assessed component = group assignment with individually assessed component ?
Type B final exam = Type B final exam ?

Assessment summary

  • Foundations quiz (3%) will refresh your memory of basic concepts in quantitative research and get you to think about bigger ideas behind your Honours project
  • My study design (3%) will get you to think through the reasons you are choosing a particular study design
  • Mid-semester in-class quiz (30%) will assess your understanding of concepts covered in Weeks 1-7
  • Two small presentations: Show-and-tell, Method (7%) and Show-and_tell, Results (7%) will get you to carefully think about methods and results sections of published papers and develop your ability to discuss research with your peers
  • Research methods exam (50%): This exam will test the understanding of concepts covered in class (including your stream) and compulsory readings. You will receive a detailed list of assessable concepts.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 1. Introduction to Honours; meet and greet; Introduction to the research methods seminar and assessments Lecture (2 hr)  
Types of research; research process; role of theory (online study and self-test) Independent study (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5 LO7
Week 02 2. Quantitative research: Introduction and basic concepts: Variables; measurement and uncertainty of measurement; distinction between observational and experimental research (TSC) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Do-me-together formative quiz: unsupervised group discussion of Week 2 concepts Workshop (1.5 hr) LO1 LO5
Week 03 3. Qualitative research: introduction and basic concepts (JMN) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO5 LO6 LO7
My study and my peer's study (Bigger ideas behind our studies; Our respective approaches; What if we swapped quant and qual?) (TSC) Tutorial (1.5 hr) LO3 LO5 LO7
Week 04 4. Experimental research: randomized controlled trials; quasi experiments (MFS) Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Experimental research: Randomization, replication, reduction of (unexplained) variance (TSC) Tutorial (1.5 hr) LO3 LO5 LO7
Week 05 5. Use of interviews in qualitative research (JMN) Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7
Observational research (sampling, measurement, bias); Your study design: discuss with peer (TSC) Tutorial (2 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Week 06 6. Use of focus groups in qualitative research (JMN) Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7
Week 07 7. Descriptive statistics for continuous and categorical data; Excel; SPSS (TSC) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO5 LO7
Mid-semester QUIZ (30%); discussion (TSC) Tutorial (1.5 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 08 8. Inferential statistics: probability; probability distributions; statistical models; statistical tests (NHST); How do we choose statistical tests? (TSC) Lecture (2 hr) LO5 LO7
Part 1. Show and tell (7%): Prepare to present and justify a method of a published study and lead discussion (present in pairs; max 3 slides) 15 min to present + 5 min for discussion Part 2: p value: what it is and what it isn't; Inference Under Uncertainty module; Confidence Intervals: how good are they! compute them by hand/in Excel. (TSC) Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Week 09 9. QUANT STREAM ONLY: Analysis of continuous data: Correlation and regression; application in SPSS (TSC) Lecture (2 hr) LO5 LO7
QUANT STREAM ONLY: Regression in SPSS; interpreting regression coefficients (TSC) Tutorial (2 hr) LO5 LO7
9. QUAL STREAM ONLY: How we evaluate qualitative research (JMN) Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 10 10. QUANT STREAM ONLY Analysis of continuous data: Comparison between the means - t-test, ANOVA (pre-recorded by TSC) Independent study (2 hr) LO5 LO7
QUANT STREAM ONLY: Q&A about the lecture materials; t-test and ANOVA in SPSS (RT) Tutorial (2 hr) LO5 LO7
10. QUAL STREAM ONLY: Analysis of qualitative data, part 1 (JMN) Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO5 LO7
Week 11 11. QUANT STREAM ONLY: Analysis of categorical data: OR, RR Analysis of categorical data: Survival analysis and/or Logistic regression (RT) Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO5 LO7
11. QUAL STREAM ONLY: Analysis of qualitative data, part 2 (JMN) Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO5 LO7
BOTH STREAMS TOGETHER: Show and tell - Results (presentation, 7%) (JMN and RT) Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Week 12 12. QUANT STREAM ONLY: Q&A, revision (RT) Online class (1 hr) LO5 LO8
12. QUAL STREAM ONLY: Q&A, revision (JMN) Lecture and tutorial (1 hr) LO5 LO8

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and to participate in discussions and activities. Attendance of less than 80% of the scheduled seminar classes must be supported by written documentation.

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.

Required readings

The following recommended textbooks are available from the library (all except #3 are available online). Feel free to use other texts if you prefer them or already have them, but compare them to some of the recommended sources to ensure they are of similar depth.

  1. Bourgeault, I., Dingwall, R. and deVries, R. (2010). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research in health research. London: Sage. Available online: https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/2rsddf/cdi_askewsholts_vlebooks_9781473971172
  2. Bruce N, Pope D & Stanistreet D (2018) Quantitative Methods for Health Research: a Practical Interactive Guide to Epidemiology and Statistics. Second edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Available online: https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/12rahnq/alma991005667659705106
  3. Field AP (2013) Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics: and sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll. (4th ed.) London, SAGE Publications. Not available online – for hard copy, see: https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/12rahnq/alma991005642139705106 An excellent introduction to statistics, with very detailed instructions on SPSS. It’s a big volume, because Andy Field makes many jokes.
  4. Portney LG (2020) Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Evidence-Based Practice. Fourth edition. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company. Available online  https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/1c0ug48/alma99103174078740510
  5. Saks M. & Allsop J. (2013) Researching health: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. London: Sage.  Available online: https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61USYD_INST/12rahnq/alma991014514489705106 

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. study and work independently and in teams
  • LO2. manage schedules and resources
  • LO3. propose research that will increase knowledge in the area of interest
  • LO4. know the ethical principles of research and adhere to them
  • LO5. understand quantitative and qualitative approaches to research
  • LO6. conduct a literature review and write it up
  • LO7. investigate a topic under supervision, including data collection and analysis
  • LO8. demonstrate the ability to orally present ideas and research findings and respond to questions.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

This is the first time this unit has been offered and its format is somewhat different to our previous Honours units. We look forward to your feedback, and no need to wait until the end of Semester. Please talk to us any time.

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.