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Gold Coast
Lismore
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Session1,3
Session1,3

Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Introductory

Pre-requisites

36 credit points from any SCU course

Unit aim

Introduces students to different types of methodologies used to inform evidence-based practice and the processes involved in conducting ethical research. Through both theoretical and practical components, students will learn the basic methods for: planning an investigation; collecting, analysing and interpreting data; and reporting and disseminating data findings.

Unit content

Understanding how evidence is created is a cornerstone learning foundation for all students of health sciences. This unit introduces students to understanding the nature of evidence in the health sciences:

  • Ways of knowing and knowledge creation
  • Identifying problems, purposes, aims, questions, hypotheses
  • Ethical and cultural considerations in producing knowledge
  • Methodological designs
  • Data collection methods
  • Data analysis including descriptive and inferential statistics, and thematic analysis
  • Interpreting and reporting findings

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 describe different philosophical approaches to knowledge creation
2 describe the strengths and limitations of various study designs
3 identify a question and plan an appropriate methodology that addresses it
4 evaluate ethical implications of a proposed inquiry
5 demonstrate an ability to conduct basic data analysis
6 demonstrate an ability to interpret and report findings.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. describe different philosophical approaches to knowledge creation
    • GA3:
  2. describe the strengths and limitations of various study designs
    • GA5:
  3. identify a question and plan an appropriate methodology that addresses it
    • GA5:
  4. evaluate ethical implications of a proposed inquiry
    • GA3:
  5. demonstrate an ability to conduct basic data analysis
    • GA1:
  6. demonstrate an ability to interpret and report findings.
    • GA1:
    • GA5:

Prescribed texts

  • This text is available to read online at the library so purchase is not required unless you prefer to read from a book: Portney, LG & Watkins, MP , 2015, Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Practice, 3rd edn, F. A. Davis, Philadelphia.

  • This text is available to read online at the library so purchase is not required unless you prefer to read from a book: Portney, LG & Watkins, MP , 2015, Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Practice, 3rd edn, F. A. Davis, Philadelphia.

  • This text is available to read online at the library so purchase is not required unless you prefer to read from a book: Portney, LG & Watkins, MP , 2015, Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Practice, 3rd edn, F. A. Davis, Philadelphia.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.