Overview
This unit has been developed for you to begin your journey in the expansive field of research. This unit will introduce you to some fundamental principles of research practice and allow for a greater appreciation of research methodology, critical appraisal and basic statistical analysis. This unit will utilise the principle that ‘reading research’ should be the first goal of any research course. You will be given research articles to read in preparation for all weekly lectures and offered the opportunity to undertake formative assessment utilising the lecture material and the pre-lecture readings. You will also learn how to utilise various critical appraisal techniques to allow you to confidently use research findings to help you make evidence-based clinical decisions. By the end of this unit, you will be equipped to not only embark on more rigorous research related units and be prepared to undertake the foundations of an Honours or Masters level research project but also be able to understand how research can be used to make evidence-informed clinical decisions.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: Completion of 96 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2020
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Have your say survey
Students found that greater clarity with respect to assessment requirements would be appreciated.
The UC will investigate incorporating this feedback item in the update unit proposal for 2020.
Feedback from Have your say survey
Students indicated that greater diversity in the assessment load, including rationalisation of the current weighting away from two assessments each worth 50%, would help them better meet the learning goals of the unit.
The UC will investigate incorporating the changes to the assessment load and diversity of tasks in the update proposal for 2020.
Feedback from Have your say survey
Students indicated that physical lectures would help them interact with staff and fellow students better during the course of the term.
The UC will investigate the resource implications and availability of ISL facilities that will go some way in addressing this concern in the update proposal for 2020.
Feedback from Have your say survey
Students found the unit did help them understand and appreciate some of the more important and practical aspects of critical research appraisal.
The UC will continue to investigate ways to improve upon the practical applications of the lecture material so to enhance the student's appreciation of the subject.
Feedback from Have your say survey
Students enjoyed the clarity and quality of the lectures presented.
The UC will investigate strategies to make lecture material more user-friendly and engaging for learners in the update proposal for 2020.
- Critique the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs used in primary and secondary research
- Evaluate research using standardised and non-standardised critical appraisal methods
- Analyse basic research data and provide appropriate summaries for further evaluation
- Compose a research question in order to develop a collaborative proposal to investigate a selected field of enquiry
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualised and patient-centred framework.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1 - Portfolio - 50% | |||||
2 - Online Test - 30% | |||||
3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | |||||
4 - Online discussion forum - 0% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1 - Communication | |||||
2 - Problem Solving | |||||
3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
4 - Information Literacy | |||||
5 - Team Work | |||||
6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
8 - Ethical practice | |||||
9 - Social Innovation | |||||
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
1 - Portfolio - 50% | ||||||||||
2 - Online Test - 30% | ||||||||||
3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||||||||
4 - Online discussion forum - 0% |
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- SPSS 20.0 or greater will be required for data analysis
- Excel 2016 (onwards) with Data Analysis Toolpak
- Computer - ability to access study materials, access Zoom application for meetings and view instructional videos.
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.vitiello@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
- PICO- Step 1 in research question development
- Critical Appraisal Topics and Risk of Bias Tools
Chapter
Read all week 1 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 1 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 1
Module/Topic
- Language in research
- Candour & Intellectual integrity
Chapter
Read all week 2 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 2 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 2
Module/Topic
- Randomisation in Randomised Controlled Trials
- Blinding in Randomised Controlled Trials
Chapter
Read all week 3 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 3 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 3
Module/Topic
- Sensitivity & Specificity 1
- Sensitivity & Specificity 2
Chapter
Read all week 4 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 4 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 4
Module/Topic
- Systematic Reviews
- Meta Analyses
Chapter
Read all week 5 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 5 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 5
Module/Topic
Chapter
No reading to be completed
Events and Submissions/Topic
No events are planned
Module/Topic
- Professional/Clinical Guidelines 1
- Professional/Clinical Guidelines 2
Chapter
Read all week 6 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 6 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 6
Module/Topic
- Pragmatic Trials/Studies
Chapter
Read all week 7 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 7 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets Recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 7
Module/Topic
- Basic Data Analysis 1
- Basic Data Analysis 2
Chapter
Read all week 8 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 8 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 8
Module/Topic
- Randomised Controlled Trials 1
- Randomised Controlled Trials 2
Chapter
Read all week 9 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 9 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 9
Module/Topic
- Treatment Effects
- p<0.05 vs 95% CI
Chapter
Read all week 10 journal articles on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Complete all week 10 portfolio activities
- Attend the scheduled Zoom tutorial
- Upload your answers to the weekly 'Lets recap' in-lecture questions during the zoom tutorial
- Complete the weekly Moodle quizzes by Wednesday 17:00 of week 10
Module/Topic
Chapter
No readings to be completed
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Assessments 1 & 2 due this week
Chapter
No reading to be completed
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Assessment 1 (portfolio) due Friday of week 12 at 17:00 AEST
- Assessment 2 (timed in-class Moodle quiz) to be completed on campus in a computer lab during the regularly scheduled Zoom tutorial time. Date TBC
Clinical Portfolio Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Dr Andrew Vitiello is the unit coordinator for the CHIR13012 unit. The best way to contact Andrew is by email at a.vitiello@cqu.edu.au. Andrew's CQU telephone number is 02 9324 5099. Other staff tutoring in this unit, but are not limited to, include; Dr Matthew Gildersleeve, Dr Henry Pollard, and Dr Pehjman Keshvardoust
Access to the internet and a non-programmable scientific calculator are required to undertake this unit as unit materials, tutorials and updates will be provided via Moodle, CQ University email and Zoom tutorials. You will need a webcam and a microphone in order to participate in the online Zoom sessions. Tutorials are interactive Zoom sessions where your participation enables you to check your understanding of the various research-related topics presented during the term and an opportunity to complete the pass/fail assessment in this unit. Guidance for completing all assessments will also be provided during these tutorial sessions. Your regular participation in these tutorials will strongly support your success in this unit. Weekly resources will include access to relevant websites, activities, and readings.
To give yourself the best chance of success with this unit please ensure that you watch all the lectures, read all the weekly journal publications, complete all in-lecture recap quiz questions and attend the Zoom tutorial sessions. It is vital that you keep in touch with your unit coordinator and/or tutors throughout the term.
There will be Zoom tutorials sessions from week 1 and continue throughout the term apart from the mid-term break and Week 12. These will be centrally scheduled and available from timetabling. These sessions will also be recorded and available for review.
This is a 6-credit undergraduate unit and requires an overall time commitment of 12.5 hours of study per week. A suggested time budget/study plan can be found in the CHIR13102 Unit Outline document located on the moodle page.
1 Portfolio
Reflective portfolios are being implemented by the Australian chiropractic regulator (CBA) as a way to enhance an individual registrant's continued professional development. This approach allows the healthcare professional to reflect on patient-centred approaches to unique clinical problems resulting in real and tangible solutions that positively influence shared healthcare decisions. As clinical reflections are a skill requiring diligent practice; this assessment will introduce you to this activity in a structured way that will enhance your problem-solving abilities when tacking simulated clinical scenarios.
In this assessment, clinical scenarios will be provided throughout the term that will support your learning and understanding of the week's lecture material. These scenarios are to be reflected upon using the prescribed Reflective Melt framework and uploaded onto your Weebly e-portfolio page. Each clinical reflection will be a maximum of 1000-words in length and be added to your CHIR13012 Weebly e-portfolio page as you progress throughout the term. You should thereby be able to adequately demonstrate a longitudinal learning journey throughout the term where each week builds upon the next. To complete this section you must select any three of the supplied clinical scenarios from weeks 1-5 AND any three from weeks 6-11. These scenarios can be found in the CHIR13012 Unit Outline document located on the Moodle page.
Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
The portfolio will be submitted via the Moodle assessment link by entering your unique Weebly URL AND a marking rubric completed with your full student details
Written and/or audio feedback will be provided on the marking rubric and available via the Moodle gradebook two weeks after the Week 12 assessment due date
During the course of the portfolio the student will examine and reflect on the following key learning themes;
- Critique the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs used in primary and secondary research
- Compose a research question in order to develop a collaborative proposal to investigate a selected field of enquiry
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualized and patient-centred framework
This assessment will test your ability to coherently reflect on a number of clinical scenarios using a single structured framework. You will be assessed according to the following four key domains;
- Grammar and language
- Critical self-reflection and logic
- Referencing
- General composition and overall presentation
- Critique the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs used in primary and secondary research
- Evaluate research using standardised and non-standardised critical appraisal methods
- Compose a research question in order to develop a collaborative proposal to investigate a selected field of enquiry
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualised and patient-centred framework.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
2 Online Test
A working knowledge of key concepts discussed throughout the term will be assessed in the form of a timed, on-campus moodle quiz. This quiz will test your ability to recall and integrate fundamental research concepts, perform basic calculations utilising various question formats and critique research findings. The assessment will be delivered on campus within the computer labs at each of the CQU campus locations (Sydney, Mackay and Brisbane) and be available via Moodle during the regularly scheduled Zoom tutorial time in Week 12.
The assessment will take a maximum of two-hours and include 10-20 questions. These questions may take a True/False, Short Answer, MCQ or EMQ format, or any combination of these.
This assessment will occur on campus in the computer labs during the normal Zoom tutorial time in Week 12
As these questions will be automatically marked by Moodle no feedback will be given. Grades will be made available two weeks after the Week 12 assement date
The written assessment will cover the following learning outcomes
- Evaluate research using standardised and non-standardised critical appraisal methods.
- Analyse basic research data and provide appropriate summaries for further evaluation.
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualised and patient-centred framework.
- Evaluate research using standardised and non-standardised critical appraisal methods
- Analyse basic research data and provide appropriate summaries for further evaluation
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualised and patient-centred framework.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
3 Online Quiz(zes)
The ability to competently read, interpret and implement new research knowledge into existing health care strategies is a hallmark of an AHPRA-registered professional. It is therefore important that the process of exposure to healthcare research be started as soon as possible within a program of study. Much like learning a new language, the ability to read targeted healthcare research with a view to influencing healthcare decisions is a skill that can be greatly improved if one has a structured approach to reading the literature.
In this assessment, you will reinforce your understanding of the weekly research concepts by reading a carefully curated range of 2-6 research articles followed by the completion of a weekly untimed Moodle quiz. Each quiz will include up to 20 True/False, EMQ or MCQ questions that will be released on the Monday of Weeks 1-11 and close on the Wednesday of each week.
11
Weekly
Each Moodle quiz will be due on the Wednesday of Weeks 1-11 and submitted via Moodle by 12:00pm
Each quiz will be automatically marked and results will be sent to students by the Friday of weeks 1-11
This assessment will cover the following learning outcomes
- Evaluate research using standardised and non-standardised critical appraisal methods
- Analyse basic research data and provide appropriate summaries for further evaluation
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualised and patient-centred framework
- Analyse basic research data and provide appropriate summaries for further evaluation
- Compose a research question in order to develop a collaborative proposal to investigate a selected field of enquiry
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
4 Online discussion forum
This assessment will enable you to gauge your understanding of the material by completing a number of "Lets Recap" MCQs found interspersed throughout the weekly lecture material. Each week there will be up to 20 questions directly relating to the lectures presented. Following the completion of each set of Recap questions, the CHIR131012 Lecture Quiz Results form will be completed and uploaded in the chatbox during the weekly Zoom tutorial session. The CHIR131012 Lecture Quiz Results form can be downloaded from the moodle page. You must attend the Zoom tutorial sessions and the lecture quiz results forms cannot be emailed or submitted on your behalf. As this is a Pass/Fail assessment you will be required to upload a minimum of 80% of all weekly questions in order to pass.
Weekly quiz results will be uploaded during the scheduled Zoom tutorial sessions by way of a Zoom document upload into the group chatbox
As these questions will be automatically marked by Moodle no feedback will be given unless specifically requested during the weekly Zoom tutorial sessions
This assessment will cover the following learning outcomes
- Evaluate research using standardised and non-standardised critical appraisal methods
- Analyse basic research data and provide appropriate summaries for further evaluation
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of published research within a contextualised and patient-centred framework
- Critique the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs used in primary and secondary research
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.