Overview
This unit explores the importance and role of epidemiology as an approach to both public health and clinical practice. You will be able to use evidence from epidemiological investigations, to understand the distribution of health outcomes in populations and understand the influence of factors that determine this distribution. The critical function of epidemiology will be reviewed including areas of anticipated needs, identified risk conditions, definition of priorities and the use of available resources for planning and administering health care services.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prereq: 72 credit points (any tertiary level units)
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 1 - 2024
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 Personal reflection
Tutorial
While tutorials are indeed scheduled, many students choose not to attend them. It could prove beneficial to introduce drop-in tutorial sessions, thereby channelling additional resources toward assisting students online through Moodle and providing one-on-one support as required.
- Calculate and communicate epidemiological statistics relating to the measurement of health, wellness and disease.
- Interpret epidemiological data within theories and frameworks of social justice and cultural diversity for effective knowledge transfer and exchange.
- Evaluate epidemiological investigations and sources of epidemiological data to identify inequities, enable change and advocate for health.
- Argue for a population health outcome using relevant research methods and approaches.
- Explain principles of data confidentiality and disclosure, and apply the ethical use of data.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Poster Sessions - 25% | |||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 25% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
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 | |||||
Textbooks
Essential Epidemiology: An introduction for students and health professionals
Edition: 4 (2020)
Authors: Penelope Webb, Chris Bain, & Andrew Page
Cambridge University Press
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom Capacity (microphone required; webcam optional)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.fischer@cqu.edu.au
l.bricknell@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2, week 2: Quizzes on week 1 learning material. Due on Monday, 11/03/2024, at 11:59 PM AEST (Weighting: 5%)
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2, week 3: Quizzes on week 2 learning material. Due on Monday, 18/03/2024, at 11:59 PM AEST (Weighting: 5%)
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2, week 4: Quizzes on week 3 learning material. Due on Monday, 25/03/2024, at 11:59 PM AEST (Weighting: 5%)
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2, week 5: Quizzes on week 4 learning material. Due on Monday, 01/04/2024, at 11:59 PM AEST (Weighting: 5%)
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2, week 6: Quizzes on week 5 learning material. Due on Monday, 15/04/2024, at 11:59 PM AEST (Weighting: 5%)
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Selected readings
Chapter
See eReading list on the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Poster Sessions
In your professional life, you will apply your knowledge of epidemiology to describe the impact of health outcomes, the patterns of disease, or the risks of a particular outcome in your work with clients, collaborators, or the general public. This assessment is a practical application of that.
In this assessment, you are asked to research, create, and develop a poster that describes the population health impact of one of the following health issues for the Australian population. Using appropriate measures, you must source, interpret and communicate the current epidemiological evidence. The audience of your presentation will be health policymakers, health planners from the Department of Health, academics and researchers, and other health professionals. Therefore, your poster must be presented in an academic style poster.
Your poster needs to include:
- A clear introduction to the health issue that provides a clear definition and justification of why it is important.
- The use of a range of appropriate epidemiological measures to critically demonstrate the impact this health issue has on:
- The Australian population as a whole and
- Within or between different population groups of relevance (differential impact). For example, age, gender, geographic location, occupation
- The use of data visualization that contributes to the effective communication of the issue.
- A clear and concise conclusion that links to the introduction and the contents of the poster.
The topics you can choose from will be provided in Moodle, or you can choose any topic that interests you, but approval must be sought from the unit coordinator before commencing the work. This is a poster submission assessment only. There is no presentation.
Week 8 Monday (29 Apr 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 10 Monday (13 May 2024)
Two weeks after the due date
| Criteria |
High Distinction (HD) 85-100% |
Distinction (D) 75-84% |
Credit (C) 65-74% |
Pass (P) 64-50% |
Fail (N) <50% |
Criterion score |
| C1. Effective communication and use of academic literacies |
8.5–10 points
|
7.5-8.4 points
|
6.5-7.4 points
|
5.0-6.4 points
|
0–4.9 points
|
/10 |
| C2. Summary of the selected health issue with justification on why it is a significant public health issue |
12.75–15 points
|
11.25–12.74 points
|
9.75–11.24 points
|
7.5–9.74 points
|
0–7.4 points
|
/15 |
| C3. Identification of the risk and protective factors of the health issue and explanation of determinants contributing to disparities in the population. |
12.75–15 points
|
11.25–12.74 points
|
9.75–12.24 points
|
7.5–9.74 points
|
0–7.4 points
|
/15 |
| C4. Critical review of the contemporary discourse on the impact of the selected health issue on the population of Australia or your home country, use of a range of appropriate epidemiological measures and interpretations, data visualisations and explanation of the extent of the problem in different population groups. |
17–20 points
|
15-16.9 points
|
13-14.9 points
|
10–12.9 points
|
0–9.9 points
|
/20 |
| C5. Identification of one population group disproportionately impacted by the selected health issue and explanation, supported with evidence of what contributes to these disparities in the most affected population group. |
17–20 points
|
15–16.9 points
|
13-14.9 points
|
10–12.9 points
|
0–9.9 points
|
/20 |
| C6. Summary justifying why the selected health issue is important and summarising the extent of the problem, its determinants, and factors contributing to disparities in different population groups. |
8.5–10 points
|
7.5-8.4 points
|
6.5–7.4 points
|
5–6.4 points
|
0–4.9 points
|
/10 |
| C7. Uses Havard referencing style consistently and with care to avoid simple errors. Includes a reference list with high-quality academic or professional references. |
8.5–10 points
|
7.5–8.4 points
|
6.5-7.4 points
|
5–6.4 points
|
0–4.9 points
|
/10 |
| Total | /100 | |||||
| Overall score |
High Distinction (HD) 85 points minimum |
Distinction (D) 75 points minimum |
Credit (C) 65 points minimum |
Pass (P) 50 points minimum |
Fail (N) 0 points minimum |
No submission method provided.
- Calculate and communicate epidemiological statistics relating to the measurement of health, wellness and disease.
- Interpret epidemiological data within theories and frameworks of social justice and cultural diversity for effective knowledge transfer and exchange.
2 Online Quiz(zes)
Assessment 2 is a quiz that you will complete individually. The quiz consists of multiple-choice questions and there are five quizzes in total, each worth 5%. You will complete one quiz every week from week 2 to week 6. Each quiz covers the materials that you learned in the previous week. For example, the week 2 quiz covers the materials that you learned in week 1, the week 3 quiz covers the materials that you learned in week 2, and so on.
Each quiz will have five multiple-choice questions from a question. You must choose the correct answer. You will have 15 minutes to complete each quiz and you cannot pause it. You will only have one attempt to complete each quiz, so it's important to have a reliable internet connection when taking the quiz.
You may use a cheat sheet with formulas and a simple calculator to assist you. The quiz will be available from 00:00 hours on Monday of each week until 23:59 hours on Monday of the following week. For example, the quiz for week 2 will be available from Monday of week 1 and will remain open until Monday of week 2 at 23:59. You will receive your grades after the quiz has closed and all deferred quizzes have been completed. You will be shown which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly, with feedback to help you identify the areas that you need to revise.
5
Weekly
Quizzes will be due every Mondays at 11:59 PM AEST in weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6
Quizzes will be returned immediately upon completion
No Assessment Criteria
No submission method provided.
- Evaluate epidemiological investigations and sources of epidemiological data to identify inequities, enable change and advocate for health.
- Argue for a population health outcome using relevant research methods and approaches.
- Explain principles of data confidentiality and disclosure, and apply the ethical use of data.
3 Written Assessment
In your professional life, you may use your knowledge of epidemiology to support applications for funding by your employer, either through grants or budget requests, to address health outcomes within your area. This assessment is a practical application of that scenario. You must get at least 50% in this assessment to pass this unit.
In this assessment, you are required to research and write an application for funding. The funding will support an evidence-based intervention that will improve the health of a population concerning the issue you critically outlined in Assessment 1. The aim is to address the health outcome you examined in Assessment 1. You must complete an application that requests funding to conduct an evidence-based population-level intervention to improve population health concerning your topic.
The application requires you to use an evaluation of relevant literature to propose an appropriate evidence-based, contextually relevant approach that addresses the health issue. You must research and identify evidence-based approaches to address the health outcome of interest that are suitable for the context in which you are implementing it. This is consistent with the goal of public health, which is to ask not just "what works" but to address "what works for whom, under what circumstances, and how".
The funding body has provided a template for the application with prescribed sections and word limits to explain your proposed project. You will need to source, interpret, and communicate the current epidemiological evidence, demonstrating your understanding of the different study types and how they support your claims. Your completed template, along with your references, will need to be uploaded to the Moodle site.
Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Due by 11:59 PM, Friday, 9/2/2024
Exam Week Friday (14 June 2024)
Assessments will be returned to students following certification of grades
| Criteria |
High Distinction (HD) 85 – 100% |
Distinction (D) 75 – 84% |
Credit (C) 65 – 74% |
Pass (P) 50 – 64% |
Fail (F) < 50% |
Criterion score |
| C 1. Overview of project |
8.5-10 points
|
7.5-8.4 points
|
6.5-7.4 points
|
5.0-6.4 points
|
0-4.9 points
|
10 |
| C 2. Communication of ideas |
12.75-15 points
|
11.25-12.74 points
|
9.75-11.24 points
|
7.5-9.74 points
|
0-7.4 points
|
15 |
| C3. Organisation of content |
8.5-10 points
|
7.5-8.4 points
|
6.5-7.4 points
|
5.0-6.4 points
|
0-4.9 points
|
10 |
| C4. Understanding and use of epidemiological data to provide background to the issue |
21.25-25 points
|
18.75-21.24 points
|
16-18.74 points
|
12.5-15.9 points
|
0-12.4 points
|
25 |
| C5. Reasoning and support for project |
25.5-30 points
|
22.5-25.4 points
|
19.5-22.4 points
|
15-19.4 points
|
0-14.9 points
|
30 |
| C6. Referencing |
8.5-10 points
|
7.5-8.4 points
|
6.5-7.4 points
|
5.0-6.4 points
|
0-4.9 points
|
10 |
| Total |
/100 |
|||||
|
Overall score |
High Distinction (HD) 85 points minimum |
Distinction (D) 75 points minimum |
Credit (C) 65 points minimum |
Pass (P) 50 points minimum |
Fail (N) 0 points minimum |
|
No submission method provided.
- Calculate and communicate epidemiological statistics relating to the measurement of health, wellness and disease.
- Interpret epidemiological data within theories and frameworks of social justice and cultural diversity for effective knowledge transfer and exchange.
- Evaluate epidemiological investigations and sources of epidemiological data to identify inequities, enable change and advocate for health.
- Argue for a population health outcome using relevant research methods and approaches.
- Explain principles of data confidentiality and disclosure, and apply the ethical use of data.
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.
What can you do to act with integrity?
