ALLH12007 - Research Methods for Health Professionals

General Information

Unit Synopsis

During this unit you will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of research designs and methodologies, and how to critically evaluate information from a variety of sources. Throughout this unit you will also learn how to analyse and interpret statistics, as well as develop a number of essential study skills including undertaking an information search, using a bibliographic software program and enhancing your academic writing skills.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

There are no availabilities for this unit on or after Term 3 - 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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 60%
2. Online Test 20%
3. Online Test 20%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2018 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 77.46% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 52.99% response rate.

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.

Source: Have your say
Feedback
It would be beneficial to run separate sessions for students who use Windows and MAC when learning how to use EndNote.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the lecture on EndNote be separated into two separate sessions, where one session will cover using EndNote in Word, the other using EndNote using a MAC. This will ensure that all content delivered in each of these sessions is specific and relevant to the different system users.
Action Taken
Unfortunately the lecture was unable to be separated into two sessions due to timetabling issues. However, an instruction manual for both Microsoft and MAC users was created that provided detailed instructions that seemed to work successfully for the students.
Source: Have your say Student communication
Feedback
This unit would be of even more benefit if it were offered as a Term 1 unit.
Recommendation
The academic staff involved in the delivery of this unit agree that it would be extremely beneficial for students if this unit was offered as a Term 1 unit. In fact, this change will be implemented in 2019.
Action Taken
A course restructure was completed in 2017/2018. As a result, this unit will now be offered as a Term 1 unit, commencing 2019.
Source: Have your say
Feedback
The Survival Guide assessment task was fantastic for helping to develop research skills.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Survival Guide continue as the main assessment task within this unit as it requires students to develop and demonstrate their understanding of study and research skills, which are essential for future study.
Action Taken
The Survival Guide will continue as the main assessment task within this unit.
Source: 2018 'Have your Say' Survey
Feedback
Restructure the content so that the lecture on the Art of Academic Writing align with the academic writing assessment task.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the delivery of the Art of Academic Writing' lecture align with the assessment task on academic writing. Further, it is recommended that the assessment task be modified to accommodate this change, as the order of content delivery within the unit does not have the capacity to be re-arranged at this time.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: 2018 'Have your Say' Survey
Feedback
Students really enjoyed the applied learning examples within this unit as they not only helped to reinforce their knowledge, but they also helped to make the unit fun, interactive and engaging.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the applied learning examples continue to be used in this unit, and that opportunities to introduce additional applied learning examples be explored for the future.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: 2018 'Have your Say' Survey
Feedback
Weekly tutorials / Drop-In sessions would help to reinforce knowledge, and would allow for another avenue for distance students to interact with the lecturer.
Recommendation
It is recommended that weekly 'Drop-In Zoom' sessions be introduced to the unit, commencing 2019 as students have identified that these sessions will be of benefit in helping them to reinforce their knowledge and understanding, as well as provide distance students with a regular opportunity to interact with the lecturer in real time.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Critically evaluate and summarise information from a variety of sources
  2. Use effective search strategies to conduct a systematic information search
  3. Identify the strengths and limitations of a variety of research designs and research methodologies
  4. Analyse and interpret basic statistical tests.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Online Test • •
3 - Online Test •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • •
8 - Ethical practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10