The Research Design and Methods course teaches relevant theories, concepts, tools and techniques in epidemiology to equip students with the knowledge and skills to undertake an applied epidemiological research study. The focus is on turning a research question into a study that is appropriate to the setting and will answer the research question. Students apply skills learnt by developing their own research proposal on a topic of their choosing. Teaching will be through case studies, lectures and small group tutorials.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
At the successful completion of the course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Develop and apply a systematic approach to search the peer-reviewed and grey literature relevant to a public health problem, and to record the references appropriately.
- Interpret, summarise and synthesise the literature on the public health problem/event of interest.
- Use the results of the literature search to clarify the rationale of the study and to formulate explicit study objectives and/ or research questions.
- Describe suitable study designs and methods, and their advantage and disadvantages for investigating public health problems.
- Propose practical methods to reduce chance, bias and confounding in an applied epidemiological study.
- Develop a feasible research plan including logistics and timelines, roles and responsibilities of team members, and anticipated challenges/risks in conducting the study.
- Effectively communicate research methods and results to a scientific audience, and prepare lay communities and potential participants to participate in a research study.
Other Information
Students enrolled in this course are required to have completed an undergraduate degree and Masters level courses on Epidemiology and/or Biostatistics from a recognised School of Public Health (either in Australia or internationally), or completion of Fundamentals of Epidemiology and Fundamentals of Biostatistics short courses held at the ANU. Students wishing to do these subjects, but do not have these prerequisites should contact the convener.Indicative Assessment
- Literature review- 30% (LO 1, 2, 3)
- Research plan – 70% (LO 1-7)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Semester 1 offering:
In Person: 3 hours each week comprising a mix of lecture and tutorials, plus 7 hours per week of associated study.
Semester 2 offering:
In person: Attendance and participation at an intensive program (five days) is required in the semester for in-person mode of delivery.
Online: Participation in online teaching sessions over the semester plus additional time spent on pre-reading, self-directed study and completing the assessment requirements as per a 6-unit course load.
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the Research School of Population Health to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $4092 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $5454 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4148 | 20 Feb 2017 | 27 Feb 2017 | 31 Mar 2017 | 26 May 2017 | In Person | N/A |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8277 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |
| 10068 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | Online | N/A |
