HLQ707 Research Methods in Health
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | HLQ707 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | Completion of 96 credit points of study |
| Equivalent(s): | HLN707 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | Content of HLN710 or PUN105 or HLN405 is assumed knowledge |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $2,976 |
Unit Outline: Session 1 2024, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | HLQ707 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | Completion of 96 credit points of study |
| Equivalent: | HLN707 |
Overview
An understanding of the research process and how to interpret and critically evaluate research literature is essential in evidence-based health practice. In this unit you will analyse and critique research methods and evidence with reference to real world experiences and develop the skills to design a viable and ethical research proposal to investigate a particular area of practice relevant to your specialisation and/or professional interest, which will prepare you to undertake an independent project unit. This unit aims to provide clinicians and health practitioners the supported experience of becoming a scholar practitioner and able to link their research knowledge with practice. Course themes emphasised in this unit are ethical and responsible practice, and clinical informatics, eHealth and digital literacy.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Apply critical literature search strategies to synthesise a focused research question based on identified gaps in current knowledge.
- Evaluate research evidence to critically appraise the contributions and limitations of evidence for a selected area of professional interest.
- Develop a research proposal with evidence-based justification of research design, method and data analysis approaches consistent with ethical research practices.
Content
This unit is organised into 3 modules:
- Module 1: Introduction to Research Methods
- developing a research question
- developing a literature search strategy
- Module 2: Evaluation of Evidence
- how to conduct a systematic review
- quantitative methods
- qualitative methods
- mixed methods
- Module 3: Research ethics in the health context
Learning Approaches
In this fully online unit you will have the opportunity to learn through active engagement with the interactive learning resources, peer learning, moderated and facilitated online discussions, learning events and self-directed learning materials. You will develop complex reasoning and research skills in a consultative environment with your online learning advisor which will foster enquiry and informed debate about a range of research issues.
The unit will emphasise the practical resources for health research which are readily available from the internet, databases or sources commonly available to most clinicians and health practitioners. You will undertake a hands-on systematic and thorough literature search about your research question guided by your online learning advisor.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
- Informal formative feedback will be provided through self-check exercises, peer feedback and through individual or whole of class feedback in online discussions or via comments in online communities.
- Formal written or recorded feedback will be received on both formative and summative assessment tasks via Turnitin or the Canvas Assignment tool, in addition to the grade on the Criterion Reference Assessment sheet.
- Feedback on Assessment Task 1 will be received prior to the submission of Assessment Task 2.
- Industry informed expert feedback may be provided through clinical assessment examples and interventions at timely intervals to guide learning and assessment.
- Students are encouraged to seek and share feedback in their workplaces where appropriate.
Assessment
Overview
In this unit, there are two summative assessment tasks to submit and one formative task.
For the formative task, you will complete an expression of intent (EoI) for your research topic. This will be the topic you continue to develop in Assignment 1: Search strategy, and Assignment 2: Research proposal or review protocol. This task will help you start your research proposal or review protocol by articulating your initial thoughts. You will submit the expression of interest in Week 3 to allow early feedback on your proposed research question.
For Assignment 1, you are required to conduct a search strategy for a structured literature review (a systematic/scoping/rapid review) using your focused research question and based on the feedback provided by your Online Learning Adviser (OLA) in Formative task. You will submit Assignment 1 in Week 6. For the final task, you are required to produce either a viable research proposal OR review protocol (a systematic/scoping/rapid review) that you can use to guide the subsequent project undertaken later in your degree. This task is due at the end of the teaching period in the QUT Online exam week.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Research EOI and Search Strategy
Part A: You will present an expression of intent of your potential research topic and formulate a focused question. This is designed as a formative task so that you can receive essential feedback from your teaching team to refine your research area.
Part B: You will construct a search strategy for a structured literature review (systematic, scoping or rapid review) using your focused research question.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Research Proposal
Drawing from Assessment items 1 and 2, you will now develop a defensible research proposal that outlines and justifies your research methodological design, considers the impact of ethical issues and establishes a timeline for completing your research.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Boland, A., Cherry, M.G., and Dickson (2017) Doing a Systematic Review. Sage: Melbourne.
Booth, A., Sutton, A., and Papaioannou, D. (2016) Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review. Sage: Melbourne.
Liamputtong, P. (2016) Research Methods in Health: Foundation for Evidence-Based Practice. Oxford University Press: Melbourne.
Punch, K.F. (2016) Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage: Melbourne.
Risk Assessment Statement
Substantial computer-based work will be required. You are recommended to take regular rest breaks when engaging in prolonged computer-based work.
Unit Outline: Session 3 2024, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | HLQ707 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | Completion of 96 credit points of study |
| Equivalent: | HLN707 |
| Coordinator: | Jerico Pardosi | jerico.pardosi@qut.edu.au |
Overview
An understanding of the research process and how to interpret and critically evaluate research literature is essential in evidence-based health practice. In this unit you will analyse and critique research methods and evidence with reference to real world experiences and develop the skills to design a viable and ethical research proposal to investigate a particular area of practice relevant to your specialisation and/or professional interest, which will prepare you to undertake an independent project unit. This unit aims to provide clinicians, health practitioners and health managers the supported experience of becoming a scholar practitioner and able to link their research knowledge with practice. Course themes emphasised in this unit are ethical and responsible practice, and clinical informatics, eHealth and digital literacy.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Generate a focused research question based on identified gaps in current knowledge.
- Justify your choice of appropriate research methodology and methods.
- Assess the ethical considerations of your research.
- Generate a robust research proposal or review protocol applying the methodological principles of rigorous research design.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- Introduction to research methods in health
- What is a literature review?
- Developing a search strategy
- Reviews - Quantitative Synthesis
- Reviews - Qualitative Synthesis
- Methodological quality of studies in reviews
- Reporting methods
- Reviews - mixed methods
- Health research in practice
- Research ethics
- Writing a research proposal/review protocol
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn by engaging in an active learning environment, undertaking regular online activities, guided through the learning process by expert teaching staff who provide regular feedback. On average, you will need to dedicate 12-15 hours each week for your learning that includes readings, discussions with peers and assignments.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
- Informal formative feedback will be provided through self-check exercises, peer feedback and through individual or whole of class feedback in online discussions or via comments in online communities.
- Formal written or recorded feedback will be received on both formative and summative assessment tasks via Turnitin or the Canvas Assignment tool, in addition to the grade on the Criterion Reference Assessment sheet.
- Feedback on Assessment Task 1 will be received prior to the submission of Assessment Task 2.
- Industry informed expert feedback may be provided through clinical assessment examples and interventions at timely intervals to guide learning and assessment.
- Students are encouraged to seek and share feedback in their workplaces where appropriate.
Assessment
Overview
The first assessment - Research expression of intent - is formative only. The purpose of formative assessment is to show you how your work can be improved. You will receive feedback on your research topic to better prepare you for the following assessments.
The Search Strategy and Research Proposal/Review Protocol are summative tasks. The purpose of summative assessment is on determining the outcome of your learning and comparison with benchmarks. The Search Strategy will draw on what you have learnt about identifying evidence and enable you to determine if there is enough evidence to continue with the research topic. The Research Proposal/Review Protocol will build on the Search Strategy and all the unit learning materials about research methodologies and methods to propose in detail the research/review you will undertake in a later capstone unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Research EOI and Search Strategy
Part A: You will present an expression of intent of your potential research topic and formulate a focused question. This is designed as a formative task so that you can receive essential feedback from your teaching team to refine your research area.
Part B: In this assessment you will take on the role of a researcher to develop a search strategy for a research question. You are required to justify the need to research a specific health issue or problem, develop an answerable research question and objectives, a succinct and focused review of the current evidence, and outline an appropriate study design, and, if applicable, the underlying theoretical framework. The audience will be a group of researchers or other experts in the field.
You will develop a search strategy by using your tentative research question from the Formative assessment (Expression of intent), including a comprehensive description of your analysis of the current evidence (for example, search strategy, studies selection, critical appraisal, data extraction tables and summary of findings).
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Research Proposal
Continuing in your role as a researcher, you will develop a structured research proposal OR review protocol that will expand upon Assessment 1 into a defensible research proposal/review protocol including a description of the proposed research methodology, brief justification of methods, consideration of ethical issues, and establish a timeline for completing your research project.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Boland, A., Cherry, M.G., and Dickson (2017) Doing a Systematic Review. Sage: Melbourne.
Booth, A., Sutton, A., and Papaioannou, D. (2016) Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review. Sage: Melbourne.
Liamputtong, P. (2016) Research Methods in Health: Foundation for Evidence-Based Practice. Oxford University Press: Melbourne.
Punch, K.F. (2016) Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage: Melbourne.
Risk Assessment Statement
Workplace Health and Safety protocols associated with computer use will apply.
You are expected to communicate in ways that are professional and respectful of others in all interactions. Please refer to QUT guidelines on communication.