School of Science and Health - 400864 Research Methods (Quantitative and Qualitative) Summer A 2019 - Transtutors
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School of Science and Health
400864 Research Methods (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Summer A 2019Unit Details
Unit Code: 400864
Unit Name: Research Methods (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Credit Points: 10
Unit Level: 2
Assumed Knowledge: None
Note: Students with any problems, concerns or doubts should discuss those with the Unit Coordinator as early as they can.
Unit Coordinator
Name: Dr John Bidewell
Phone: 4620 3548 until 30 November, then from 14 January 2019 onwards. Email communication preferred.
Location: CA-24.2.17 or pre-arranged video link
Email: j.bidewell@westernsydney.edu.au
Consultation Arrangement:
Online and in-person by appointment - please email Dr Bidewell to arrange. Unavailable for consultation or commu-
nication from 1 December 2018 to 13 January 2019 - please contact Dr Singharay, the other unit coordinator, or Ms
Rowe, tutor. Available again for online and in-person consultation from 14 January 2019.
Name: Dr Anannya Singharay
Phone: Email only
Location: By arrangement, including pre-arranged video link
Email: a.singharay@westernsydney.edu.au
Consultation Arrangement:
Online and in-person by appointment - please email Dr Singharay to arrange. Email communication only from 15 to
22 December 2018. Unavailable for any consultation from 23 December 2018 to 6 January 2019. vUWS unattended
from 23 December until 6 January. Available again for online and in-person consultations from 7 January 2019.
Teaching Team
Name: Ms Narelle Rowe
Phone: Email only
Location: By arrangement, including pre-arranged video link
Email: n.rowe@westernsydney.edu.au
Consultation Arrangement:
Online and in-person by appointment - please email Ms Rowe to arrange. Unavailable for any consultation from 23
December 2018 to 6 January 2019. Available again for online and in-person consultations from 7 January 2019.
Edition: Summer A 2019
Copyright c 2019 University Western Sydney trading as Western Sydney University ABN 53 014 069 881 CRICOS Provider No: 00917K No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission from the Dean of the School. Copyright for acknowledged materials reproduced
herein is retained by the copyright holder. All readings in this publication are copied under licence in accordance with Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968.Contents
1 About Research Methods (Quantitative and Qualitative) 2
1.1 An Introduction to this Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 What is Expected of You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Changes to Unit as a Result of Past Student Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Assessment Information 3
2.1 Unit Learning Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Approach to Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Assessment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.4 Assessment Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.1 Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.2 Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.4.3 End-of-session exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.5 General Submission Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Teaching and Learning Activities 17
4 Learning Resources 20
4.1 Recommended Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Note: The relevant Learning Guide Companion supplements this document
11 About Research Methods (Quantitative and Qualitative)
1.1 An Introduction to this Unit
This unit further explores research methods used to acquire knowledge in healthcare. This includes research designs,
international standards, key statistics, and interpretation of results. The range of health research methods will be
presented, and studies about treatment effectiveness (clinical trials and systematic reviews), diagnostic effectiveness
and qualitative approaches will be explored in detail. Pathways for early-career research are also introduced.
1.2 What is Expected of You
Study Load
A student is expected to study an hour per credit point a week. For example a 10 credit point unit would require 10
hours of study per week. This time includes the time spent within classes during lectures, tutorials or practicals.
Attendance
Refer to the Learning Guide
Online Learning Requirements
Unit materials will be made available on the unit’s vUWS (E-Learning) site (https://vuws.westernsydney.edu.au/).
You are expected to consult vUWS at least twice a week, as all unit announcements will be made via vUWS. Teaching
and learning materials will be regularly updated and posted online by the teaching team.
Special Requirements
Essential Equipment:
None
Legislative Pre-Requisites:
None
1.3 Changes to Unit as a Result of Past Student Feedback
The University values student feedback in order to improve the quality of its educational programs. The feedback
provided helps us improve teaching methods and units of study. The survey results inform unit content and design,
learning guides, teaching methods, assessment processes and teaching materials.
You are welcome to provide feedback that is related to the teaching of this unit. At the end of the semester
you will be given the opportunity to complete a Student Feedback on Unit (SFU) questionnaire to assess the unit.
You may also have the opportunity to complete a Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) questionnaire to provide
feedback for individual teaching staff.
As a result of student feedback, the following changes and improvements to this unit have recently been made:
– Changes to learning materials and tutorials have occurred in response to student comments. Changes other
than those suggested by students include to lectures, revision and study notes, and assessment practice items.
Tutorial content has recently been revised to increase perceptions of relevance. Practical relevance of the
content continues to receive more emphasis. The Respondus browser is no longer a requirement for the quiz
assessment.
22 Assessment Information
2.1 Unit Learning Outcomes
Practising as a health professional requires decisions based on recent, high-quality evidence. To do this, health pro-
fessionals have to navigate a growing abundance of claims, counter-claims and suggestions for practice. Competing
claims and counter-claims are subject to bias, uncertainty and dispute. These controversies can be resolved only by
finding, understanding and evaluating evidence from reliable sources. To understand and evaluate evidence, you need
to know how evidence is found through research. This unit aims both to develop knowledge, skills and abilities gained
in 400863 Foundations of Research and Evidence-based Practice, and introduce new knowledge, skills and abilities in
making sense of research relevant to evidence-based healthcare practice.
This unit is the second of three in which you learn:
1. Quantitative Research
i. Overview of questions, types and levels for evidence.
ii. Randomised controlled trials
- RCT design and the CONSORT statement
- RCT statistical testing for continuous and categorical data
iii. Studies of diagnostic effectiveness
- Diagnostic study design and the STARD statement
- Statistical testing for diagnostic studies
iv. Cohort, case-control and other epidemiological studies
v. Systematic reviews
- Systematic review design and the PRISMA statement
- Meta-analysis for continuous and categorical data
2. Qualitative research
i. Qualitative research approaches
ii. Strategies for presenting and describing qualitative data
iii. Issues in qualitative studies
iv. Integrating or mixed methods
3. Beginning research
i. Formal study options
ii. Workplace research: action research, audits and quality assurance
iii. Research preparation, protocol writing and ethical approval
Outcome
1 Identify the main methodologies, research questions, types and levels of evidence for quantitative and
qualitative research.
2 Describe structured approaches and methods for assessing quality of evidence.
3 Interpret the CONSORT statement for assessing reporting quality of clinical trials.
4 Interpret results in quantitative and qualitative research reports.
5 Specify requirements for research proposals and conducting ethical research.
6 Identify pathways and processes for commencing a career in research.
2.2 Approach to Learning
This unit outlines the research methods used to acquire knowledge in healthcare. This includes research designs,
international standards, key statistics and interpretation of results. The range of health research methods will be
presented, and studies about treatment effectiveness (clinical trials and systematic reviews), diagnostic effectiveness
and qualitative approaches will be explored in detail. The pathways and resources for conducting beginner research
will also be introduced in this unit.
What is expected of you
Study load
For this 10 credit-point unit in Summer 2018-2019 you are expected to study 20 hours per week for 7 weeks. As class
time totals 4 hours per teaching week, you are expected to study a further 16 hours per teaching week outside of class
3time. The 20 hours per week include reading all of this learning guide, the supplied study notes and recommended
textbook chapters, listening to lectures, attending tutorials, preparing for classes, doing assignment work, vUWS
practice exercises and assessments, plus other effort of your own initiative. Students keen to do well in this unit will
attempt every learning activity, whether formally assessed and graded or not.
Attendance
It is recommended that you attend all scheduled learning activities. Students with poor attendance may find them-
selves at risk of not passing assessments.
Online learning requirements
Lecture notes and laboratory worksheets will be made available on vUWS, accessible from the University home page.
Students are expected to log onto the unit’s vUWS site regularly, at least twice per week. Online private study
prepares you for tutorials and develops assessable skills. Some exercises require you to log on to vUWS, and com-
plete activities such as readings and answering questions to reinforce learning. Whilst online practice quizzes are not
compulsory, you should do them. vUWS activity is monitored and can later be used as evidence of individual studen-
t engagement with the unit. The vUWS discussion board enables communication between students and teaching staff.
Approach to teaching and learning
There are three delivery modes: lectures, tutorials and study notes. Tutorials build on lectures. Study notes provide
background to lectures and supplement tutorials. Additional practice exercises are available online, especially for the
assessment quiz and the final exam. For the assignment there are comprehensive support materials. Students are
encouraged to use all of these resources.
Attendance at tutorials and listening to lectures are essential but not enough for a good result. Preparation for
lectures, tutorials and assessments through working with vUWS and completing online tasks will help you get the
most from this unit. Every lecture, tutorial, online learning task, reading and practice exercise is relevant to the
assessments and, therefore, your final grade.
How to learn effectively in this unit
1. Attend the lecture or listen to lectures online.
2. Attend classroom tutorials and participate actively. It’s a really good idea to read and even attempt tutorial
exercises with answers before attending class. Compare your answers with answers given in class.
3. Study the online study notes on these topics: causality, measurement, sampling, and research terms.
4. Complete any available practice exercises.
5. Reader and otherwise use any supplementary online resources, especially for the assignment.
6. Ask questions and generally use the vUWS discussion board.
7. Take note of announcements and updated information on vUWS.
Communicating with University staff
Email is the main way of communicating with teaching staff outside of class and with the unit administration officer.
Use only your Western Sydney University student email account to send messages. It is reasonable to expect a
response to your message within 2 days.
42.3 Assessment Summary
The assessment items in this unit are designed to enable you to demonstrate that you have achieved the unit learning
outcomes. Completion and submission of all assessment items which have been designated as mandatory or compul-
sory is essential to receive a passing grade.
To pass this unit you must:
- Complete and submit to Turnitin Assessment 2 (CONSORT appraisal) - compulsory assessment.
- Attend and submit the final or (if approved) the deferred examination - compulsory assessment.
- Achieve a total score of at least 50% (50 marks out of 100 from all submitted.
Students neglecting to submit Assessment 2 or attempt the final examination are liable to receive a Fail-Non-
Submission (FNS) grade.
Item Weight Due Date ULOs Assessed Threshold
Quiz 15% 10 pm, Friday, 11 January 2019. 1, 2 No
Report 35% 10 pm, Friday, 18 January 2019 1, 2, 3, 4 No
End-of-session exam 50% As per examination timetable 1-6 No
Feedback on Assessment
Feedback is an important part of the learning process that can improve your progress towards achieving the learning
outcomes. Feedback is any written or spoken response made in relation to academic work such as an assessment
task, a performance or product. It can be given to you by a teacher, an external assessor or student peer, and may
be given individually or to a group of students. As a Western Sydney University student, it is your responsibility to
seek out and act on feedback that is provided to you as a resource to further your learning.
- Online quiz feedback - Total score on vUWS 2 days the quiz closing date. Delay to results may occur if quiz
availability must continue for large numbers of students with approved extensions. Details about individual questions
or answers are not available.
- Report - Detailed comments and section scores on Turnitin Feedback Studio. Markers will try to have results
completed within 3 weeks of the submission. Delays beyond the control of staff can happen, affecting the date of
release for the marks.
- Final examination - University official release of final results; numerical score. Details about individual questions or
answers are not available.
52.4 Assessment Details
2.4.1 Quiz
Weight: 15%
Type of Collaboration: Individual
Due: 10 pm, Friday, 11 January 2019.
Submission: Online to vUWS
Format: 15 multiple choice, single-response questions in 30 minutes. All questions should be
attempted. Each question is worth 1 mark.
Length: 30 minutes
Curriculum Mode: Quiz
Log onto vUWS from Monday to Friday during the week of the quiz’s availability. Attempt and correctly answer
multiple-choice questions. All questions should be attempted.
The quiz is available online from Monday to Friday during the week of its due date. Despite repeated advice
and warnings, very year some students forget to do the quiz. Late quizzes are not permitted without prior ap-
proved extension, Special Consideration or equivalent. Neglecting to submit a quiz on time means receiving zero
marks for that assessment.
Some students leave their quiz until the last day, the evening or, incredibly, the last hour of the final day. They
report difficulties in undertaking the quiz, then use those difficulties as an excuse for not submitting a quiz. Early
during the week there is plenty of time to fix individual students’ technical problems. If you start your quiz on the
last night of its availability and experience a technical hitch, you cannot expect the unit coordinator, University IT
staff or the vUWS Help Desk to be waiting for your after-hours emergency contact, or to solve your problem before
the quiz closes.
If a student alleges technical difficulties late in the week and affecting that student alone, when the quiz has been
generally available through the week so the student has had ample opportunity to do the quiz earlier, that is not
a valid reason for an extension to the quiz, or Special Consideration or any other concession. There are no plans
to extend the quiz for students who, through absence of mind, disregard of advice and instructions, personal disor-
ganisation, other pressing commitments, an alleged noisy or disruptive environment or inability to operate the quiz
software when the vUWS system and related software are functioning, have not submitted their quiz by the deadline.
It is recommended that the quiz be run on a wired rather than a wireless network. Personal computers (desktop or
notebook) should be used, with University computers especially recommended. The quiz should not be attempted
using a tablet computer and definitely not using a mobile telephone.
Resources:
- Lectures for the first two teaching weeks.
- Study notes on measurement, sampling and technical terms used in evidence-based practice. These study notes
revise and build on prerequisite unit 400863 Foundations of Research and Evidence-based Practice. The fourth set
of study notes, on causality, introduces a new topic for this unit.
- A list of quiz question topics will appear in Week 1. Students are advised to study this list as it shows the topic for
every question.
Marking Criteria:
Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
Select the correct Correctly answered Correctly answered Correctly answered Correctly answered Fewer than 50% of
answer. 85% or more of all 75-84.9% of all 65-74.9% of all 50-64.9% of all all questions
1 mark for each questions. questions. questions. questions. correctly answered.
correct answer.
62.4.2 Report
Weight: 35%
Type of Collaboration: Individual
Due: 10 pm, Friday, 18 January 2019
Submission: Turnitin on vUWS. Emailed assignments or any other submission are not accepted.
Submission is mandatory for passing the unit. Submission is possible only after scoring
100% on the academic honesty quiz. Resubmission of assignments is not permitted.
Format: Written report presented on Word template document supplied on vUWS. No
coversheet. Format and presentation are assessable (i.e., worth marks).
Assignments are to be typed preferably in Arial 12-point font, as per the template, or an
½ ½
almost identical font such as Calibri or Helvetica. Typing must be doubled-spaced (not
1 spaced) with wide margins, as per the template. Spacing of 1 lines is permitted
only for the reference list. Single-line spacing is not permitted anywhere. The supplied
document template for the assignment is formatted correctly for this assignment.
Template formatting should not be modified. The original, left-justified paragraph
formatting is recommended so text is not stretched across the page by wide spacing,
especially in the reference list. Headers and footers, including page numbers, must be
retained and updated with your name and student number in the footer on every page.
Assignment text must be typed and must not consist of embedded graphical objects.
WORD LIMIT
The 1000 word limit includes all text added to the template, including references, and
also any text remaining from the original template. Thus, the word limit applies to the
entire document. A ±10% allowance is granted, so the maximum permissible word
count on Turnitin is 1100.
The word count for an assignment will be taken from the Turnitin submission, not the
original document. Turnitin and word-processor word counts may differ. It’s important
to check the word-count according to Turnitin and fix any problem before the final
submission.
Assignments that are over the maximum permitted length of 1100 words will be
penalised 1 mark out of 100% for every 25 words over limit, to a maximum of 50%.
Length: 1000 words +/- 10%
Curriculum Mode: Report
Task for the CONSORT assignment
A research article reporting a randomised controlled trial will be available on vUWS. You will evaluate the reporting
quality of this report against selected criteria from the CONSORT statement for clinical trials.
Also download from vUWS:
- The CONSORT statement, and;
- A document template with sections to complete and submit as the assignment.
What to write about
For the supplied journal article you are asked to evaluate what the authors have written against what the CONSORT
statement says should appear in a clinical trial report. State what the authors have reported properly, noting also
what the authors have omitted to report or reported inadequately. Therefore, try to identify:
1. Important and relevant CONSORT criteria that the authors have satisfied in their report. In this way, you identify
where the authors have conformed to CONSORT criteria.
2. Important and relevant criteria that the authors have missed. The authors could have overlooked important criteria
or inadequately addressed them in the article. In this way, you are identifying where the authors have not conformed
to CONSORT criteria.
Important and relevant means that the statement criteria and parts of the article you discuss affect the value of
the article for evidence-based practice.
You are not evaluating whether the authors have specifically discussed the CONSORT statement. The authors’ job is
to describe their research, not to write about the CONSORT. Article authors need not even mention the CONSORT.
Your task is to assess how well the research reporting matches CONSORT criteria.
7There is no need to add a literature review. The CONSORT statement and the supplied journal article are the
only sources required. Use additional sources only where they build your argument and justify your conclusions rather
than to substitute for your own thinking. It is generally preferable to use no additional sources. Where ideas from
another source are used, that source must be cited and referenced.
The so-called hourglass structure for essays, comprising an introduction, main text and conclusions should not
be used. Text outside of the designated sections on the supplied template will score no marks. Follow the structure
of the supplied template exactly.
Avoid this mistake!
Every year a few students write their assignment about an unapproved article they have found for themselves. As-
signments must work with only the supplied article for this semester. A student who submits an assignment about
an article other than the approved article will be asked to send the full-text article as an attachment or functioning
link. The assignment will be marked on the basis of that article and the score halved. If the full-text article is not
supplied on request, the assignment will score zero.
CONSORT is about reporting, not scientific quality
Your evaluation should concentrate on how well the authors have reported their research rather than how well sci-
entifically the research was done. Avoid direct evaluation of the research question, background information, study
design, measurement, sampling, procedure, analysis and interpretation, although you should critique how well these
are reported, using the CONSORT statement and its criteria for guidance. Where reporting quality has direct impli-
cations for scientific quality, that can be mentioned with priority given to the reporting quality.
Scoring system for CONSORT appraisal
Scored sections of the assignment are matched to the major sections of the research article: Title and Abstract, Intro-
duction, Method, Results and Discussion. Appraisal of the Title and Abstract together is worth 15 marks. Appraisals
of the Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion are each worth 20 marks. APA citation and referencing, and
assignment presentation are together worth 5 marks across the whole assignment. Hence: 15 + (4 x 20) + 5 = 100
marks. The total score out of 100, minus any applicable late submission and word-count penalties, will be multiplied
by 0.35 to arrive at a score out of 35. Marks may be rounded when converted to a result out of 35. To get a high
mark, write your assignment according the assessment criteria in the marking rubric. Take special notice of the High
Distinction criteria because they show what markers are really looking for. Expected standards are discussed in class.
The general system for the grading of CONSORT evaluations is as follows:
– Fail - Poorly targeted, vague or inaccurate description, preventing effective evaluation or the identification of
implications for evidence-based practice.
– Pass - Accurate, relevant description only; little or no effective evaluation; and therefore cannot effectively
discuss implications of reporting quality for evidence-based practice.
– Credit - Evaluates effectively; succeeds beyond mere description but does not effectively discuss the implications
of the reporting quality for evidence-based practice.
– Distinction or High Distinction - Effectively describes, evaluates and also briefly discusses the implications of
the reporting quality for evidence-based practice.
In summary: Evaluate the reporting quality of the article against numbered CONSORT items, and suggest
implications of the reporting quality for evidence-based practice.
Instead of submitting a coversheet (don’t submit a coversheet), when submitting your assignment to Turnitin you
are implicitly ticking these boxes to agree with the following statements:
– I retain a backup file of this assignment in case the original file is lost or damaged.
– I hereby certify that no part of this assignment or product has been copied from any other student’s work or
from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made in the assignment.
– I hereby certify that no part of this assignment has been submitted by me for another (previous or current)
assessment.
– I hereby certify that no part of the assignment has been written or produced by any person.
– I hereby certify that no part of this assignment has been made available to any other student.
– I am aware that this work will be reproduced and submitted to plagiarism detection software for the purpose
of detecting possible plagiarism. This software may retain a copy of this assignment on its database for future
plagiarism detection.
Resources:
- CONSORT statement
- Journal article supplied for this assignment. Only the supplied journal article for this semester is to be used.
- vUWS instructions and advice.
Discussion board.
Tutorial mostly about how to do the assignment.
8Annotated journal articles with complete CONSORT appraisals.
Reference list entries in tutorial.
Academic honesty quiz.
Marking Criteria:
Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
Description, Interpretations of Interpretations of Interpretations of Interpretations of Inaccurate or
comprehension and CONSORT CONSORT CONSORT mostly statement tend to absent description,
interpretation of thorough and consistently accurate, indicating be accurate but comprehension or
CONSORT accurate and accurate, with better than basic with several minor interpretation of
statement. precise; also hardly any and then compre-hension, errors or imprecision CONSORT
Applicable to Title showing insight only very minor with at most only a or omission, statement. Major
and Abstract, additional to errors or few and only minor indicating only or many factual
Introduction, Distinction level, imprecision, and no errors or imprecision basic or superficial errors about
Method, Results indicating omission, indicating or omission. comprehension. CONSORT criteria
and Discussion. advanced, superior excellent Title and Abstract Title and Abstract: or items.
For Credit or higher comprehension of comprehension. section: CONSORT CONSORT not CONSORT is not
in Title and statement. CONSORT items is formally cited. cited but cited cited or mentioned
Abstract, CONSORT items must be identified, elsewhere. at all.
CONSORT and must be identified, not merely implied.
article must be not merely implied.
cited.
Description, Interpretations of Interpretations of Interpretations of Interpretations of Inaccurate or
comprehension and article thorough article consistently article mostly article tend to be absent description,
interpretation of and accurate and accurate with accurate, indicating accurate but with comprehension or
¬
research article precise; also hardly any and then better than basic several minor errors interpretation of
For Credit or higher showing insight only very minor compre hension; or imprecision or research article.
in Title and additional to errors or at most only a few omission, indicating Major or numerous
Abstract, article Distinction level, imprecision, and no minor errors or only basic or factual errors about
must be cited. indicating omission indicating imprecision. superficial article content or
Applicable to Title advanced, superior excellent Title and Abstract comprehension. sections of article.
and Abstract, comprehension or comprehension. section: Article is Title and Abstract: Article not cited at
Introduction, article. Page references formally cited. Article not cited all; cannot ascertain
Method, Results Page references often used. but is cited which article used.
and Discussion. often used. elsewhere.
Selection of content Selection of content Selection of content Selection of content Selection of content Content selected
of research article from article is from article is very from article is from article is from article is
for evaluation perfectly or almost accurately matched mostly well matched to mostly matched
Selection is perfectly matched to template heading matched to template heading incorrectly to
important for to template heading and identified template heading and identified or section of
reporting quality and identified CONSORT items and identified or implied CONSORT assignment as per
with EBP CONSORT items and evaluation implied CONSORT items and criteria template
implications; and evaluation criteria. items and but with some subheading.
selection relates to criteria. Selection of article evaluation criteria. important items Selection of article
CONSORT criteria. Selection reveals content is relevant Scope for minor mismatched. content is mostly
Applicable to Title impressive to reporting quality improvement in May concentrate on mismatched to
and Abstract, understanding of and EBP. relevance to minor points or be identified or implied
Introduction, reporting quality reporting quality, marginally relevant CONSORT items or
Method, Results and EBP. EBP or general to reporting quality statement criteria.
and Discussion. importance. or evidence-based Selection is mostly
practice. trivial or irrelevant
Concentrates to reporting EBP.
mostly on scientific
quality.
9Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
Evaluation quality Evaluates article Effectively Effectively Mostly descriptive Assignment text
Reporting quality reporting quality evaluates article evaluates article of article, cannot be matched
appraised against against identified reporting quality reporting quality CONSORT or both; to CONSORT
CONSORT and CONSORT items against identified against identified not evaluative, of items appropriate
implications for and raises EBP CONSORT items CONSORT items article reporting to the section of
EBP. implications of and raises EBP but without EBP quality against assignment, by
CONSORT criteria reporting quality at implications of implications. identified template heading,
should be explicitly an exemplary level. reporting quality. Mostly accurate CONSORT items or to the article.
with article content. Fully accurate Highly accurate description of the or criteria. Errors in Evaluation is unfair
Evaluation should description of the description of the article and the description, or to article, grossly
be explicit and article and the article and the CONSORT. unreasonable and unnecessarily
specific rather than CONSORT. CONSORT. Explicit evaluation evaluation. critical or
implicit or general. Evaluation of Evaluation of of reporting quality Describes article unreasonable.
For Distinction or reporting quality reporting quality based on and CONSORT Evaluation is
higher, evaluation against CONSORT against CONSORT CONSORT. content with manifestly,
persuasively argues to higher standard to higher standard CONSORT item moderate accuracy; objectively
implications or than Distinction, than Credit; at numbers mostly significant but not inaccurate,
¬
reporting quality for without even minor most very few and supplied and excessive errors of indicating flawed
EBP, beyond error. More than then only very matching parts of compre hension or judgement.
CONSORT amply targets where minor anomalies. the article fact. Claims are
appraisal of and how article Ably targets where discussed. Limited, if any, unsupported and
reporting quality. reporting conforms and how article Few and only minor evaluation of unsupportable, or
Lower scores may or fails to conform reporting conforms errors, if any, in the reporting quality; support for claims
omit EBP or are to CONSORT. or fails to conform interpretation of essentially is demonstrably
limited, simplistic Exact matching of to CONSORT. article or descriptive, invalid.
or vague, or only article content to Close matching of CONSORT items. non-evaluative; or No mention, direct
describing or CONSORT items. article content to Limited or no evaluative only by or indirect, of
summarising the Convincingly logical CONSORT items. evaluation of EBP vague implication, CONSORT as a
article or and objective Convincingly logical implications of predominantly. If whole or items from
CONSORT. academic argument and objective reporting. evaluation CONSORT.
Must discuss with very sound academic argument. If EBP implications attempted should Lacking coherent
supplied article for judgement. Emphasises only supplied, should be be more persuasive; message or
this assignment. Scientific aspects important aspects more persuasive; instead is identifiable
Writes mostly mentioned only to article reporting instead they are excessively general argument or
originally. amplify comments quality. Avoids excessively general or not specific to accurate claims
Applicable to Title on reporting, EBP unnecessary or not specific to article or section of about article in
and Abstract, or both. attention to article or section of article or relation to
Introduction, Argues EBP scientific aspects. article or CONSORT item CONSORT.
Method, Results implications with Competently CONSORT item discussed, or it’s Evaluation is
and Discussion. clarity and insight. mentions EBP discussed, or the invalid. rambling, discursive
Eligible for High implications. evaluation is Item numbers or difficult to
Distinction only if Eligible for invalid. entirely absent but follow.
EBP is convincingly Distinction only if Some item numbers implicit; can be Discusses multiple
addressed. EBP is reasonably given but could be identified indirectly or unauthorised
Scientific issues, if well addressed. more. Missing from context. articles.
any, are subordinate Scientific quality items identifiable Limited or no Excessively
to reporting quality may be raised from context. May evaluation of EBP derivative content.
and EBP. where it relates to moderately implications of Mostly
reporting quality over-emphasise reporting in relation over-emphasises
and EBP. scientific quality. to identified scientific over
CONSORT items reporting quality.
or content; EBP
implications absent
or trivial or
superficial or
invalid. Significant
but not majority
emphasis on
scientific quality.
10Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory Written expression Written expression Written expression Written expression Within reasonable Disordered Quality of spelling outstanding. to a high standard. better than merely expectations but expression, with grammar, Surpasses Beyond merely acceptable; mostly with scope for gross errors in vocabulary (usage), reasonable competent; gaining consistent with significant spelling, grammar, logic and meaning expectations. Pithy, a talented reasonable improvement. usage or style. within and between polished, concise professional style expectations or Clarity, coherence Impaired clarity, sentences and style; obvious flair assisting message. slightly better. and readability all coherence or paragraphs. Writes for technical prose. Near-perfect Clarity, coherence satisfactory but readability. efficiently; no Coherence and spelling, usage and and readability all could be better. Pervasive verbosity, waffle. Sentences clarity advanced, grammar. Mainly good. At most a Multiple, minor tangled prose, are complete rather near or at simple sentence few careless errors careless errors. mishandled than incomplete. professional structures; any in spelling, Writing could be sentence Appropriate and standard. Spelling, complex sentences punctuation, more efficient, complexity, or limited or no use of punctuation, usage are also correct. grammar or usage. saying more with sentence direct quotations or and grammar all Capital letter used Mostly simple yet words used. construction, dot-points. exemplary. Capital correctly. Efficient, properly Sentences run-on sentences, Summarises rather letters used economical writing; constructed comprehensible incomplete than paraphrases or correctly. Skilfully all words sentences. May despite occasional sentences or directly quotes; manages complex contributing; no occasionally inelegant or overly numerous careless writes mostly using constructions when waffle or verbosity. struggle with overly complex structure errors. own words. used. Writes Writes originally; complex sentences. leading to faulty Inefficient; could Technical terms originally; summarises Accessible, even if grammar; should say much more with used correctly. summarises effectively rather formal style is less write more simply. words used. Avoids effectively rather than paraphrases, adept than D/HD Word usage often Over-relies on colloquialisms or than paraphrases, showing level. Efficient needs fixing; paraphrasing, slang. Professional revealing deep understanding of writing even if it verbose tendency, patch-writing or in choice of insight into article article and could be more or wrong words; direct quotation. vocabulary and and CONSORT. CONSORT. Direct concise. may confuse Mostly in tone. Writes mostly Direct quotations quotations used Summarises homonyms. point-form or originally. Applies used sparingly sparingly (
Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
Presentation Presentation Presentation very Presentation good Presentation is fair Visually
Visual appeal, meticulous, to accomplished. with very only, yet unappealing.
typo-graphical professional Thorough attention satisfactory acceptable. Needs Pervasive
detail, page layout. standard with to detail, attention to detail, significantly inattention to
Template used remarkable significantly assisting improved attention detail. Numerous
without significant attention to detail, enhancing communication. A to detail, with at careless errors.
modification to significantly communication. few but only minor least several minor Untidy, showing
fonts, margins, enhancing Hardly any scope oppor-tunities for problems. Student absence of care or
paragraph and line communication and for improvement; improvement. name and number lack of proficiency.
spacing. Headers, aesthetic any shortcomings Headers, footers missing from some Layout or
footers and page impression. Could are inconsequential. and page numbers pages. Unhelpful typography crude or
numbers complete not reasonably or Headers, footers supplied and though minor faulty, affecting
and correct. Font realistically be and page supplied correct. Name and deviations from readability.
style preferably improved. Headers, and correct. Name student number on supplied template, Assignment
Arial 12 in main footers and page and number on every page. and contrary to template modified
text. Reference list supplied and every page. Margins, font size, instruction. ineptly and contrary
½
can use 11 point correct. Name and Margins, font size, line and paragraph Single-spaced to instruction.
½
font and be 1 number on every line and paragraph spacing as per reference list. Multiple errors such
spaced. Line space page. Margins, font spacing as per supplied template. Pages may not be as single-line or 1
½
between reference size, line, paragraph supplied template. Reference list numbered, or spacing in main
list entries. No spacing and layout Font and size double or 1 header or footer text. Margins too
stretched spacing. as per supplied consistent. No spaced. Font style absent. May have narrow, small
All pages supplied template. Font and exotic fonts or and size consistent. stretched character font-size, exotic or
and in correct order size and spacing gratuitous styles. No exotic fonts. spacing in main inconsistent fonts
and orientation. consistent and Minimal if any May have stretched text. Presentation or gratuitous styles.
Applies to entire identical to stretched spacing. character spacing in shows several Indistinct text; may
assignment. template No pointless reference list only. deficiencies or be graphic object.
throughout. No modifications to No more than a few inconsistencies Header and footer
modifications to assignment minor deviations compared with and page numbers
assignment template. from D/HD C/D/HD. Modest absent. Pages
template; no Typography and presentation though adequate missing or wrongly
deletions, additions, layout both at high criteria. No competence with ordered. Any other
not even decorative; standard. pointless document major anomaly or
exact match to modifications to preparation oddity in
supplied template. assignment typography and presentation against
template. layout. criteria.
12Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
APA style in Article and Article and Article and Article or Seriously deficient
citation, referencing CONSORT are CONSORT are CONSORT are CONSORT cited. APA style
and document both cited early in both cited in both cited Article or throughout
formatting Title and Title and accurately. CONSORT in document.
Applies to reference Abstract of Abstract of Article and reference list. Neither article nor
list and citations assignment. assignment. CONSORT both in Could have CONSORT are
and general Article and Article and references but formatting errors or cited.
document CONSORT both in CONSORT both in major errors such as inaccuracy in Neither article nor
formatting where references without references with author names, list citations or at least CONSORT appears
APA style applies. errors. minor errors such as or accuracy of the one reference list in reference list.
Major issues: Perfect ordering formatting. source. entry: error in years Direct quotations
adequacy, accuracy and correct Hanging indent Low yet acceptable or author names. inadequately
and completeness matching of author reference list. level of derivative Significant amount identified, without
of citation and names in citations No author initials in content apparent but not excessive citations or
referencing. and references. citations. from Turnitin derivative content quotation marks or
Minor issues: Uses citation and No number or matches. based on Turnitin page or paragraph
setting out, reference list entries dot-point reference May have multiple matches. number.
½
punctuation, in third tutorial. list. errors in defining Other than double Turnitin matches
number formats, HD: At most only a Authors’ names abbreviation. or 1 line spacing suggest content is
italics, slashes, few minor errors in match in spelling Maximum one of anywhere in main unacceptably
abbreviations and any of following: and order, with first these errors: text or reference list derivative of other
et al. Slash used to author first in Either but not both but not throughout works. Excessive
Citations supplied separate words. series. of article and assignment. matches consistent
for sources of ideas Number format Highly original text CONSORT cited. Maximum two of with plagiarism,
and must match errors. apparent from lack Either but not both these errors: patch-writing or
reference list; no Et al. used where of or only of article and Either but not both other academic
omissions or shouldn’t be or not fragmen-tary CONSORT in of article and misconduct.
½
uncited references. used where should Turnitin matches. reference list. CONSORT cited. Mostly or total
Author lists in be. Double or 1 line Reference list is Either but not both single line spacing
citations and Abbreviations need spacing for numbered or has of article and in main text.
references match. definition. reference list. dot points. CONSORT in Multiple and
Reference Italics incorrect in Consistent line Author first names reference list. pervasive
½
unnumbered, references. spacing. in citations or Reference list is inconsistency in
hanging indent and Double or 1 line Several minor errors reference list. numbered or has spacing or font
in alphabetical spacing for only are acceptable: Wrong author as dot points. style and size.
½
order. reference list. Slash used to first author in Author first names At least three of
Double or 1 Consistent line separate words. citations or in citations or these errors:
spacing of reference spacing. Number format references. reference list. Reference list is
list. HD+ or higher: errors. Reference list Wrong author as numbered or has
Hardly any, and at Et al. used where entries not in first author in dot points.
most very minor shouldn’t be or not alphabetical order. citations or Wrong author as
½
errors in citation used where should Single instead of references. first author in
and referencing, be. double or 1 line Reference list citations or
such as commas Abbreviations need spacing of reference entries not in references.
and character definition. list. alphabetical order. Author first names
spacing. Difficult to Italics incorrect in in citations or
improve on any references. reference list.
aspect. Major mismatches
between citations
and reference list.
132.4.3 End-of-session exam
Weight: 50%
Type of Collaboration: Individual
Due: As per examination timetable
Submission: Attend examination at scheduled time and location. Complete and submit
multiple-choice answer sheet. Submission is mandatory for passing the unit.
Format: 2-hour multiple-choice test comprising 50 questions, closed book, no calculators.
Length: 2 hours
Curriculum Mode: Final Exam
The exam is held during the official examination period at the end of the semester. The final examination is worth
50% of the final mark for this unit. All material presented or developed in lectures, tutorials and study notes other
than content that is explicitly excluded on the unit’s vUWS site or lecture slides, is potentially examinable. Question
topics, along with sample questions with answers, will be offered to familiarise students with exam content and
difficulty.
Resources:
Lecture materials, online lectures and presentation slides.
Tutorial notes with answers.
Study notes as supplied on vUWS.
Textbook chapters and recommended readings.
Additional advice and instructions on vUWS, including a list of question topics.
Examination practice questions.
vUWS discussion board.
Marking Criteria:
Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
Select the correct Correctly answered Correctly answered Correctly answered Correctly answered Fewer than 50% of
answer. 85% or more of all 75-84.9% of all 65-74.9% of all 50-64.9% of all all questions
1 mark for each questions. questions. questions. questions. correctly answered.
correct answer.
142.5 General Submission Requirements
Submission
– All assignments must be submitted by the specified due date and time.
– Complete your assignment and follow the individual assessment item instructions on how to submit. You must
keep a copy of all assignments submitted for marking.
Turnitin
– The Turnitin plagiarism prevention system may be used within this unit. Turnitin is accessed via logging into
vUWS for the unit. If Turnitin is being used with this unit, this means that your assignments have to be
submitted through the Turnitin system. Turnitin from iParadigms is a web-based text-matching software that
identifies and reports on similarities between documents. It is also widely utilised as a tool to improve academic
writing skills. Turnitin compares electronically submitted papers against the following:
– Current and archived web: Turnitin currently contains over 24 billion web pages including archived pages
– Student papers: including Western Sydney University student submissions since 2007
– Scholarly literature: Turnitin has partnered with leading content publishers, including library databases,
text-book publishers, digital reference collections and subscription-based publications (e.g. Gale, Pro-
quest, Emerald and Sage)
– Turnitin is used by over 30 universities in Australia and is increasingly seen as an industry standard. It is
an important tool to assist students with their academic writing by promoting awareness of plagiarism.By
submitting your assignment to Turnitin you will be certifying that:
– I hold a copy of this assignment if the original is lost or damaged
– No part of this assignment has been copied from any other student’s work or from any other source except
where due acknowledgement is made in the assignment
– No part of the assignment has been written for me by any other person/s
– I have complied with the specified word length for this assignment
– I am aware that this work may be reproduced and submitted to plagiarism detection software programs for
the purpose of detecting possible plagiarism (which may retain a copy on its database for future plagiarism
checking).
Self-Plagiarising
– You are to ensure that no part of any submitted assignment for this unit or product has been submitted by
yourself in another (previous or current) assessment from any unit, except where appropriately referenced, and
with prior permission form the Lecturer/Tutor/Unit Co-ordinator of this unit.
Late Submission
– If you submit a late assessment, without receiving approval for an extension of time, (see next item), you will
be penalised by 10% per day for up to 10 days. In other words, marks equal to 10% of the assignment’s weight
will be deducted from the mark awarded.
– For example, if the highest mark possible is 50, 5 marks will be deducted from your awarded mark for each late
day.
– Saturday and Sunday are counted as one calendar day each.
– Assessments will not be accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students.
– This is consistent with Clause 51 of the Western Sydney University’s Assessment Policy - Criteria and Standards-
Based Assessment.
Extension of Due Date for Submission
Extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances. To apply for an extension of time, locate an application
form via the Western Sydney University homepage or copy the following link:
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/currentstudents/current students/forms
Application forms must be submitted to the Unit Coordinator/Convenor. Requests for extension should be made as
early as possible and submitted within policy deadlines. Appropriate, supporting documentation must be submitted
with the application. An application for an extension does not automatically mean that an extension will be granted.
Assessments will not be accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students.
Resubmission Resubmission of assessment items will not normally be granted if requested.
15Application for Special Consideration
It is strongly recommended that you attend all scheduled learning activities to support your learning. If you have
suffered misadventure, illness, or you have experienced exceptional circumstances that have prevented your attendance
at class or your completion and submission of assessment tasks, you may need to apply for Special Consideration via the
Western Sydney University website. http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/currentstudents/current students/services
and facilities/special consideration2 or the Student Centre/Sydney City Campus Reception. Special Consideration is
not automatically granted. It is your responsibility to ensure that any missed content has been covered. Your lecturer
will give you more information on how this must be done.
163 Teaching and Learning Activities
Weeks Lecture Tutorial Activities Assessments Due
Week 1 The information supermarket. Does my work work? - Read this learning guide.
26-11-2018
Overview of quantitative and qualitative Classroom tutorial: Locating, - Topic list for Week 7 quiz available
research questions, study designs, types interpreting and critically evaluating online to assist early preparation.
and levels evidence, and how they relate evidence for a therapeutic intervention
to evidence-based clinical practice and or policy relevant to your profession.
policy.
Hoffman et al. Chapters 1, 2 & 3.
Week 2 Buyer’s guide to RCTs. PICO: Effect of running on the spot on - See quiz folder in vUWS for detailed
03-12-2018 pulse-rate among students. Interpreting quiz instructions.
continuous data from a controlled
experiment done in a classroom.
Randomised controlled trials - Quiz on quiz - The practice quiz will be available. Do
experimental designs; reliability and the practice quiz as often as you like.
validity of findings; threats to causal
17
inferences and how to overcome them
through good choice of design.
Hoffman et al. Chapters 4 & 5. Prepare for the real, assessment quiz
with this classroom competition.
Week 3 Evidence for the evidence. RCTs for EBP - begin with reporting. - Read online journal RCT article
10-12-2018 available on vUWS and answer
non-assessable quiz questions on vUWS.
Desirable to do before the tutorial.
Systematic reviews and meta-analysis; - Assignment briefing. - Read assignment instructions and
the PRISMA statement. marking criteria. Note any questions
about the assignment you want
answered in class.
Hoffman et al. Chapter 12. Applying the CONSORT statement to Preparing for this week’s tutorial is a
critically evaluate RCT reports; really good idea.
interpreting statistical results of RCTs;
understanding RCT reports.
Effect sizes and graphical representation This is the only major opportunity to
of quantitative results. receive advice about the CONSORT
assignment in class.Weeks Lecture Tutorial Activities Assessments Due
Week 4 No lecture. No attendance expected. No tutorial. No attendance expected. - Read online journal diagnostic study
17-12-2018 article available on vUWS. Do the quiz
questions based on the article and the
STARD. Challenging in places!
The STARD resembles the CONSORT,
so these exercises are useful practice for
the CONSORT assignment.
Do Academic Honesty quiz in
preparation for Assessment 2
CONSORT appraisal. You must score
100% before submitting assignment.
Week 5 No lecture - Intra-session break. No tutorial - Intra-session break. Intra-session break.
24-12-2018
Week 6 No lecture - Intra-session break. No tutorial - Intra-session break. Intra-session break.
31-12-2018
Week 7 A problem can be solved only when we So many things you can do with four - Do the Quiz. - Quiz
07-01-2019 know what it is. numbers:
18
Studies of diagnostic effectiveness - - Explore lifestyle and health; - Read online journal diagnostic study
design, analysis and presentation of article available on vUWS. Do the quiz
findings. questions based on the article and the
STARD. Challenging in places!
Hoffman et al. Chapters 6 & 7. - Improve clinical assessments. The STARD resembles the CONSORT,
so these exercises are useful practice for
the CONSORT assignment.
Interpreting contingency tables and
measures of diagnostic accuracy.
Week 8 Week 10 Wednesday lecture. How to survive the Titanic. Attempt this tutorial online before class - Report
14-01-2019 and bring answers to class.
Finding answers to 2 x 2. Interpreting cohort, case-control,
aetiological or epidemiological studies;
measures of risk and odds; presentation
of categorical data in tables and graphs.
Cohort, case-control and other
epidemiological studies.
Hoffman et al.Weeks Lecture Tutorial Activities Assessments Due
pp. 25, 28 29, 86 91.
See also Chapter 10 of Neutens and
Rubinson (2010).
Week 9 How qualitative research counts without This online life. - Read any one of the set articles and
21-01-2019 numbers. answer non-assessable quiz questions on
vUWS.
Qualitative research: Rationale, types of - Why aren’t you on Facebook? - Read tutorial questions and bring
research questions, data collection, discussion points to class.
analysis and interpretation.
Hoffman et al. Chapter 10.
- You don’t need to show everyone Please read at least one of the articles
everything . before class.
- Look at Fred, he’s annoying and
everyone likes him.
Qualitative research and thematic
analysis of qualitative data.
Week 10 Research in action; action research. Homeopathy: Cure or con? - Read Dawkins (2004) about
19
28-01-2019 homeopathy and evidence-based
healthcare. Answer the non-assessable
quiz questions on vUWS.
Beginning research, study options, - Using statistical evidence to advise - Read tutorial notes and attempt
workplace research and obtaining patients - revision on risk measurement. questions. Please attempt at least some
research funding. of the readings before class.
Research methods applied to workplace - Ethics in research and health.
audit and quality assurance.
- Is homeopathy just a dose of water?
Week 11 No lecture. Study vacation. Practice questions for the exam.
04-02-2019
Week 12 No lecture. Exam period. Do the exam. - End-of-session exam
11-02-2019
The above timetable should be used as a guide only, as it is subject to change. Students will be advised of any changes as they become known on the unit’s vUWS site.You can also read
