2022/23 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

MEDR5120M Analytic Research

15 creditsClass Size: 45

Module manager: Hein Heuvelman & Lesley Smith
Email: h.p.heuvelman@leeds.ac.uk & l.f.smith@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan), Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2022/23

Pre-requisite qualifications

As per student's parent programme

This module is mutually exclusive with

MEDR5125M

Analytic Research (ICATCH)

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

The teaching style for this module will be active and participative. In lectures students will be: taught about bias and confounding, and will be introduced to statistical survival analysis.

Objectives

This module is an introduction to the various kinds of analytic quantitative health research: ecological, cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort analytic studies.
It will include topics on: the structure of analytic research investigations; the analysis of the data obtained in analytic studies – especially the metrics used (for example – odds, risk and hazard ratios); the problems resulting from bias and confounding and how they are dealt with; basic statistics of precision and comparison; and dealing with unequal duration of follow-up in cohort studies. Critical appraisal of published research will underpin theory.

Learning outcomes
Once a student has successfully completed the module and its assignments they should be able to:
- define, describe and identify ecological, cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort-analytic research studies
- define and explain bias and confounding
- take steps in planning an analytic study to minimize bias and deal with confounding
- comprehend and calculate the metrics used to describe the findings of analytic research (such as risk and odds, and risk ratios and odds ratios)
- understand basic statistics of estimation (confidence intervals) and of hypothesis tests (especially the meaning of P values)
- interpret the meaning of methods used to deal with variable duration of follow-up in cohort studies (survival statistics, Kaplan-Meier curves and hazard ratios)
- calculate, using the computer, basic statistical estimates of precision and basic hypothesis tests of significance
- appraise critically the various kinds of analytic research study

Skills outcomes
This module provides students with a critical awareness of research planning and methods and develops their research skills.
It will include topics on: the structure of analytic research investigations (ecological, cross-sectional, case-control, & cohort studies); the analysis of the data obtained in analytic studies – especially the metrics used (for example – odds, risk and hazard ratios); the problems resulting from bias and confounding and how they are dealt with; basic statistics of precision and comparison; dealing with unequal duration of follow-up in cohort studies; and critical appraisal of published research.

Syllabus

Where able to be taught face to face, the teaching style for this module will be active and participative. Where the module is taught entirely online we will replicate ‘group activities’ and students will be asked to complete online tasks and activities that mirror the pre-Covid19 teaching style. It is likely that all/most of the module will be delivered online. The module will teach students how to comprehend and calculate the common ratios (odds ratios and risk ratios) used by researchers to set out their findings.
In a series of seminars students will be introduced to: precision and comparative statistics, especially confidence intervals and hypothesis tests; and to a large range of numerical outputs used by researchers to set out their findings.
Students will work through activities to extract and display key points in the design, methods and results of published research.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Problem Based Learning	1	3.75	3.75
Group learning	1	2.75	2.75
Lecture	1	1.00	0.00
Lecture	1	1.75	2.75
Seminar	1	2.25	0.00
Seminar	4	2.75	13.25
Independent online learning hours			3.00
Private study hours			124.50
Total Contact hours			22.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Independent online learning will mainly follow on from the formal classes and will make use of a portfolio of materials.
Students will also be expected to work in their own time, researching taught and online course work, building up their knowledge using the guidance provided by formal taught and online components of the module.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will complete in their own time an online test (e.g. MCQ/EMQ) with automated feedback that will be marked as a formative assessment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
In-course MCQ	Formative Quiz	0.00
Problem Sheet	Individual completion of workbook begun in class activity	40.00
Written Work	Critical Appraisal of published observational analytic study (~1200 words)	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The dates on which coursework is set and submitted varies each time the module is delivered. Clear guidance will be given to students at the start of the module. Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 14/09/2022

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