This course is designed to introduce core topics necessary to understand and conduct ethically sound and scientifically valid public health research. It is designed to build on the skills gained in other fundamental public health courses such as principles of epidemiology, and biostatistics. Students will work to understand the importance of proper study and experimental design, using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Students will also gain skills in the design and execution of secondary data analysis and manuscript preparation. Foundational issues in sampling, data collection and structure, survey design and administration, and analytic interpretation will be covered.
Course Format:
This course will be delivered through a web-based format and is designed for completion online. Within each of the eight modules, there are reading assignments, web-based projects, written assignments, and discussion questions or case studies. The weekly modules will be made available by 12:01 AM on Wednesdays.
FC 2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
FC 3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
PC 3. Develop strategies for qualitative and quantitative data management.
Each student is expected to post at least twice each week in response to forum questions on that week’s topic. Initial posts are due by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday. Your response must be completed by 11:59 pm ET Wednesday for credit. Because this is an online course, the online discussion portion is an important way to exchange ideas with your classmates. Students will be graded on their participation and effort of their posts. These posts will take time to complete but they are an essential part of this online course and a great way to get to know your colleagues. Please be familiar with the course material (readings/lectures) before posting each week. Full marks will be given to those who ask questions, bring in new data from the literature or other resources, and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the topics for the week.
If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Week 1 Discussion | 5 |
Week 2 Discussion | 5 |
Week 2 Assignment: CITI Training | 10 |
Week 3 Discussion | 5 |
Week 3 Assignment: Materials and Methods Section A | 10 |
Week 4 Discussion | 5 |
Week 4 Assignment: Materials and Methods Section B | 10 |
Week 4 Quiz | 5 |
Week 5 Discussion | 10 |
Week 6 Discussion | 5 |
Week 7 Discussion | 5 |
Week 7 Assignment: Mixed Methods Results Section | 10 |
Week 8 Reflection Quiz | 15 |
Total | 100 |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
The assignment/discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Please make sure to review the full assignment prompts in Blackboard. There may be additional readings/videos that are not mentioned in this weekly summary, make sure to carefully review the modules in Blackboard.
Objectives:
Reading:
Videos:
Lectures:
Week 1 Discussion: Develop your Research Question
Using the materials presented in the learning module and the Data and Companion Materials folder, identify one research question that you would like to explore during your course projects. In a maximum of 200 – 250 words, as an original post, identify the following:
In the discussion board, comment on one of your colleague’s research topic, research question, and study rationale. Your feedback should include both positive and constructive feedback. In a maximum of 200 – 250 words, include detailed, and descriptive feedback related to:
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at least one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Objectives:
Reading:
Lectures:
Week 2 Discussion: Study Design Critique
Using the “original study background” document in the Data and Companion Materials folder, discuss the original research design used in the Life on antiretroviral therapy: People’s adaptive coping and adjustment to living with HIV as a chronic condition in Wakiso District, Uganda study you’re working with for the course projects. In an original post of no more than 200-250 words, briefly describe:
In your response post, present a brief, critical evaluation of at least one of your colleague’s assessment of the original research design. In your evaluation, identify whether or not you agree with your colleague’s assessment, explain why and identify any missing information if applicable. Provide 1 additional strength and weakness to his or her list. Then, comment on your colleague’s recommendation for an alternate research design approach, specifically addressing the strengths and weaknesses of their proposed design. Be sure to include applicable concepts from week 1, in your assessment.
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at least one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Assignments:
CITI Training Module on Human Subjects Protection:
Successful completion of the CITI training is required for faculty-level principal investigators, all students, and graduate level research staff, in advance of your IRB submission. Whether you are conducting human subjects research as part of a course project, your thesis or your final capstone, the Integrative Learning Experience (ILE), it is important to be complete CITI training and ensure that your certification remains current. This week, you will complete the required CITI training you began in Week 1.
Instructions
Please review UNE’s CITI Training guidance page for conducting research with human subjects at the institution. After reviewing the guidelines and completing the registration steps, complete the required modules for the Social & Behavioral Research Investigators – Basic Course in its entirety. Please be sure to save your progress as you complete each module and upload your CITI Completion Certificate.
DUE: Wednesday by 11:59 pm ET
Objectives:
Reading:
Lecture:
Week 3 Discussion: Materials and Methods Section A
Compose the first part of the scientific manuscript methods section. Please submit your section to the initial post, realizing that it may be adjusted (on your own or based on peer feedback) by the end of the week. Post your materials and methods (section A) along with your reference list as a new discussion thread. Please see Manuscript Materials and Methods Section A assignment instructions for details. Your assignment will need to be completed before participating in the discussion post.
In your response post, comment on at least one of your colleague’s materials and methods (section A). Please give positive and constructive feedback. As much as possible, provide your colleague with concrete recommendations for improvement. Compare and contrast your methods (section A) with your colleagues’.
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at least one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Assignments:
Objectives:
Reading:
Video:
Lectures:
Week 4 Discussion: Materials and Methods Section B
Compose the data analysis portion of the scientific manuscript methods section. Please submit your section to the initial post, realizing that it may be adjusted (on your own or based on peer feedback) by the end of the week. Post your materials and methods (section B) along with your reference list as a new discussion thread. Please see Manuscript Materials and Methods Section B assignment instructions for details. Your assignment will need to be completed before participating in the discussion post.
In your response post, comment on at least one of your group member’s materials and methods (section B). Please give positive and constructive feedback. As much as possible, provide your colleague with concrete recommendations for improvement. Compare and contrast your methods section, paying special attention to the analysis plan.
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at least one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Assignments:
Objectives:
Reading:
Lecture:
Week 5 Discussion: Qualitative Data Analysis – Getting Started
In this analysis phase, you are gaining a sense of the text as a whole. Write down your initial impressions. Embrace your intuition and respond to the following questions:
Keeping your research aim and question clearly in focus, divide up the text into meaning units. Located meaning units are then condensed further while keeping the central meaning intact. Using Table 2 in the hands-on guide model, create a list of at least five and a maximum of ten meaning units and condensed meaning units.
Develop codes that are descriptive labels for the condensed meaning units. Using Table 3 in the hands-on guide as a model, create a list of at least five and a maximum of ten codes.
Sort your codes into categories that answer the questions who, what, when? One does this by comparing codes and appraising them to determine which codes seem to belong together, thereby forming a category. Name your categories and give it a brief description of each. Then, identify themes that express the underlying meaning. Remember, themes are formed by grouping two or more categories together. Themes answer questions such as why, how, in what way or by what means? Therefore, theme names should include verbs, adverbs, and adjectives and are very descriptive.
In no more than 500 words, reflect on the process of conducting a qualitative analysis. Be sure to respond to the following questions in paragraph form and include your reflection at the bottom of your table:
In your response post, comment on at least one of your colleagues’ original post. Please give positive and constructive feedback. As much as possible, provide your colleague with concrete recommendations for improvement. Please be sure to specifically address the following:
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at least one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Objectives:
Reading:
Videos:
ATLAS.ti is one of the multiple user-friendly software options for organizing and analyzing your qualitative data. This week you will review the ATLAS.ti overview. This overview is essential to your success in getting started with and completing your qualitative data analysis using a qualitative data analysis software program. You may also find it helpful to familiarize yourself with the quick help tutorials that are available to you as you complete your analyses.
Week 6 Discussion: Mixed Methods Data Analysis Progress Report
Please respond to each of the prompts below, as an original post. At the top of your post, include your name, your research question, and the name of the transcript you used for your analysis. Begin your reflection by presenting each of the prompts listed below and responding to each one individually in no more than 150 words per prompt.
In the discussion board, comment on one of your colleague’s mixed methods data analysis progress report. Begin your response by presenting each of the prompts listed below and responding to each individually in no more than 150 words per prompt.
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Objectives:
Reading:
Lecture:
Week 7 Discussion: Results Section
Please submit your section to the initial post, realizing that it may be adjusted (on your own or based on peer feedback) by the end of the week. In a new discussion thread, post your mixed methods results section along with any applicable tables, figures, and graphs, prior to the end of the week. Please see Results Section assignment instructions for details. Your assignment will need to be completed before participating in the discussion post. Please see Results Section assignment instructions for details. Your assignment will need to be completed before participating in the discussion post.
In your response post, comment on at least one of your colleague’s results section. Please give positive and constructive feedback. As much as possible, provide your colleague with concrete recommendations for improvement. Compare and contrast your actual results, your results section narrative, and your table, figures, and graphs (if applicable), paying special attention to the accuracy of the results and the visual representation.
DUE: Your initial post is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET and at least one response is due by Wednesday 11:59 pm ET.
If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
To ensure that you complete your original post independently, you must submit your original post before you view posts from other students. Please be sure to submit the full and final version of your original post as your first submission. Updated posts that have been submitted after viewing other original posts will not be accepted. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
The response posts are designed to provide an opportunity to receive and provide feedback that will help enhance your final submissions. Please keep in mind that providing peer feedback as early as possible maximizes the positive impact of your contribution. Please make an effort to submit your response posts as early as possible.
Assignment: Results Section
The results are the second most important part of your manuscript and will include both a narrative description of the results and any data visualizations you decide to include (i.e., tables, figures, graphs, etc.). Now that you have described what you did (the Materials and Methods), you should next describe what you found. The organization of the results should be parallel to the organization of the methods. Start by describing your population: how many participants were included in your analyses, demographics of the individual groups, etc. Then describe the outcome(s) of your primary variable(s). Design an ATLAS.ti dataset. Define qualitative concepts, patterns, codes, and themes through data analysis. Describe the process of codebook development and data coding. Describe the process used for interpreting qualitative data in health promotion research. Present mixed methods results. Do not interpret the results – that is the purpose of the Discussion Section. After reviewing peer feedback you received in the discussion board, make any adjustments you deem necessary.
As you complete your results section, you may find it helpful to refer to the example mixed methods research articles in the Data and Companion Materials Folder and the Provider views on childhood obesity management in primary care settings: A mixed methods analysis article by Rhee et al., from Module 6.
DUE: Wednesday by 11:59 pm ET
Objectives:
Reading:
Lecture:
Video:
Assignments:
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Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page
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Online resources: AMA Style Guide
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Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
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Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.
Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.
Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
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Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
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