Syllabus

Master of Public Health

GPH 752: Advanced Research Methods – ILE

Credits - 3

Description

As partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MPH degree, Advanced Research Methods offers the opportunity for students to develop and conduct unique high-level statistical analyses of public health research studies. All MPH students must create a high-quality written product, synthesizing public health competencies. Based on their selected topic, students will analyze data related to a real-world problem and present their findings in a formal written report. This is an iterative course, designed to facilitate successful progress towards completion of a formal written project, which may be considered for publishing with UNE’s public-facing repository of outstanding student work.

Pre-Requisites

Applied Practice Experience (APE)
GPH 731 or
GPH 743

GPH 744 Integrative Learning Experience Foundation Course

GPH 702 An Interprofessional Approach to Policy and Advocacy

GPH 706 Public Health Administration & Leadership

GPH 712 Principles of Epidemiology

GPH 714 Principles of Public Health

GPH 716 Biostatistics

GPH 719 Research Methods

GPH 722 Introduction to Environmental Health

GPH 726 Social and Behavioral Health

GPH 738 Program Planning & Evaluation

Materials

Required:

There is no textbook for this course

*Links to additional required and suggested weekly readings and multimedia are provided in the course.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

CEPH Foundational Competencies

FC 1: Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice.

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

FC 4: Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice

FC 19: Communicate audience-appropriate (i.e., non-academic, non-peer audience) public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation

Assignments

Students will develop a high-quality final report and abstract that illustrates methods used to synthesize findings/results and selected competencies. The assignments in the course are iterative and intended to be the framework for your final paper.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

TasksPoints
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement1
Week 1 Discussion: Introductions1
Week 1 Assignment: Draft Research Methods1
Week 2 Assignment: Introduction Outline2
Week 2 Assignment: Revised Research Objectives5
1:1 Progress Meetings (Weeks 2, 6, 10, 14)4
Week 3 Assignment: Literature Review5
Week 4 Assignment: Target audience and Two Example Journals2
Week 5 Assignment: Draft Methodology2
Week 6 Assignment: Methodology and Analytic Plan5
Week 7/8 Discussion: Analysis Challenges1
Week 8 Assignment: Tables and Figures2
Week 9 Assignment: Written Result Section1
Week 11 Assignment: Revised Result5
Week 13 Assignment: Draft ILE Report10
Week 14 Assignment: Abstact3
Week 14 Assignment: Presentation Slides2
Week 15 Assignment: Final ILE Report24
Week 15 Assignment: Oral Presentation14
Week 16 Assignment: Poster10
Total100

Grade Scale

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

Schedule

Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET). Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 PM ET, with the exception of Week 16, which ends on Sunday. 

Course Dates:

Week 1: May 8 – May 15
Week 2: May 15 – May 22
Week 3: May 22 – May 29
Week 4: May 29 – Jun 5
Week 5: Jun 5 – Jun 12
Week 6: Jun 12 – Jun 19
Week 7: Jun 19 – Jun 26
Week 8: Jun 26 – Jun 30
Week 9: Jul 3 – Jul 10
Week 10: Jul 10 – Jul 17
Week 11: Jul 17 – Jul 24
Week 12: Jul 24 – Jul 31
Week 13: Jul 31 – Aug 7
Week 14: Aug 7 – Aug 14
Week 15: Aug 14 – Aug 21
Week 16: Aug 21 – Aug 25

Week 1 – Formulating Research Objectives

Learning Outcomes:

  • Formulate research objectives
  • Critique research objectives

Learning Activities:

  • Week 1 Discussion: Introductions
  • Week 1 Assignment: Draft Research Methods
  • Schedule 1:1 with Instructor

Week 2 – Justifying Your Research Study

Learning Outcomes:

  • Describe principles of a Cochrane review
  • Identify steps of a comprehensive literature review
  • Revise research objectives
  • Identify key elements of an introduction
  • Justify research objectives

Learning Activities:

  • Week 2 Assignment: Introduction Outline
  • Week 2 Assignment: Revised Research Objectives
  • 1:1 with Instructor

Week 3 – Synthesizing a Literature Review

Learning Outcomes:

  • Conduct a comprehensive literature review

Learning Activities:

  • Week 3 Assignment: Literature Review

Week 4 – Identifying the Target Audience and Journals

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify the target audience for a research study
  • Evaluate authorship on a research study publication

Learning Activities:

  • Week 4 Assignment: Target Audience and Two Example Journals

Week 5 – Formulating and Drafting a Research Methodology

Learning Outcomes:

  • Formulate research study methodology
  • Use appropriate epidemiological terminology to describe research study methods
  • Compose the methods section of a research study publication

Learning Activities:

  • Week 5 Assignment: Draft Methodology

Week 6 – Finalizing Methodology and Writing an Analytic Plan

Learning Outcomes:

  • Complete a research study methodology
  • Formulate research analytic plan

Learning Activities:

  • Week 6 Assignment: Methods and Analytic Plan
  • 1:1 with Instructor

Week 7 – Conducting Your Analysis 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Revise research study methods
  • Revise research analytic plan
  • Prepare primary or secondary dataset for analysis
  • Analyze qualitative or quantitative data

Learning Activities:

  • Week 7 Discussion: Analysis Challenges

Week 8 – Writing the Results of your Research Publication 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Construct informative tables and figures

Learning Activities:

  • Week 8 Assignment: Tables and Figures
  • Week 8 Discussion: Analysis Challenges

Week 9 – Submitting Your Written Results Section

Learning Outcomes:

  • Compose research study results
  • Draft and submit your written results section

Learning Activities:

  • Week 9 Assignment: Written Results Section

Week 10 – Writing Week and 1:1 with Your Instructor

Learning Outcomes:

  • Finalize your Results section and your tables and figures
  • Work to revise and edit other sections of your research paper as needed

Learning Activities:

  • 1:1 with Instructor

Week 11 – Revising your Results and Creating Cohesion

Learning Outcomes:

  • Revise research study results

Learning Activities:

  • Week 11 Assignment: Revised Results

Week 12 – Writing Week 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Prepare a draft report of a program evaluation

Week 13 – Submit Draft ILE Report

Learning Outcomes:

  • Prepare a final draft of a report of a program evaluation
  • Understand the benefits of clear, engaging data visualization
  • Present evaluation results using a variety of data visualization techniques

Learning Activities:

  • Week 13 Assignment: Draft ILE Report

Week 14 – Abstract Writing and Presentation Slides

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify key components of an abstract
  • Write an abstract using APHA guidelines

Learning Activities:

  • Week 14 Assignment: Abstract
  • Week 14 Assignment: Presentation Slides
  • 1:1 with Instructor

Week 15 – Submit ILE Report and Presentations

Learning Outcomes:

  • Prepare a final report of a program evaluation
  • Conduct an oral presentation

Learning Activities:

  • Week 15 Assignment: Final ILE Report and Abstract
  • Week 15 Assignment: Oral Presentation

Week 16 – Poster

Learning Outcomes:

  • Compare the new APHA recommended poster format and the traditional APHA poster format
  • Create a poster for your ILE Report using the APHA recommended “better-poster” format

Learning Activities:

  • Week 16 Assignment: Poster

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

  • ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

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.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

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.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.