Overview

This unit provides students with an understanding of the basic principles used within epidemiological research. In addition, students will develop the skills to investigate, analyse and critique various procedures relevant to the fields of epidemiology and the health sciences.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Apply common statistical concepts to epidemiological and health related scenarios.
  • Critique and evaluate health reports
  • Apply appropriate methods to report health statistics
  • Understand the association between risk factors and disease
  • Identify key criteria for the appropriate use and application of cohort and case-control studies
  • Apply the principles of research design for the measurement of diseases in health and epidemiological investigations

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class
2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Activities
Various
5.00 12 weeks 60
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
5.50 12 weeks 66
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AssignmentIndividual 50% 2,3,5,6 
Online TestsIndividual 10% 1,3,4,6 
TestIndividual 40% 1,2,3,4,5,6 

Content

  • Basic principles and concepts for epidemiology
  • Ethical and professional issues in epidemiology
  • Measures of morbidity
  • Measures of mortality
  • Experimental design, bias and confounding
  • Diagnostic screening tests
  • Randomised clinical trials
  • Cohort studies
  • Case control studies

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.