成人大片

Course Coordinator: John Lynch
Phone: +61 8313 6541
Email: john.lynch@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace

Learning and Teaching Team
Phone: +61 8313 2128
Email: postgrad_enq@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace

1	Understand, describe and apply the potential outcomes model of causation.
2	Illustrate a casual model using Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG).
3	Use a DAGs to describe confounding, selection and measurement error as sources of bias, and draw a DAG describing their own research question.
4	Describe and apply appropriate methods to control confounding.
5	Interpret results of a multivariable epidemiological analysys.
6	Apply the Graphical Assessment Tool for Epidemiology to evaluate a published study.
7	Critically appraise various study designs for casual inference.
8	Apply the technologies and approaches to evidence appraisal, synthesis and contributions to evidence hierarchies.

Each week there will be assigned journal articles to provide background to and complement the lectures and practical/tutorial sessions. You will be expected to have read this material before class. Required readings are available via a reading list on MyUni.

These texts are NOT required, but we think they would be valuable additions to your professional library.

Szklo M, Nieto FJ. Epidemiology: Beyond the Basics. Jones and Bartlett, Burlington, 2014 (3rd edition). Cost is about $80 – an excellent reference source by two highly respected epidemiologists and teachers – a book you’ll keep referring back to. Used at the intermediate level at Johns Hopkins University in the US (a top 10 US school of public health) and in quite a few other US and Canadian universities.

Koepsell TD, Weiss NS. Epidemiologic Methods. Oxford Uni Press, New York, 2003. Cost is about $70 – a very approachable, readable text which covers the basic and intermediate concepts quite clearly by two highly respected epidemiologists and teachers – excellent quality material but also good to help get your concepts straight. This is basically what is taught in the basic/intermediate epidemiology course at U Washington in the US – one of the top 10 US schools of public health.

Saracci R. Epidemiology. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford Uni Press, Oxford, 2010. Cost only $15-20 – a tiny book only 137 pages. If you can comfortably understand everything written in here, then you know some epidemiology

All presentations will be available on-line through MyUni after the lecture.

MyUni is the primary entry point to online learning at the 成人大片. Through MyUni you will have access to course materials, discussion forums, announcements, and the submission of assignments. You can connect to MyUni on or off campus via the internet. Access my uni at: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au/
For enquiries about online education services, what’s available and access to MyUni, contact the Online Education Helpdesk at 8313 3335 or by email at myuni.help@adelaide.edu.au

Lectures - Practicals - Tutorials - Small Group Workshops

To successfully complete the course students will be required to spend time out of contact hours on reading, class preparation, assignments and study. That time commitment will vary from student to student but in general a full-time student with 24 units per year would normally spend 48 hours per week on their studies during teaching periods.

Week	Topic	Lecture
Week 1	Causation?	What is a "cause" epidemiology?
Week 2	Counterfactuals	"Potential outcomes" model of causation
Week 3	DAGs	Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs)
Week 4	Systematic Error	Confounding Selection Measurement Error
Week 5	Confounding	Confounding Propensity Scores
Week 6	Effect measure modification	Interaction
Week 7	Random error	P values
Week 8	Study design rubric	GATE framework
Week 9	Study design rubric	Study designs
Week 10	Critical Appraisal	Individual study designs
Week 11	Systematic reviews	Meta analysis
Week 12	Triangulating evidence	Integrative epidemiology
Week 13	Review	Review

All tutorials and practicals offer small group experiences to enhance individual and group learning.

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
DAG	Formative	25%	1-3
Study report	Formative	25%	3-5
Participation	Summative	10%	1-8
Take-home exam	Summative	40%	1-8

Assessment 1 (25%): Due August 30th by 10 am at the start of class.
Draw a DAG and provide and explain your causal model (no more than 800 words).
Assesses learning objectives 1, 2, 3.

You are required to draw a DAG that describes an epidemiological research question of your choice and provide an explanation of your DAG. The research question must be of relevance to public health. Your DAG should reflect the causal model that would need to be tested to explore your research question. A strict limit of 800 words will be applied to the explanation. The word limit excludes any words used within the DAG illustration.

Within the written part of this assessment, you will need to;
clearly define your research question
include a description of the exposure and the outcome
demonstrate that you have considered which (if any) confounders or mediators are relevant to your research question
justify why particular confounders or mediators have been included in your causal model, and why others potentially-relevant variables have not

During the course we will introduce freeware (free software) that assist with drawing and interpreting causal models. You will be able to use the software to prepare your DAG.
 
Assessment 2 (25%): Due September 20th by 10 am at the start of class
Interpret provided output and write results section and main conclusion.
Assesses learning objectives 3, 4, 5.

Some background information about an epidemiological study and table/s of results will be provided to you. Your task is to use this information to write the results section and concluding sentence of a scientific paper. You will need to draw upon what you have learned about confounding, random error, significance testing and p-values. You are expected to use words to interpret the effect estimate. The results and conclusions should be written in a formal, scientific style.

Be mindful that many academic journals apply word limits to their articles and therefore it is important to write concisely. Although a limit of 800 words has been set, far fewer words may be appropriate. You will not be penalised for providing a concise results paragraph and conclusion.
 
Assessment 3 (10%): Class participation and engagement in all aspects of the course.
Assesses learning objectives 1-8.

Participation means showing up for each class having completed the assigned readings. In class it means asking questions about anything in the readings, lectures or discussion that seems unclear, offering arguments and responses, and listening to the arguments and responses of others, as well as demonstrating a positive attitude towards learning.

Making contributions to discussion means:
Asking questions about things in the text or things said in class that are unclear or confusing
Offering answers to questions asked by others in class
Making claims or observations about the issues being discussed
Offering support, criticism, modification or clarification for claims being discussed
The sheer number of your contributions does nothing to improve your grade. Contributions should be relevant and helpful. A genuine question always counts as relevant and helpful.

Relevant contributions show you are engaging with the issue being discussed at the time and that you are well-prepared for class.

Helpful contributions advance or improve the discussion by;
Bringing in new ideas
Helping us understand the issues being discussed
Redirecting our attention to the text, keeping us “on track” or changing the subject when needed.
 
Assessment 4 Take-home exam (40%): Due Nov 15th by 12 noon. Structured review of a published study with a choice of articles.
Assesses learning objective 1-8.

Your task is to review one of four published articles using the critical analysis skills that you have obtained during the course. The articles will be given in the last lecture. As a guide, you should;
locate and use the most appropriate reporting guideline to structure your review,
use the GATE framework to identify and explain the study design,
use the evidence hierarchy to describe the level of evidence that the paper provides,
discuss potential sources of bias that have and have not been addressed in the article,
conclude with a statement (your opinion) on the overall quality of evidence that this article provides.

There is no word limit on your exam, however it is important that you are concise. As a guide, 3-to-4 pages of single spaced text in 12 pt font would be appropriate. References should be included on a separate page. Your exam should be referenced appropriately and consistently using the Vancouver numbering system, which includes consecutively numbered references in the body of the text and a numbered reference list at the end of the assignment. For information on the Vancouver referencing style see; http://monash.edu/library/skills/resources/tutorials/citing/vancouver.html

Assessments 1, 2 and 4 will be submitted via MyUni. Further details on the submission process will be given in class.