Unit Outline

It is paramount that health professionals can appropriately appraise and apply the available evidence to individual patients; this requires the research evidence to be assessed in terms of risk and benefit in the context of the patient’s circumstances and the prevailing local and international environment. You will be given a range of practical tasks to complete, both individually and in small groups, that will assist you to develop skills in understanding research and being able to interpret and apply the findings to real world situations. The knowledge and skills gained in this unit will be fundamental to your progression in your undergraduate program and to your practice as a health care professional.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Work as part of a team to contribute to the research question(s).
2	Search and reference drug information and scientific literature.
3	Critically evaluate the scientific literature to identify strengths and limitations of the research.
4	Select, apply and interpret basic statistical analysis techniques.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CSA118

Alterations as a result of student feedback

As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2025, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s Unit Survey following your completion of the unit. To enhance the learning experience, the unit’s content has been updated based on 2024 feedback.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Group Statistics Assessment	Week 5	10 %	LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Critical review of health care literature test	Week 8	30 %	LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Literature review assessment	Week 10	20 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Evidence based decision making	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Group Statistics Assessment

Task Description:

You will be assigned to groups to complete an in-class task. Each group will be provided with a dataset to analyse.

Task Length:

2-hour in class workshop assessment

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Contribute equally to the group to complete the statistics assessment.	LO1
2	Select, with justification, appropriate statistical analysis techniques.	LO4
3	Undertake basic statistical analysis techniques to answer the research questions	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Critical review of health care literature test

Task Description:

You will be required to appraise a scientific article.

Task Length:

50 minute in class test

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Describe and interpret specific components of the scientific literature.	LO3
2	Describe strengths and limitations of the research.	LO3
3	Interpret basic statistical analysis techniques.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Literature review assessment

Task Description:

You will write a short literature review in class based on a research question presented to you. This will be conducted under test conditions.

Task Length:

250-500 words

Due Date:

Week 10

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Find and correctly reference, relevant literature to answer the research question.	LO2
2	Describe the strengths and limitations of the research included	LO3
3	Interpret basic statistical analysis to answer the research question.	LO4

Assessment Task 4: Evidence based decision making

Task Description:

In groups allocated by the Unit-coordinator, you will be provided information about a new medicine that the local hospital would like to include on their formulary. As a group, you will be required to interpret the information provided, considering the strengths and weakness of the evidence, the opinions, and preferences of stakeholders and from this provide a recommended outcome.

Task Length:

500 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Contribute equally to the group to provide a consensus recommendation.	LO1
2	Reference drug information and scientific literature using appropriate referencing.	LO2
3	Critically evaluate the provided scientific literature and expert statements to inform an evidence-based recommendation.	LO3
4	Interpret basic statistical analysis techniques to inform an evidence-based decision.	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes and achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

No required reading materials.