Undergraduate - UnitOCC3041 - Skills for evidence-based practice 2

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Synopsis

This unit gives students an advanced overview of the skills necessary to critique and evaluate research evidence. Students will be introduced to the methodology related to conducting survey questionnaire based research (quantitative research methodology) and focus group and semi-structured interviews (qualitative methodology). This will provide the foundation to integrate clinically relevant evidence into daily professional practice as well as skills to be able answer clinical questions. Components of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy will be introduced and practiced. Students will also be introduced to methods of presenting evidence, generating research questions, selecting appropriate quantitative and qualitative research designs, completing data analysis and interpreting data analysis results. Specifically, students will learn the fundamentals of conducting survey questionnaire based research from quantitative perspective and qualitative research using focus group and semi-structured interview methods. This knowledge will enable students to be evidence-based practitioners

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, you will be able to

1. demonstrate an advanced understanding of the levels of evidence for evidence-based practice;
2. demonstrate ability to critique ways all levels of evidence
3. identify gaps in intervention practice knowledge, develop a researchable clinical intervention research question and search databases for best evidence to support practice;
4. demonstrate ability to find relevant evidence using a variety of formal and informal methods (eg health science databases, internet);
5. demonstrate ability to select, appraise and/or design questionnaires/scales used to gather data;
6. demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of survey research methodology;
7. demonstrate knowledge of qualitative research methodology and the ability to design and conduct qualitative data gathering methods such as focus group or semi-structured interviews;
8. demonstrate knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods; and
9. demonstrate knowledge of ethical issues related to conducting research in professional practice.

Assessment

1. Attend 80% of all tutorials and practical skills classes (workshops) - Hurdle
2. Develop survey questionnaire / scale - Hurdle
3. Gather data using survey questionnaire / scale and analyse it using SPSS - Hurdle
4. Complete 2000 word report (4,000 words if completed in pairs; 5,000 words if completed in three-person group) documenting survey questionnaire development process, data analysis results, discussion and critical reflection - 30%
5. Complete MCQ & short answer exam one hour in length covering unit content from Weeks 1 to 4 (Mid-term exam) - 20%
6. Develop focus group or semi-structured interview question schedule - Hurdle
7. Gather data using focus group or semi-structured interview - Hurdle
8. Complete 2000 word report (4,000 words if completed in pairs; 5,000 words if completed in three-person group) documenting focus group or semi-structured interview questionnaire development, data analysis results, discussion and critical reflection - 30%
9. Complete MCQ & short answer exam one hour in length covering unit content from Weeks 6-9 (Final exam) - 20%
10. Completion of review test questions in tutorial sessions & on-line - Hurdle

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Ted Brown

Prerequisites

OCC2022