Studying online
There are now 3 possible online modes for units:
Units with modes Online timetabled and Online flexible are available for any student to self-enrol and study online.
Units available in Online Restricted mode have been adapted for online study only for those students who require the unit to complete their studies and who are unable to attend campus due to COVID border closures. To be enrolled in a unit in Online Restricted mode, students should contact their Student Advising Office through askUWA and include which of the below criteria applies:
- You are a student who is currently offshore and unable to enter Australia.
- You are a student in Australia who is impacted by state or regional border closures.
Click on an offering mode for more details.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Restricted to enrolment by students unable to attend campus due to COVID border closures. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.
PUBH2203 Foundations of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
(see Timetable) Availability Location Mode Semester 2 Online Online timetabled Semester 2 UWA (Perth) Face to face - Details for undergraduate courses
- Level 2 core unit in the Public Health; Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing major sequences
- Level 2 elective
- Content
- This unit introduces students to the use of epidemiology and biostatistics as tools in understanding health. The main epidemiological research designs and related statistical analyses are described and evaluated. Discussion focuses on how health and disease are measured and compared across populations and how researchers measure associations between exposures and health outcomes. Analytical skills are developed using statistical computer software (SPSS) for analysis of research data as well as the critical appraisal of epidemiological studies, which incorporates understanding of the roles of bias, chance and confounding in interpreting study results. The implications of epidemiologic research findings for public policy are also illustrated.
- Outcomes
- Students are able to (1) identify the research question in published literature; (2) explain the basic statistical concepts of estimation and hypothesis testing; (3) compute measures of health and disease frequency; (4) generate data summaries relevant to epidemiological research
; (5) interpret the results of epidemiological research; (6) interpret statistical methods commonly used in epidemiological studies; (7) describe the major epidemiologic study designs; and (8) Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of epidemiological studies. - Assessment
- Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) an assignment and (2) short online quizzes. Further information is available in the unit outline.
For units commencing in May 2022 or later the availability of the supplementary assessment is subject to confirmation.
Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.Except where supplementary assessment is not available in a unit, it will be offered to students in all units who:
- Are in good academic standing overall;
- Have passed over half the units taken in the teaching period concerned, except where they are only enrolled in two or less units in the period;
- Have submitted all assessment items in the unit;
- Have achieved a mark between 45 and 49 for the unit overall, or the same mark in any failed component item in the unit; and
- No finding of academic misconduct has been made against them in the unit concerned.
Additionally student may apply for supplementary assessment in any unit which is the final unit required for graduation in there course and where they have achieved a mark between 45 and 49 for the unit overall, or the same mark in any failed component item in the unit.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Dr Charley Budgeon
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites:
- for student enrolled in Population Health Major (MJD-PPHLT) and all students other than those enrolled in the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing major: one of the following; PUBH1101 Health and Illness in Human Populations or PUBH1102 Health and Globalisation or ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human or ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human or ANTH1001 Being Human: Culture, Identity and Society or ANTH1002 Global Change, Local Responses or PUBH2209 Plagues, Pox and Pandemics or SCOM1101: Communicating Science or BIOL1130: Frontiers in Biology or BIOL1131: Plant and Animal Biology;
for students enrolled in the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing major MJD-ABHWB: either (INDG1150 Aboriginal Encounters: Strangers in our Backyard or INDG1160 Boodjar Moort Katatjin: Introduction to Indigenous Heritage and Knowledge), and AHEA2201 Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing; - Co-requisites:
- Nil
- Advisable prior study:
- knowledge of basic algebra, familiarity with hand-held calculators and familiarity with computing in the Windows environment
- Incompatibility:
- IMED2003 Medical Sciences Research Methodologies (ID 5971)
- Contact hours
- lectures: 2 hours per week; tutorials: 2 hours per week
- Text
Gordis, L. Epidemiology, 5th edn: Saunders Elsevier 2014
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Unit readings, including any essential textbooks, are listed in the unit outline for each unit, one week prior the commencement of study. The unit outline will be available via the LMS and the UWA Handbook one week prior the commencement of study. Reading lists and essential textbooks are subject to change each semester. Information on essential textbooks will also be made available on the Essential Textbooks. This website is updated regularly in the lead up to semester so content may change. It is recommended that students purchase essential textbooks for convenience due to the frequency with which they will be required during the unit. A limited number of textbooks will be made available from the Library in print and will also be made available online wherever possible. Essential textbooks can be purchased from the commercial vendors to secure the best deal. The Student Guild can provide assistance on where to purchase books if required. Books can be purchased second hand at the Guild Secondhand bookshop (second floor, Guild Village), which is located on campus.