Research Design
HMS777
Overview
To enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into a course from the provider.
Read before you start
Level of study: What does Postgraduate mean?
Postgraduate
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Domestic student fee:
$1,950.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$2,175.00 (AUD)
Description
This unit of study aims to identify and understand some of the methodologies used in survey research. It includes an overview of the procedures used in survey research, a descriptive approach to methods including questionnaire design, both sample and census data collection methods, and an introduction to survey sampling. Basic techniques used to analyse and present survey data, such as construction of scales and graphing procedures and the analysis of secondary data, are covered in this unit of study. The unit also covers observational and experimental data collection, incidence and prevalence statistics, standardisation and the different types of study designs commonly used in health statistics and elsewhere. Case studies will be drawn from areas such as sociology, market research, psychology, medical sciences and other areas as appropriate.
Please note: Assessment values are indicative only; details will be advised at the start of the unit.
Enrolment Restriction
In order to enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into one of the following courses:
- Graduate Certificate of Science (Applied Statistics)
- Graduate Diploma of Science (Applied Statistics)
- Master of Science (Applied Statistics)
If you wish to seek approval to enrol in this unit without being accepted in a course, please contact OUA regarding the process.
Prerequisites
Equivalent units
You cannot enrol in this unit if you have successfully completed any of the following unit(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
- HMS773 — Survey Research Practice
Recommended prerequisites
You are recommended to have completed the following unit(s) or have equivalent knowledge before starting this unit:
- HMS770 — Statistical Practice 1
Assessment
- Assignment 1 (25%)
- Assignment 2 (25%)
- Invigilated Exam (40%)
- Quiz — Online Quizzes (10%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- follow defined processes to develop and conduct survey research
- understand the ethical and privacy considerations associated with the design and conduct of survey research
- describe the main methods used to collect data in survey research
- present arguments for and against different methods of data collection
- explain the differences between questions measuring attitudes, behaviour and beliefs
- apply the principles of question design and wording to develop a survey questionnaire
- describe the main methods of probability and non-probability sampling and the reasons for selecting a sample
- apply appropriate methods to select a simple random sample from a population
- code open-ended responses to survey questions
- prepare paper questionnaires for data entry
- prepare a detailed survey report
- independently plan and design a small scale survey project
- have an understanding of the process commonly used to collect observational and experimental data
- understand and be able to calculate measures used to describe incidence and prevalence
- understand how to standardise rates
- identify different study designs used in health statistics and elsewhere
- be competent in the calculation and interpretation to measure risk and disease rates.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to survey research |
| 2 | The basics of survey sampling |
| 3 | Developing a questionnaire |
| 4 | Methods of data collection |
| 5 | Coding and cleaning survey data |
| 6 | Introduction to scale development |
| 7 | The basic concepts of experimental designs |
| 8 | Common designs |
| 9 | Introduction to methods used in health statistics and elsewhere |
| 10 | Incidence and prevalence statistics |
| 11 | Standardisation of rates |
| 12 | Randomised trials and cohort studies |
| 13 | Case-control studies |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Instructional Methods
- Discussion Forum/Discussion Board
- Online Quizzes/Tests
- Online assignment submission
- Web links
Print based materials
- Welcome Letter
Online materials
- Printable format materials
Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a unit.
Click on the titles of the listed books below to find out more:
Required textbooks
Recommended textbooks
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
- Graduate Certificate of Science (Applied Statistics), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Graduate Diploma of Science (Applied Statistics), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Master of Science (Applied Statistics), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
