Subject details

At the completion of this subject students will be able to:

  1. explain the different forms and roles of evidence in health care practice, including the key stages of research development
  2. utilise systematic search methods to obtain, interpret and summarise key design elements of peer-reviewed journal articles or other forms of evidence-based material
  3. identify, discuss and interpret selected research outcomes and basic statistics from peer-reviewed journal articles, or other forms of evidence-based material, and estimate the relevance and importance of these outcomes to consumers
  4. demonstrate digital media skills that effectively communicate research-based guidance
  5. demonstrate capacity to engage in an evidence-based approach to critically evaluate health-related challenges to promote sustainable thinking and problem solving in the contemporary world.

  • Topics

    • Introduction
    • Ethics in Research and Practice
    • Asking Questions to Guide your Search for Evidence
    • Acquiring the Evidence
    • Introduction to Quantitative Research Design
    • Introduction to Qualitative Research Design
    • Sources of Bias and Threats to Validity in Qualitative and Quantitative Research
    • Reliabilty and Rigour in Qualitative and Quantitative Research
    • Outcome Measures and Scales of Measurement in Health Research
    • Introduction to Descriptive Statistics and Statistical Inference
    • Treatment Effects: Mean Difference, Odds Ration, Risk Ration, Confidence Interval
    • Probability (p-values), statistical significance and power
    • Treatment Effects and Forest Plots
    • Meta-analysis

  • Study resources

    • Instructional Methods

      • Disscusion forum/Discussion Board
      • Embedded Multimedia
      • Glossary
      • Online Quizzes/Tests
      • Online assignment submission
      • Virtual Classroom
      • Web links

    • Print Materials

      • Study guide

    • Online Materials

      • Online Assessment
      • Resources and Links
      • Audio-Video streaming
      • Quizzes

No eligibility requirements

Special requirements

  • OtherDetails -

    This subject is offered via Open Universities Australia. La Trobe University students can undertake this subject as part of a cross institutional enrolment under certain circumstances, and must seek approval from the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Course Coordinator for eligibility. Due to the nature of the subject content and online delivery, enrolments are generally not permitted past the published OUA enrolment date for the study period.

In this subject students will be introduced to essential skills for evidence-based practice in the field of human nutrition through online activities and discussions. A systematic 5-step approach will be used to build basic skills in formulating answerable questions, searching for relevant research articles, critically appraising the evidence and evaluating the applicability of the evidence. Students will develop a basic understanding of the strengths and limitations of key research designs and contemporary challenges of research in human nutrition. The focus is on the types of research that answer questions about the effectiveness of interventions, and about human experience and meaning and being able to interpret these. Students will also consider the complex interaction between social, economic and environmental influences that contribute to sustainability thinking.

  • Assignment 1 - 10 questions (150 words equiv) (15%)
  • Assignment 2 - 20 questions (350 words equiv) (20%)
  • Assignment 3 - 1000 word written essay (25%)
  • Assignment 4 - 800 word search strategy (10%)
  • Assignment 5 - 1500 word written essay (30%)

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 subject.

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Related degrees

Undergraduate

Bachelor of Food and Nutrition