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Study information

Epidemiology

Module titleEpidemiology
Module codeHPDM121Z
Academic year2023/4
Credits15
Module staff

Dr Janice Atkins (Convenor)

Dr Abby Russell (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

0

0

6

Number students taking module (anticipated)

20

Module description

This module will form the foundation of the science of public health. You will be exposed to epidemiology through the study of distributions and determinants of disease in populations and learn to apply the tools epidemiologists use to investigate health and disease in populations how they support public health decision-making for population health. .
No pre-requisites or specialist knowledge are required to undertake this module, which is well suited to interdisciplinary learning. Delivery is via six focused sessions of expert-led small group learning, interspersed by personal study undertaken at your own pace.

Teaching will draw on a range of high-quality recorded lectures, interspersed with consolidation sessions, workshops and group work. Synchronous sessions will be held via Teams or Zoom.
This module is delivered by distance learning via our online platform. A blended version of this module is also offered (HPDM121).

Module aims - intentions of the module

In this module you will understand:

• Causality in public health and challenges to understanding causality
• Sources of evidence in epidemiology
• Key forms of bias in epidemiological research
• The contribution of different study designs and data sources to understanding epidemiologic relationship
• How health, wellbeing and risk and protective factors are measured
• How tests and their performance influence public health decisions
• The role of genetics and genomics in shaping epidemiology

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Apply epidemiological methods to breadth of settings and situations in public health
  • 2. Identify key sources of data for epidemiological and public health investigation purposes

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 3. Understand how causality can be inferred or induced from evidence and the implications of this for population health
  • 4. Diagnose and interpret forms of bias affecting the reliability of quantitative research results
  • 5. Interpret key concepts of hypothesis testing, effect modification and confounding

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 6. Identify limitations of research results, data sources or existing practices and programmes
  • 7. Critically appraise suitability of epidemiological research for reliability and application

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
• Introduction to epidemiology: history and the epidemiological transition, hypothesis testing, definitions of disease occurrence
• Sources of epidemiological data and study designs
• Epidemiological study designs and implications for bias
• Causality: confounding, interaction and effect modification; graphical approaches to understanding causality
• Diagnostic and test performance and genetic epidemiology
• An introduction to genetic epidemiology

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
151350

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled learning & teaching activities15All student taught sessions
Guided independent study115Session preparation and follow up work utilising resources provided on ELE
Guided independent study20Reading and assignment preparation
Face-to-face scheduled lectures will delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities. Small-group discussion in tutorials and seminars will be delivered by synchronous group discussion on Teams/ Zoom; or asynchronous online discussion.

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Class discussions and small group work activitiesEach taught session3,4Facilitator and peer feedback in class

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
30700

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Take-home, open-note exam7060 minutes1-7Written
Recorded small group oral presentation with written narrative 304 minutes per person plus 400 words written narrative and review of peer contributions1-7Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Take home, open-note exam (70%), 60 minutesTake-home, open-note exam (60 minutes)1-7Next available assessment point
Recorded small group oral presentation with Wwritten narrative (30%)Pre-recorded oral presentation with written narrative1-7Typically within six weeks of the result

Re-assessment notes

Please refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Gordis, L. Epidemiology, 6th ed. Elsevier

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Web based and electronic resources: Web based and electronic resources will be available

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Other resources: An up to date reading list of journal articles will be provided on ELE.

Key words search

Public health, population health, epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, causality, bias, statistical approaches, disease risk, study design, appraisal of causal evidence 

Credit value15
Module ECTS

7.5

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

7

Available as distance learning?

Yes

Origin date

09/07/2021

Last revision date

13/04/2023