Unit name | Introduction to Statistical and Epidemiological Methods |
---|---|
Unit code | BRMSM0055 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Chris Metcalfe |
Open unit status | Not open |
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
School/department | Bristol Medical School |
Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
The aims of this unit are to:
Throughout the unit research case studies from within Population Health Sciences at Bristol will be presented to give real world published examples of the different epidemiological study designs.
The unit will also introduce some of the history of medical statistics and its contribution to advances in health care, and reflecting on the association of some statistical pioneers with the Eugenics movement..
On successful completion of the unit, a student should be able to:
1. Calculate and interpret measures of disease frequency, measures of association and effect size, including basic nonparametric methods (e.g., Kruskal-Wallace, Mann Whitney U-test, etc.).
2. Describe the principles of, and evaluate the strength and limitations of, different study designs.
3. Explain sampling variation, confidence intervals, p-values, Bayesian credible intervals, and use these to interpret statistical analyses.
4. Explain concepts in probability theory.
5. Explain concepts in statistical inference.
6. Explain the conditional independencies between variables encoded in a DAG and be able to explain confounding, colliding, and mediation using DAGs.
Formative assessment:
Summative assessment
This unit will be assessed by a 2-hour short-answer written exam (January, 100%, ILOs 1-6).
A mark of 50% is required to pass the unit.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0055).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.