Brief description of aims and content
Welcome to this module of epidemiology and research methods, the module has three components, namely research methods, epidemiology, and biostatistics. The module aims to equip students with general understanding and skills related to the concepts and applications of Research methods, Epidemiology and biostatistics. The course will develop students’ ability to develop a research problem, design experiments to study research problem, design data collection methods and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data. Students will learn epidemiological methods applied to study veterinary important diseases and statistical procedures using in along both processes. At the end of the module, student should be able to use the acquired knowledge and skills to design epidemiological studies and statistically analyze data in order to draw valuable conclusion and recommendation for a sustainable livestock health and production
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
1) Basic concepts and applications of epidemiology
2) Descriptive and Analytical epidemiology
3) Characteristics of diagnostic tests in epidemiology.
4) Establishment and evaluation of disease surveillance systems.
5) Outbreak investigation
6) Principles of research process/ methodology from identifying research problem to drawing proper conclusion
6) Principles of experimental design
7) Statistical procedures such as descriptive and inferential used in data analysis
8) Principles of ethical guidelines in research
9) Presentation and discussion of scientific data
Application of Knowledge/Intellectual skills
Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:
10) Design and conduct an epidemiological study
11) Interpret epidemiological studies’ results
12) Establish and evaluate a disease control system
13) Design and execute experiments ethically
14) Analyze, summarize and discuss scientific data
15) Relate statistics to real life scenarios
Communication and Practical Skills
Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:
1) Oral presentation.
2) Computer skills.
3) Time management.
4) Group work.
5) Information and data collection.
6) Writing skills
7) Presentation skills
General transferable skills
Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:
1) Identify a problem in the community; propose the appropriate epidemiological study design to investigate the problem.
2) Use statistical knowledge and skills to analysis data and come up with conclusion and recommendation to solve problem in the society.
3) Collaborate and work in group to study an epidemiological problem in veterinary and animal sciences using appropriate statistical procedures and come up with relevant conclusions and recommendation
Indicative Content
Research methods
Theory:
-Introduction to research methods.
-Constructing research questions and developing a research problem (statement of research problem, rationale and research justification)
-Formulation of objectives, Hypothesis and research questions.
-Research design and methodology (Including data collection)
-Doing a literature review
-Developing analytical framework of research project (i.e: Data analysis, bioinformatics)
-Developing research project output, outcome, goals and impact
-Work plan and budget elaboration and its justification.
-Research dissemination
-Ethical guidelines in research
Practical:
Literature collection; Project proposal writing; listing of research materials needed; methodology development, Major components and outline of the different phases in a research process, Application of some statistical packages (SPSS and Epi nfo), research report writing, Data collection procedures, processing and interpretation; results presentation
Epidemiology
Theory :
- Introduction to epidemiology (Definition, history, importance, causation),
- Descriptive epidemiology (Ratio, proportion, mortality, morbidity, Prevalence, Incidence,…),
- Analytical epidemiology (Experimental study design, cohort, case control and cross sectional Study designs, random error, bias, confounding …),
- Characteristics of diagnostic tests (Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, kappa,…),
- Disease surveillance (establishment, evaluation,…),
- Outbreak investigation.
Practical:
Design epidemiological studies, Exercises of diagnostic test characteristics, Interpretation of epidemiological studies’ results.
Biostatistics
Theory:
- Definition: Statistics; descriptive, inferential.
- Variables: qualitative versus quantitative.
- Data types: primary versus secondary, categorical versus discrete, continuous.
- Collection of data - Population survey, measurement, questionnaire, sampling.
- Types of data – continuous and discrete.
- Types of measurements: nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio scales. Bias, accuracy and precision.
- Presentation of data: tabular forms and graphical methods: histograms, line diagram, pie charts, bar charts, frequency distribution, ogives, stem- and- leaf plots, box- and-whiskers plots, tally method.
- Measures of Central Tendency: Σ notation, mean, median, mode, quartiles, percentiles.
- Measures of Dispersion: variance, standard deviation, range, interquartile range, skewness and kurtosis. Identification of outliers.
- Binomial distribution, probability, normal distribution, confidence intervals.
- Test of significance – null and alternative hypothesis, errors, level of significance, acceptance and rejection of hypothesis, 2x2 table and Chi square test, students’ t-test, weighted average, covariance, correlation and regression analysis.
- Uses of scientific calculators for statistical manipulation limited to calculation of mean, standard deviation
- Basic experimental design especially clinical trials in veterinary medicine or animal sciences
Practical:
Exercises on measure of central tendency and dispersion - exercises on test of significance -use and demonstration of some statistical packages.
Learning and Teaching Strategy
- Lectures
- Group works
- Tutorials
- Assignments with feedback and group presentation
- Video
- Illustrations
- Charts and models
- Written assignments
- Class discussions.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGY
- Class assignments,
- written work to be completed outside of class
- Presentations
- Continuous Assessment Tests
- Final examination
Assessment Pattern
|
Component |
Weightage (%) |
Learning objectives covered |
|
In-course assessment (assignments, group presentations and continuous assessment tests) |
50% |
1-20 |
|
Final assessment |
50% |
1-12 |
|
Total |
100% |
|
Strategy for feedback and student support during module
The major source of feedback on performance is the report of results of assignments, continuous assessment tests, group presentations and the final examination.
For students with low performance in some areas of the module, the lecturer organizes some catch up sessions and further support can be offered during lecturers’ office hours.
Indicative Resources
The core text books are:
- Michael Thrusfield (2005). Veterinary Epidemiology third edition. Blackwell Publishing. UK.
- Y.K. Singh (2006) Fundamental research methodology and statistics. New Age International. Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi. ISBN : 978-81-224-2418-8
- Gordis L. (2009) Epidemiology, 4th ed., Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia.
- Smith R.D. (2009)Veterinary Clinical Epidemiology, 3rd ed., CRC Press
- Petrie E., and P. Watson (2006), Statistics for Veterinary and Animal Science, 2nd ed., Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, pages 107-118.
- Winner, L. (2004). Introduction to biostatistics. Department of Statistics University of Florida.Kirkwood, B. R., & Sterne, J. A. (2003). Medical statistics. Medical statistics.
Teaching team
Jean Baptiste NDAHETUYE (PhD)
Jean Pierre MUGANGA MPATSENUMUGABO (PhD Candidate)
Dr. Robert Kibuuka BVM, Msc. VPH
Welcome to the Wildlife Medicine, Aquaculture and Apiculture module. The module is made of three components: (1)Wildlife Medicine; (2) Aquaculture and (3) Apiculture
Facilitators: Dr Julius Nziza,
Dr Simon Tukeratabaro
Mr Andrew Kibogo