DENT 7009A - Population Oral Health Research Thesis Part A

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2017

This course is one where independent research is undertaken under the guidance of a supervisor, with whom the student meets weekly across two semesters (Part A and Part B). The product of the research will be either a thesis of up to 30,000 words or at least two research manuscripts prepared for publication.

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Course Details

Course Code	DENT 7009A
Course	Population Oral Health Research Thesis Part A
Coordinating Unit	Dental
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Contact	1 x 1 hour meeting with supervisors weekly
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Incompatible	PUB HLTH 7133A Public Health Research Thesis (Part A), PUB HLTH 7133B Public Health Research Thesis (Part B), PUB HLTH 7119 Public Health Dissertation, DENT 7008 Population Oral Health Dissertation
Assumed Knowledge	Completed core courses for Master of Public Health
Restrictions	Available to MPH students (Oral Health Specialisation) only
Assessment	Written reports/thesis, oral presentation.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Jane Harford

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Details will be posted on MyUni.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Collaborate with colleagues and supervisor(s) in the development, design and execution of a research project.
2	Demonstrate the skills required to conduct independent research, including the ability to obtain data, analyse data and draw inferences and make appropriate conclusions based on the analysis.
3	Select and use an appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative research methodology to investigate a research problem or issuerelevant to Public Health.
4	Identify and communicate the ethical dimensions of research and demonstrate the skills and attitudes of an ethical researcher.
5	Use appropriate written and oral communication style and terminology to present evidence-based ideas effectively whether within a research seminar, conference presentation, or via academic writing.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,2,3,4,5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1,2,3,4,5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1,2,3,4,5
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	4
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1,2,3,4,5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Access to bibliographic databases and peer-reviewed journals and relevant software for analysis

Recommended Resources

Access to bibliographic databases and peer-reviewed journals and relevant software for analysis.

Online Learning

All relevant material posted on Canvas, all announcements will be communicated via Canvas. The final thesis/manuscript will be submitted via Canvas/Turnitin.

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course is one where independent research is undertaken under the guidance of a supervisor, with whom the student meets fortnightly across two semesters. Where a student has not previously acquired specific skills that support efficient research (e.g. search strategies, organising data) they will participate in appropriate workshops or online learning, early in their period of enrolment (i.e. in the first half of the first semester of a full-time enrolment). Students will be expected to communicate about their research project in a variety of modalities.

If students have not already completed PUB HLTH 7300OL ‘Developing a research proposal’ as part of their coursework, they will have access to it to support the development of their research proposal and literature review. Workshops scheduled at key stages throughout the semester will support student learning and development of research skills including oral presentation skills.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The research thesis is a 24 unit course in total – each part is a 12 unit course, and this is equivalent to a full-time commitment of one
semester (generally 40 hours per week over an extended semester of five months) or half-time over two semesters (20 hours per week over ten months).

Learning Activities Summary

Online resources or workshops to assist in the development of preliminary skills (eg Endnote, Word for long documents) will be made available to students to support their research.

Milestone	Item	Description
1	Research proposal	To be lodged by week 2 of the first semester of enrolment
2	Ethics application	If applicable, to be lodged as soon as practical, preferably prior to enrolment
3	Independent research	Undertaken under the guidance of a supervisor
4	Literature review	A literature review of about 4,500 words is to be prepared, to provide context for the research, and identify the gaps in current knowledge to be addressed in the research
5	Seminar presentation- Proposal	A seminar is presented regarding the proposed research and summarising the literature review.
6*	Seminar presentation- Final	About a month before submission for a full-time enrolment, and mid-second semester for a part-time enrolment, a seminar is presented regarding the research undertaken.
7*	Written thesis	The results of the research are submitted in the form of either: a) a thesis of no more than 30,000 words b) at least two manuscripts suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal (between 4000 and 7,000 words depending on the author guidelines for the chosen journal)
8*	Contextual statement	Accompanying statement locating the study in the field of public health.

* NOTE these are outputs delivered in Thesis Part B

Specific Course Requirements

N/A

Small Group Discovery Experience

N/A

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Task type	Weighting	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Research proposal	Formative	0%	1,2,3,5
Literature review	Summative	20%	1,2,3,4,5
Seminar presentation	Summative	10%	1,2,3,4,5
Thesis	Summative	70%	1,2,3,4,5

Assessment Related Requirements

N/A

Assessment Detail

Research proposal
A brief outline of the field of the proposed study, the research question to be investigated and the approach to be taken. The proposal should identify the supervisors, need for ethics approval and possible target journals for manuscripts produced from the
research. (0%, 750–1000 words, due by week 2 of Thesis Part A)

Research proposal and literature review presentation
Students will present a 15 minute summary of their research proposal and literature review including research question, hypotheses, approach/methodology and planned analysis. This task will be scheduled during the regular weekly School of Public Health research seminar. (0%, due week 6 of Thesis Part A)

Literature review
A literature review of 4,500 words (excluding references) is to be prepared, to provide context for the research, and identify the gaps in current knowledge to be addressed in the research. (20%, 4,500 words, due Week 8 of Thesis Part Asemester)

Seminar presentation
Students will present a 15 minute summary of their research projects including background, hypotheses, approach/methodology, results and conclusions. This task will be scheduled during the regular weekly School of Public Health research seminar. (10%, due Week 12 of Thesis Part B semester)

Thesis
Students will submit a report on their research projects including background, hypotheses, approach/methodology, results and conclusions (30,000 word limit), either in the form of a written thesis with multiple chapters, or at least two manuscripts suitable
for submission to a peer-reviewed journal (between 4000 and 7,000 words depending on the author guidelines for the chosen journal). (70%, due Week 13 of Thesis Part B semester)

The manuscripts/thesis should be submitted electronically, together with the certification from the supervisor, the candidate statement, any required additional material, and the journal’s Instructions for Authors.

Submission

The manuscripts/thesis should be submitted electronically, together with the certification from the supervisor, the candidate statement, any required additional material, and the journal’s Instructions for Authors.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

NOG (No Grade Associated)
Grade	Description
CN	Continuing

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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