Course Description

Provides foundation skills in research-oriented bibliographic inquiry, with an emphasis on evidence-based review and synthesis of applicable literature. Principles of effective scientific communication are also addressed, including how to plan, organize and write structured systematic review articles. (Web-based 135 - 180 hours directed study...individual time spent will vary).

Credits/Modes of Instruction

Credits:  3

This is a 3-credit graduate course delivered via the Internet. The mode of instruction is directed study. Directed study is an active learning method that emphasizes what the learner does, not the teacher. In this method, you engage the content via structured group and individual assignments and activities, i.e., you learn by doing. The instructor's role is to (1) design the assignments and activities to ensure active learning, (2) prepare you for and direct you in assignment completion, and (3) provide you with feedback on your achievement and progress.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites vary by program (please contact your program director, track coordinator or advisor). In general, it is assumed that you have completed graduate-level coursework in research methods and basic statistics (IDST 6121 or equivalent and IDST 6200 or equivalent).
For students in the MSHS and MHS programs, this course normally is prerequisite to your capstone project course (IDST6980 or IDST6989). For some programs, the research and writing you do here should provide the foundation for your subsequent project activity.

Course Goals and Outcomes:

Goals

The general goal for this course is to provide graduate students with the skills needed to identify, analyze, synthesize and communicate information using evidence-based methods. To that end students will learn:
The purposes and limitations of systematic evidence analysis and the different uses of evidence analysis,
How to apply the process of evidence analysis, i.e.,
asking a good question
finding the best evidence
consolidating evidence using a reference manager
extracting and analyzing the evidence
critically appraising the evidence
synthesizing the evidence using meta-analytic methods
integrating the appraisal into a synthesis of the research
How to organize and write an evidence-based review of the literature using a standard style format

To teach students the principles of evidence analysis by creating a full systematic review and meta-analysis.