Overview
There is an enormous body of health data and information that is relevant to public health and the ability to locate, interpret and communicate health information is a fundamental skillset required by all public health professionals. In this unit you will be introduced to the concepts of measurement and data relating to public health. You will explore potential sources of data, how to identify and interpret appropriate measurements and data for public health, and how to communicate measurements and data with confidence to inform public health decisions.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator observation.
Lectures are now dated and some are of poor quality.
New lectures to be recorded by incoming Unit Coordinator.
- Assess the source and quality of health information and data as related to public health.
- Identify and interpret appropriate measurements and data for public health.
- Communicate health information using a range of information technologies.
- Reflect on individual, cultural, and ethical perspectives relating to health measurement and data.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum - 10% | ||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||
| 3 - Critical Review - 30% | ||||
| 4 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom access
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
g.haintz@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 13 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Module 1: Foundations of thinking and information literacy
Topic 1.1: Public health data in every day life
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 20 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Module 1: Foundations of thinking and information literacy
Topic 1.2: Finding and evaluating health information
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 27 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Module 1: Foundations of thinking and information literacy
Topic 1.3: Ethics, culture, and data
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 03 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Module 2: Measuring health (Understanding and generating public health measures)
Topic 2.1: Foundations of measurement
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1 Due: Week 4 Tuesday (4 Aug 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Assessment 1 Due: Week 4 Tuesday (4 Aug 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 5
Begin Date: 10 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Module 2: Measuring health (Understanding and generating public health measures)
Topic 2.2: Measuring population health
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 17 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Module 2: Measuring health (Understanding and generating public health measures)
Topic 2.3: Measuring risk and health determinants
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2: Quiz opens Tuesday 18th August (week 6) at 10:00am AEST.
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 24 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 31 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Module 3: Working with real-world data and evidence
Topic 3.1: Sources of public health data
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2 Due: Week 7 Tuesday (1 Sept 2026) 10:00 am AEST
Assessment 3 Due: Week 7 Friday (4 Sept 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Assessment 2 Due: Week 7 Tuesday (1 Sept 2026) 10:00 am AEST
Assessment 3 Due: Week 7 Friday (4 Sept 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 8
Begin Date: 07 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Module 3: Working with real-world data and evidence
Topic 3.2: Sources of public health data
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 14 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Module 3: Working with real-world data and evidence
Topic 3.3: Interpreting research and findings
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 21 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Module 4: Communication, judgement, and critique
Topic 4.1: Communicating public health data - Part 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 28 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Module 4: Communication, judgement, and critique
Topic 4.2: Communicating public health data - part 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 05 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Module 4: Communication, judgement, and critique
Topic 4.1: Challenging bias and reflecting on data
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 4 Due: Week 12 Tuesday (6 Oct 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Assessment 4 Due: Week 12 Tuesday (6 Oct 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week
Begin Date: 12 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 19 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Approach to studying in this unit
This unit runs in a 'flipped classroom' mode. That is, resources such as lectures, readings and learning activities are
provided each week via the unit Moodle site. Students are expected to work through the materials prior to coming along
to a tutorial.
Tutorials
There are two tutorial sessions each week:
- On-campus at Melbourne - Tuesday, 11.00am - 1.00pm AEST (AEDT in week 12), Room 2.09.
- Online via zoom - Tuesday, 2.30pm - 4.30pm AEST (AEDT in week 12), via the zoom link in the 'Virtual Classes' tile on the unit Moodle page.
International students must attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled tutorials on-campus at Melbourne. The tutorials are not compulsory for local (domestic) students. However, students are strongly encouraged to attend and participate.
Tutorials provide a structured opportunity to explore, discuss and clarify unit concepts, learning activities, and assessment tasks. Weekly topics and tutorial activities are 'scaffolded' each week (that is, build on one another) and replicate the concepts and skills you be required to apply in your assessments; so often, tutorial tasks may either directly build your assessment task, or be like a 'practice' for your assessment. Generally speaking, the first tutorial (9am-10am) will tend to focus opportunities to develop and consolidate understanding of unit concepts and materials. The second tutorial (10am-11am) will tend to focus on assessment development and support.
Use of generative AI in this unit
Please see the specific permissions for the use of generative AI for each assessment task. This information is under the 'Assessment Information' in this unit profile, and under the 'Assessment' tile on the unit Moodle site.
Communication with teaching staff/the Unit Coordinator
The primary mode of communication about the unit will be during online live tutorial sessions, or via the discussion forums on the unit Moodle site. For matters of a more personal/private nature, please email the teaching staff/Unit Coordinator.
Please note, emails and discussion boards are only monitored and responded to within teaching staff's allocated unit time within business hours. You are free to post or email outside of this (e.g. weekends, public holidays, etc.) but you will receive a response within staff's next available time within business hours.
1 Online discussion forum
Each week, as part of the course learning materials, students are expected to contribute to discussions or activities using online tutorials or forums throughout the term. This assessment requires you to submit a contribution for assessment.
You need to contribute ONE discussion post to the relevant weekly discussion forum on the unit Moodle site by the end of week 4. The post should relate to, and engage with, the unit concepts, resources and other discussions for that week.
You must copy your posts from the Moodle discussion forum and paste it into an MS Word document for submission. All posts must be titled appropriately, and include the date and time of posting, as they will be cross-checked with the online version. Any submission that does not match the online version will receive zero marks.
Completing this task will help to develop your critical thinking and understanding of unit concepts, as well as foundational academic literacy skills such as forming an argument, and drawing on relevant information and sources. This will help to form a foundation for your further assessment tasks in this unit.
Full guidelines and details about the task will be available on the unit Moodle site under the 'Assessment 1' information.
Level of GenAI use allowed
Level 1 - You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Week 4 Tuesday (4 Aug 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
MS Word document only; submitted online.
Week 6 Tuesday (18 Aug 2026)
- Comprehension and understanding of the topic (2 marks)
- Relevance (2 marks)
- Critical thinking and depth (2 marks)
- Quality of expression (2 marks)
- Engagement and interaction with colleagues/peers (2 marks)
- Assess the source and quality of health information and data as related to public health.
- Communicate health information using a range of information technologies.
- Reflect on individual, cultural, and ethical perspectives relating to health measurement and data.
2 Online Quiz(zes)
The quiz is a combination of 20 multiple choice and short answer questions that will test your understanding of the core concepts for the unit covered in weeks 1 - 6.
The Quiz will open on Tuesday 18th August (week 6) at 10:00am AEST.
The quiz will close on Tuesday 1st September (week 7) at 10:00am AEST. It will not be available for completion after this time.
The questions for each student will be drawn randomly from a pool of questions. There is no time limit to complete the quiz within the time it is available, and you can save your answers and return to them later while the quiz is available. You will be allowed one attempt only; that is, you can save and return the quiz multiple times throughout the period the quiz is open, but once you submit your quiz you will not be able to access it again to change or amend any response. Marks will be available after the quiz has closed to all students. Once the quiz has closed, you will get your final result from the quiz showing which questions you got right or wrong. This will let you know what areas you need to study/revise.
Level of GenAI use allowed
Level 1 - You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Week 7 Tuesday (1 Sept 2026) 10:00 am AEST
Online
Students will be able to see their grade and feedback after the quiz closes.
The quiz will assess students' understanding of topics covered in Weeks 1-6, including critical thinking, fundamental measurements of health outcomes, measurement of exposures, self-management and social awareness.
- Identify and interpret appropriate measurements and data for public health.
3 Critical Review
In Assessment 3 (critical review), you will be given a generative artificial intelligence (genAI) output of a brief report on a health issue. You will be required to apply the unit concepts and academic skills addressed in the unit to annotate the report (using MS word comments, and/or 'tracked changes'), including identifying strengths and limitations of the information in the report. You will also be required to write a brief reflection as a summary of your critique.
Completing this task will help you to develop your critical and applied understanding of unit concepts, and your genAI literacy. This task will also help to form your approach to your Assessment 4 report, where you will develop your own credible written report.
Full task details and guidelines will be available on the unit Moodle site under the 'Assessment 3' information. The task will also be introduced and discussed, with support and demonstrations provided, during tutorials.
Level of GenAI use allowed
Level 1 - You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
That is, while genAI has been used to provide the document on which the task is based, you must not use AI to critique this. The critique must be the application of your own core skills and knowledge of concepts and skills covered in the unit to comment on the document.
Week 7 Friday (4 Sept 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 9 Friday (18 Sept 2026)
- Relevance (40%)
- Validity (40%)
- Organisation and presentation (20%)
For full details of marking criteria and levels of accomplishment (the rubric), see the 'Assessment 3' information on the unit Moodle site
- Assess the source and quality of health information and data as related to public health.
- Identify and interpret appropriate measurements and data for public health.
- Communicate health information using a range of information technologies.
- Reflect on individual, cultural, and ethical perspectives relating to health measurement and data.
4 Written Assessment
This task will require you to extend on your Assessment 3 - critique of a health issue report - to research and write an enhanced, relevant and valid report on population health data and impacts related on that same topic. Your report should address the limitations you identified in your Assessment 3, and draw on credible and reliable evidence to produce your discussion.
The task will require you to apply the concepts and skills covered throughout the unit. It will build on the skills developed throughout the unit and in Assessment 1 and Assessment 3, and help to further develop your critical and applied understanding of unit concepts and genAI literacy. You should consider the feedback provided on your Assessment 1 and Assessment 3 in your approach to, and completion of, this task.
Full task details and guidelines will be available on the unit Moodle site under the 'Assessment 3' information. The task will also be introduced and discussed, with support and demonstrations provided, during tutorials.
Level of GenAI use allowed
Level 2 - You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 12 Tuesday (6 Oct 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Two weeks following the due date of the task
- Relevance (40%)
- Validity (40%)
- Organisation and presentation (20%)
For full details of marking criteria and levels of accomplishment (the rubric), see the 'Assessment 3' information on the unit Moodle site
- Assess the source and quality of health information and data as related to public health.
- Identify and interpret appropriate measurements and data for public health.
- Communicate health information using a range of information technologies.
- Reflect on individual, cultural, and ethical perspectives relating to health measurement and data.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
