ESSC11004 - Study and Research Skills for Health Science

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this foundation level unit you will develop the academic study and research skills necessary for success in tertiary level education. You will learn about qualitative and quantitative research, using research databases to access peer-reviewed scientific literature, and appraise the quality of evidence presented in peer-reviewed scientific literature. You will also learn about research ethics and integrity, and develop a foundational understanding of the use of statistics in research. Additionally, you will learn fundamental concepts of scientific writing and referencing to ensure you can articulate the information you retrieve and appraise, in a clear, concise, and appropriate manner.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2025

Term 3 - 2025 Profile
Cairns
Mackay City
Online
Rockhampton
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Cairns
Mackay City
Online
Rockhampton
Term 3 - 2026 Profile
Cairns
Mackay City
Online
Rockhampton

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Test 30%
2. Written Assessment 70%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 50.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 12.7% response rate.

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.

Source: Student Unit Evaluations
Feedback
It was difficult to determine what was expected for the Written Assessment, in particular Part B.
Recommendation
It is recommended that time be set aside during a tutorial session to discuss the expectations for Part B of the Written Assessment, alongside an exemplar.
Action Taken
One tutorial included specific time to discuss the Written Assessment task to outline the structure of a literature review. This was well received by students.
Source: Email
Feedback
Assessment feedback was effective in making improvements
Recommendation
It is recommended that specific and direct feedback continue to be used for Written Assessment Part A, to ensure students can apply feedback for Part B.
Action Taken
Formative feedback was provided for Written Assessment A, as this is a key pedagogical consideration for these assessments to ensure students can apply recommendations to their work in completing Part B.
Source: In class feedback
Feedback
The Academic Learning Centre (ALC) provided good resources to help with the Written Assessment.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the ALC continue to be utilised throughout this unit to assist students with academic writing skills.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection
Feedback
A textbook may be useful in complementing the weekly readings/journal articles used.
Recommendation
It is recommended that a prescribed text be considered to provide students with a structured reading list and additional learning resources.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Source and critically evaluate scholarly research information
  2. Demonstrate effective scientific research writing skills
  3. Identify appropriate study designs and statistical tests to answer various research questions
  4. Distinguish between ethical and unethical practices in research.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Test • • •
2 - Written Assessment • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication •
3 - Critical Thinking • •
4 - Information Literacy • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • •
8 - Ethical practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10