NURSING 4300 - Honours Nursing Research Literacy

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2022

This course is designed to familiarise students with the methodologies used in health research. Students will learn about empirical methods such as experimental studies and also the fundamentals of interpretive and critical methodologies, such as phenomenology. The aim is for students to learn how to read and critically evaluate research relating to their practice.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code NURSING 4300
    Course Honours Nursing Research Literacy
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Nursing School
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 12 hours per week (blended delivery including online lectures, readings, learning activities and assessment items) with two optional on-campus workshops
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Corequisites NURSING 4301
    Restrictions B.Nurs (Honours) students
    Assessment Quizzes, critique of research papers
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Zaneta Smith

    Course Coordinator: Dr Morgan Smith Phone: +61 8 8313 0219 Email: morgan.r.smith@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Level 4, AHMS Building
    Course Timetable

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

    1 Introduction to course

    2 Searching the research literature

    3 Quantiative research - descriptive designs

    4 Quantiative research –experimental designs

    5 Quantitative research – basic statistics

    6 Critique of quantitative research

    Mid-Semester Break

    Mid-Semester Break

    7 Qualitative research - descriptive

    8 Qualitative research - interpretive

    9 Qualitative research - critical

    10 Qualitative research – data collection and analysis

    11 Critique of qualitative research

    12 Mixed methods research
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. Conduct an effective search of the published literature using health science data bases.
    2. Explain the ethical principles relating to the conduct of research.
    3. Explain the philosophical underpinnings of the various approaches used in health research.
    4. Distinguish between the empirical and interpretive and critical methods of research.
    5. Explain the use of common statistical methods used for analysis in health research.
    6. Explain interpretive and critical approaches used in health research.
    7. Critique the research literature in order to assess its applicability to current professional practice.
    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)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    1, 3, 4, 5, 6

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    3, 6, 7

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    4, 5

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    2
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    Required Resources

    Text

    Richardson-Tench, M. Nicholson, P. Taylor,
    B. Kermode, S. Roberts, K. 2018 Research in Nursing, Midwifery and Allied
    Health: evidence for best practice. 6th edn. Cengage, South
    Melbourne.

    Note this text is also available as a E Book

    Readings
    The readings for this course are available electronically via MyUni.
    Recommended Resources
    Burns, N & Grove, SK 2020, 9th Edn,
    The Practice of Nursing Research Elsevier Saunders, St Louis.

    Polgar, S & Thomas, S 2020, 7th
    Edition. Introduction to research in the
    health sciences, Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier Edinburgh.

    Liamputtong, P & Ezzy, D 2019, Qualitative research methods, 5th edn, Oxford University Press,
    Melbourne.


    Note: You are not required to buy recommended texts. However, they provide valuable supplementary reading on various aspects of the material covered within this course and you are encouraged to have a look at them.
    Online Learning

    MyUni
    All students enrolled in a coursework nursing program have access to an online course site where they can access resources and communicate with other students and lecturers.

    Library Resources

    The University of Adelaide Library has a website to help nursing students use the library and its resource 
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will be delivered through the Flexible Learning Mode.

    Optional virtual classroom sessions will be held during the semester.

    A course guide will be available to direct your reading. Additional online resources will be provided on the course site to assist your understanding of core concepts.
    Workload

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

    It is expected that you will need to spend about 12 hours of study a week to successfully complete this course. This includes reading, completing activities, attendance at the optional workshops and listening to podcasts. Thus some weeks it will be more and others less. It is recommended that you plan your time commitment to the course at the beginning of the semester.
    Learning Activities Summary
    This course is designed to familiarise students with the methodologies used in health research. Students will learn how to search the literature and evaluate the evidence they find relating to their practice. In addition the ethical issues relating to research will be considered. The various approaches to health research will be presented. These will include empirical methods such as clinical trials and epidemiology. In addition critical and interpretive approaches such as phenomenology and ethnography will be discussed. This will give students the knowledge and skills required to evaluate research they locate in the literature in order to decide whether to apply the findings to practice.


    Specific Course Requirements
    N/A
  • Assessment

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

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

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Length
    Search of the Literature Fornative 0% 250 words
    Critique of quantitative research

    Summative 40% 1,500 words
    Critique of qualitative research   Summative 60% 2,000 words


    Assessment Detail
    Assessment 1: Search of the literature

    Please see course guide.

    Assessment 2&3: Critique of research

    Please see course guide.
    Submission
    Assessments, unless otherwise stated in your Study guide, are to be submitted electronically via MyUni on the due date identified in this Study guide. Instructions for assignment submission are available for all students under Tutorials at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/. An assessment submitted via MyUni must be submitted as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file. If submitting a PowerPoint presentation for marking, the .ppt or .pptx must be submitted as .pdf file. It is also important to submit your file under your name, such as surname.firstname. MyUni stamps all the other details against your filename once you submit your assessment.If you have difficulty submitting your assignment, you can call the MyUni helpdesk from 8am to 6pm 08 8303 3335.Information on how to submit an assignment is avialble on MyUni.
    Course Grading

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

    M11 (Honours Mark Scheme)
    GradeGrade reflects following criteria for allocation of gradeReported on Official Transcript
    Fail A mark between 1-49 F
    Third Class A mark between 50-59 3
    Second Class Div B A mark between 60-69 2B
    Second Class Div A A mark between 70-79 2A
    First Class A mark between 80-100 1
    Result Pending An interim result RP
    Continuing Continuing CN

    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.

    Plagiarism
    Students are reminded that plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty constitute a serious offence and can result in disciplinary procedures. Students are advised to read the policy Academic Honesty and Assessment Obligations for Coursework Students Policy & Coursework Students: Academic Dishonesty Procedures policy, available at www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/230/. The following definitions should be noted.

    Referencing: providing a full bibliographic reference to the source of the citation (in a style as determined by the School).

    Quotation: placing an excerpt from an original source into a paper using either quotation marks or indentation, with the source cited, using an approved referencing system in order to give credit to the original author.

    Paraphrasing: repeating a section of text using different words which retain the original meaning.Please note: changing just a few words does not constitute paraphrasing.


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

    Assessments, unless otherwise stated in your Study guide, are to be submitted electronically via MyUni on the due date identified in this Study guide. Instructions for assignment submission are available for all students under Tutorials at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/. An assessment submitted via MyUni must be submitted as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file. If submitting a PowerPoint presentation for marking, the .ppt or .pptx must be submitted as .pdf file. It is also important to submit your file under your name, such as surname.firstname. MyUni stamps all the other details against your filename once you submit your assessment.If you have difficulty submitting your assignment, you can call the MyUni helpdesk from 8am to 6pm 08 8303 3335.Information on how to submit an assignment is avialble on MyUni.
  • 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.

    SELT feedback unavailable for this course.
  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    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.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.