PBH2002: Foundations of biostatistics

Overview

This unit introduces students to the basic principles and methods used in biostatistics as applied to public health and clinical research. The key concepts covered include the technical qualifications necessary for analysing and interpreting data on a descriptive and bivariate level. The unit will cover topics which include classification of health data, sampling methods;, study design, summarizing data using simple statistical methods and graphical presentation, sampling distributions, quantifying uncertainty in results from a sample, statistical distributions (normal and t-distribution), comparing two independent/paired groups using t-test (p-value) and confidence intervals, comparing more than two groups using Analysis of variance (ANOVA), non-parametric tests for comparing two or more groups when normality assumptions do not hold, assessing the association between an outcome and an exposure using the chi-squared test, and risk comparisons (RR & OR).

Assessment

1 - Written report (1500 words, excluding data analysis output and tables) - 25% 2 - Data analysis report (1800 words, excluding data analysis output and tables) - 30% 3 - Online quiz (MCQ) (30 minutes) - 10% 4 - Examination (MCQ/SAQ) (2 hours and 10 minutes) - 35%

Workload

6 hours of teacher directed study per week, this includes 3 hours of workshop and 3 hours of directed online student learning activities. 6 hours per week of self-directed study. Total per week = 12 hours

Global challenges

Our Strategic Plan, Impact 2030, charts the path for how Monash will actively respond to climate change, preserving geopolitical security and fostering thriving communities over the next decade. Read more

This unit covers content related to the following Global Challenges:

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