Epidemiology in Practice (PUBH7611)

Course overview

This course will provide in-depth exposure to the fundamental concepts, research designs and analytic strategies of epidemiology. It aims to develop a coherent understanding of the principles of epidemiology. This course has prerequisite of PUBH7600 Introduction to Epidemiology and students must have successfully completed this course before enrolling in PUBH7611.

This is an advanced-level epidemiology course that builds on the fundamental concepts covered in our introduction-level courses in epidemiology and biostatistics. In this course you will continue to develop your ability to assess the quality of evidence on the occurrence of diseases, and knowledge of risk factors in populations. You will also be introduced to more advanced techniques and approaches in epidemiology, and develop the skills needed to summarise and communicate epidemiological evidence to colleagues, in preparation for a possible role as an epidemiologist in the field of public health. This course will also develop students' ability to use advanced methods of epidemiology using statistical software.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students are expected to have a soundﾠunderstanding of the core concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics, including measures of disease frequency, causal association, bias, study design, and data analysis to the level covered in the courses Introduction to Epidemiology (PUBH7600) and Introduction to Biostatistics (PUBH7630).

Students choosing this course as an elective and who received a grade of 3S4 for the prerequisite, PUBH7600 Introduction to Epidemiology, are strongly encouraged to reconsider and choose a different elective course.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PUBH7600, PUBH7630

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Weekly Workshops – 0887-015ﾠ(Public Health Building, Herston Campus)

There are no scheduled lectures for this course. All lecture material is posted in a series of videos each week for students to work through.ﾠStudents are expected to complete the learning activities (including readings and onlineﾠlectures) prior to attending the workshops each week. All learning activities (lecture recordings, and workshop recordings, exercises and solutions) will be made available through the Blackboard site.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to enable you to:

1. Develop an advanced understanding of concepts in epidemiologic study design and causal inference.
2. Acquire skills in the application of advanced methods of epidemiologyﾠusing statisticalﾠsoftware.
3. Develop the ability to communicate epidemiological evidence to colleagues in the field of public health.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Critical appraisal

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

29/08/2025 10:00 am

Learning outcomes

L01, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Details will be provided in the Course Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please refer to 10. Policies and guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Study design development

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

29/09/2025 10:00 am

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Details will be provided in the Course Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please refer 10. Policies and guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Analysis & interpretation of epidemiological data

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

40%

Due date

31/10/2025 10:00 am

Learning outcomes

L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Details will be provided in the Course Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please refer to 10. Policies and guidelines

Late submission

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Students must attempt and submit all 3 assignments in order to successfully pass the course.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

The final grade awarded will be based on the results of the supplementary assessment only, and a passing grade will be awarded if, and only if, the student receives at least 50% of the marks on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Students must attempt and submitﾠall 3 assignmentsﾠin order to successfully pass the course.

Assignment Submission:ﾠ

Assignments for this course will be submitted as a Word document using Turnitin via Blackboard.ﾠ

Before submitted any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ’sﾠcompulsory onlineﾠAcademic Integrity Tutorial.

When you successfully submit your assessment, you need to manually download your receipt and keep a copy as proof of submission as Turnitin no longer automatically emails students a receipt when an assignment is uploaded.ﾠ ﾠ

It is the responsibility of the student to check the assignment preview and confirm that the assignment has been successfully submitted.ﾠﾠ

If the submission was not successful:

1. Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot)
2. Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again
3. If you cannot submit again, immediately email your course coordinator.ﾠ

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Course guidelines

School of Public Health (SPH) Guidelines for late submission of progressive assessment - Preamble

To apply for an extension to the due date for a piece of progressive assessment (eg assignments, oral presentations and computer-based assignments) students should complete the online request at  https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=2#2  

Information regarding deferral of in-semester exams and end-of-semester exams is available from https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/deferring-exam 

If requesting an extension on medical grounds, a medical certificate must be provided. The extension will be approved for the number of days included in the medical certificate that the student was not fit to study or work, eg if the medical certificate is for 3 days, an extension will be approved for 3 days maximum regardless of the student's request.  

If requesting an extension using a Student Access Plan (SAP) as evidence, a maximum of 7-day extension will be approved in the first instance. Updated medical documentation, as well as a copy of the SAP, is required if requesting an extension for more than 7 days. 

A student may have a maximum of three extension requests approved for a single assessment task.   

An extension for an assessment item due within the study period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total.  

The following SPH guidelines are consistent with the UQ policy. However, the SPH Guidelines contain specific rules and interpretations for SPH courses, and requests for extension and penalties for late submissions will be judged according to the guidelines outlined in this document. You should read both the information in your my.UQ at the following link: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension and the SPH guidelines (below) before submitting a request for an extension. The SPH Guidelines apply to all courses offered by the School of Public Health unless the Course Profile explicitly states otherwise.

SPH Guidelines for late submission of progressive assessment

Initial extension for an individual item of assessment – the SPH Student & Academic Administration Team and/or the Course Coordinator decides.

This could be for medical or compassionate reasons, or if, in the opinion of the Course Coordinator, there are exceptional circumstances.

Acceptable and unacceptable reasons for an extension are listed at the following link, along with the required evidence to be provided:  https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=1#1

A request for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through mylUQ as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed, but no later than one calendar day after the assessment task submission due date and time. 

If applying for an extension after the due date and time of the assessment item, your request may not be approved. An explanation as to why your request was not submitted prior must be included.       

If approved, a new due date will be set. This would generally be no later than 7 days after the original due date, however this can be modified to take account of the circumstances of the request and the time that would have been lost from studies.

If the new due date is past the date for submission of end-of-semester results, the student will receive an INC (incomplete) result.

Second and all subsequent extensions for an individual item of assessment – the SPH Student & Academic Administration Team and/or the Program Convenor together with the Course Coordinator decides.

This would only be approved for exceptional circumstance with supporting documentation.

• Online requests must be made at least 24 hours prior to the due date from the first extension.
• The SPH Student & Academic Administration Team and/or the Course Coordinator will consult with the Program Convenor, who will make the final decision.
• If approved, the new due date would generally be no later than 7 days after the first extension due date.
• The Program Convenor should consider if remedial or other support should be offered to the student.
• The Program Convenor should provide a report on these matters as needed at SPH Examiners’ Meetings.

A student may have a maximum of three extension requests approved for a single assessment task.   

An extension for an assessment item due within the study period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total.  

Please Note: In order to support course progression, extensions that total more than 14 calendar days from the original due date of an assessment item will only be approved in very exceptional circumstances. These requests are assessed and approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. 

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might need to consider applying for removal of course.

Penalty for late submission

Submission of assignments, practical reports, workbooks, and other types of written assessments after the due date specified in the Course Profile will receive a penalty.

The penalty will be a deduction of 10% RELATIVE PERCENTAGE per day (24 hour period or part thereof, including weekends and public holidays) or for work graded on a 1-7 scale, a deduction of one grade per day, e.g. If the original mark is 73%, then 10% relative percentage is 10% of this value, ie 7.3%, The final mark for this assessment item after applying the penalty for 1 day late submission would be 73 -7.3 = 65.7% The same outcome is achieved by multiplying the original score by .9; ie 73 x .9 = 65.7%

The penalty for multiple days late is the relative percentage multiplied by the number of days late. 

A submission that is not made within 10 days of the due date will receive a mark of 0% for that assessment item.

Where a student has sought more than one extension, the due date for calculating the penalty will be the due date for the most recently approved extension.

Submission of Medical Certificates

Students are responsible for ensuring that any medical documentation they submit is authentic and signed by a registered medical practitioner. Such practitioners can be identified via the AHPRA website. Also note that:

• Not all online medical services are staffed by registered practitioners
• If the registration status of the practitioner cannot be verified, then an alternative practitioner should be sought
• Students will be held fully responsible for all documentation they submit, even if done so in ignorance of the practitioner's registration status

Medical documentation may be subjected to an audit by the University.

SPH Assessment Guidelines

The School of Public Health assessment tasks have been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. While students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.