HNUT40130 Research Design and Statistics

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module is for students taking the Graduate Diploma or MSc in Food, Nutrition and Health and it is a core module for the students who intend to take module “HNUT40270 Project”.

The overall objective of this module is to introduce the students to key statistical knowledge needed for performing and understanding statistical tests needed to perform research in the fields of food, nutrition and health. The fundamental understanding of research design, assumptions and limitations of different studies needed to properly interpret the scientific literature will also be core to this module.

These objectives will be achieved through online asynchronous sessions covering the theoretical aspects of statistics as well as synchronous and asynchronous practical sessions with SPSS. All questions will be replied in synchronous sessions and mainly through the interactive Forum of the module.

The learning and achievement of outcomes will be performed by a continuous assessment strategy including several MCQs and practical assessments related to the content covered in the sessions as well as individual research work of each student.

Inclusivity statement

The School of Agriculture and Food Science and the section of Food and Nutrition strive to create a community that nurtures the talents of everyone regardless of socioeconomic status, disability, race, religion, culture, gender or sexual orientation. Our modules and learning environment are designed inclusively, so that they can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible, removing all barriers to learning. Students are provided with equal opportunities to access, participate and succeed, regardless of background, personal circumstances, age or disability. Students are encouraged to approach staff to discuss their learning needs and any information disclosed will be treated with confidentiality and respect.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

The main learning objectives of the module are:

1. To develop understanding of the theoretical concepts underlying project design and statistical analysis.

2. To analyse, reflect and perform relevant statistical tests needed to obtain information from a data set using various statistical tools.

3. To reflect and critically analyse the results and significance of the statistical analysis performed.

4. To develop the ability to discern what statistical tools are needed based on the questions posed.

5. To understand the main limitations/advantages of different statistical tools used in scientific research in the field of food, nutrition and health.

6. To be able to generate high quality and well formatted data representations from different statistical analysis.

Indicative Module Content:

The indicative content of the module includes, but it is not limited to theoretical/practical sessions on:

• Research methods
• Methods for describing data sets
• Random variables
• Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals
• ANOVA
• Linear and multiple regression
• Categorical data analysis
• Non-parametric stats
• Experimental design

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

26
Autonomous Student Learning

75
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The learning objectives will be achieved through the completion of the different activities proposed in this fully online module. This includes online asynchronous sessions covering the theoretical aspects of statistics, synchronous and asynchronous practical sessions with SPSS and forum questions/feedback as needed by each individual learner.

As this an introductory module to new concepts and basics of a discipline, the assessment will be performed individually. The progress of each learner towards achieving the proposed learning outcomes will be assessed by a continuous assessment strategy. The assessment of and for learning will include several MCQs and practical assignments in which the learners will also have to apply, critically assess and demonstrate their understanding of the theoretical sessions and their practical applications in Food, nutrition and health research consulted to complete these assessments. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Pre-requisite:
FDSC40500 - Chemistry of Nutrients(O/L), FDSC40530 - Principles of Biochemist (O/L), HNUT40060 - Intro to Nutrition (O/L)


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: Several MCQs and statistical assignments through the semester Unspecified n/a Graded No

100

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individual feedback will be provided for each assessment after completion. Rubrics will be provided for the statistical assessments and will be used to support further learning of the students as they will be used during the semester for all the assignments proposed.

Name Role
Dr Raquel Cama-Moncunill Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Marco Garcia-Vaquero Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Daniel Hurley Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Michelle Kearns Tutor
Ms Roisin O'Sullivan Tutor