LFKM10189 Veterinary Epidemiology, part 1

Details
Responsible DepartmentDepartment of Large Animal Sciences

Earliest Possible YearPost experience Master´s Programme
DurationOutside schedule
 
Credits6 (ECTS)
 
Level of CoursePost experience masters programme
 
ExaminationFinal Examination

oral examination


All aids allowed

Description of Examination: The participant must submit an individual project report. The report is defended at the oral exam with 15 minutes for presentation, and 15 minutes for questions from the examiners. The exam occurs via e-learning environment.

pass/fail, internal examiner
 
Requirement for Attending ExamParticipation in the on-site course, submission of individual project report and participation in discussions in e-learning module
 
Organisation of TeachingThe course is taught in weeks 35 to 42, 2011. On-campus teaching takes place one week (Sept. 8 to Sept. 14) with lectures and exercises. The remaining weeks are run as e-learning with expected 10-20 hours workload per week.
 
Block PlacementOutside schedule
Week Structure: Outside schedule, The on-campus part lasts 5 full days. E-learning occurs before and after the on-site parts
 
Language of InstructionEnglish
 
Course Content
The course is the first of two courses in Veterinary Epidemiology. The aim of the course is that the participants should be able to design an epidemiological study in a population, where there is a clear description and coherence between hypothesis, study design, sampling methods, measures of frequency and association, nature of data, etc. Furthermore, the course focuses on practical data management (including data control, establishment of a data base and data editing).

There will be no analyses of participant data, but the protocol must be based on the individual projects. The protocol can be written with reference to the data used for the course Veterinary epidemiology, part 2 (course no. 150222).
 
Teaching and learning Methods
The first 8 days of the course is introduction to the software R, to e-learning environment (Absalon) and basic epidemiology. The following 5 days of the course occurs on-campus and is a mixture of lectures, plenum discussions and exercises. During the next 5 weeks, participants are working with their protocol discussing protocols with other participants via e-learning environment. The protocol is handed in on Wednesday in the final week and the examination is on Friday. Each participant is expected to bring a laptop for the exercises. The laptop must have Microsoft Word (or compatible software) and R installed. Instructions for R installation will be given during the first e-learning week
 
Learning Outcome
The course is the first module in Veterinary Epidemiology. It focuses on planning an epidemiological study by writing the outline of a protocol for carrying out an observational study.

The course introduces the concepts associated with basic epidemiology, e.g. study objectives and hypotheses, study design, nature of data, data management and measures of frequency and association. The focus is on practical application of the concepts, by writing the protocol and by practical data management using R.

At the end of the course it is expected that the participant has the following qualifications:

Knowledge:
Identify an epidemiological problem to be investigated using relevant epidemiological and statistical methods.

Skills:
Design studies, collect and store data in a database and evaluate data quality.
Develop a research protocol using relevant epidemiological methods.

Competences:
Collaborate scientifically with epidemiologists and statisticians and other relevant scientists. Be able to evaluate the validity and reliability of the epidemiological study in relation to generalising future study results to other populations than just the study population.
 
Course Literature
Houe H, Ersbøll AK, Toft N: Introduction to Veterinary Epidemiology. Biofolia. 2004.
Exercises and notes.

 
Course Coordinator
Søren Saxmose Nielsen, ssn@life.ku.dk, Department of Large Animal Sciences/Populationsbiology, Phone: 353-33096
Jens Frederik Gramstrup Agger, jfa@life.ku.dk, Department of Large Animal Sciences/Populationsbiology, Phone: 353-33013
 
Study Board
Study Committee V
 
Work Load
lectures20
theoretical exercises20
preparation40
project work84
examination1

165