Course Outline
NUR131 Research Foundations for Health Practice
Course Coordinator:Steven James (sjames1@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Nursing
2026Trimester 2
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
This course introduces research as a means of underpinning evidence-based health practice. You will develop foundation skills in research that will enable you to explore discipline specific evidence-based health care practice. A focus will be on the development of skills in accessing and evaluating information and critical appraisal of research literature.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Online | |||
| Online – Online asynchronous learning and teaching recording and self-directed learning. Students will be supported with Zoom drop-in sessions. | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Course Topics
- Course Introduction; Introduction to research, the research process, and evidence-based practice (EBP)
- Ethics and consenting in vulnerable populations
- Research Paradigms and types of data
- Introduction to qualitative research
- Critical appraisal of a qualitative research article
- Introduction to quantitative research
- Critical appraisal of a quantitative research article
- Introduction to mixed methods research
- Levels of evidence
- Searching for evidence
- Evaluating the evidence
- Disseminating the evidence
- Challenges with integrating evidence into clinical practice
What level is this course?
100 Level (Introductory)
What is the unit value of this course?
12 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia | |
| 1 | Understand the principles of quantitative and qualitative methods of collecting, analysing and presenting information in health research | Knowledgeable |
1.1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.6, 3.3, 5.1, 6.1, 7.2 |
| 2 | Manage information systems to identify and find relevant peer reviewed literature to explore a health care research question | Knowledgeable |
1.1, 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 5.1, 7.2, 7.3 |
| 3 | Critically appraise health care research literature | Knowledgeable |
1.1, 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 7.2, 7.3 |
| 4 | Engage with the principles of evidence based practice to understand the requirements of delivering therapeutic and safe care across diverse health care settings. | Engaged |
1.1, 1.1, 1.6, 2.7, 3.7, 3.7, 5.1, 5.1, 6.1, 6.1, 7.2, 7.3 |
| 5 | Apply principles and practices of academic writing and referencing. | Ethical |
1.2, 1.6 |
* Competencies by Professional Body
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia | |
| 1.1 | The midwife identifies what is important to women as the foundation for using evidence to promote informed decision-making, participation in care, and self-determination |
| 1.2 | The midwife accesses, analyses, and uses the best available evidence, that includes research findings, for safe, quality midwifery practice |
| 1.6 | The midwife supports the development, implementation and evaluation of evidenced-based health initiatives and programs |
| 2.2 | The RN communicates effectively, and is respectful of a person’s dignity, culture, values, beliefs and rights |
| 2.7 | The RN actively fosters a culture of safety and learning that includes engaging with health professionals and others, to share knowledge and practice that supports person-centred care |
| 3.3 | The RN uses a lifelong learning approach for continuing professional development of self and others |
| 3.7 | The midwife recognises and responds appropriately where safe and quality practice may be compromised |
| 5.1 | The midwife interprets assessment data and best available evidence to develop a plan for practice |
| 6.1 | The midwife actively contributes to quality improvement and research activities |
| 7.2 | The midwife revises plan and actions based on evidence and what is learned from evaluation |
| 7.3 | The midwife uses evaluation and reflection to inform future practice and professional development |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
Enrolled in Program SC367, SC391, SC393
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
PAR131, HLT205
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
Microcredential Information
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
The online discussion board (assessment 1, 20%) will be open from commencement of the course until early week 5. The feedback from the discussion board is provided to students at the time of completion by tutors who will be able to determine if students are likely going to need extra support, and provide information to students about the variety of support services. This formative feedback will highlight the areas requiring additional support, link students with peers, and provide focused insights to the course coordinator and tutors about students who will struggle. Other formative assessment in the form of 5 questions (multiple choice, matching and/or short-answer) will be offered weekly, but will not be graded. This quiz can be taken an unlimited number of times. The feedback will identify correct responses and identify where to find correct information for incorrect responses.
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 20% | 1st discussion board post: 400-500 words to respond to the questions. 2nd discussion board post: 150-200 words to respond to another student's discussion board post. |
Refer to Format | Online Submission |
| All | 2 | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 40% | 50 questions, 120 minutes |
Refer to Format | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All | 3 | Oral and Written Piece | Individual | 40% | 1000 words excluding end-text references (+/- 10%) |
Refer to Format | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Discussion Board | ||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal for this online discussions is to provide an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas related to research for evidence based practice with their peers. This can help to foster critical thinking and allow students to explore different perspectives and approaches to a particular topic or issue. |
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| Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||
| Format: | Online discussion board post. The first discussion board post will be the student reply to the questions. The second discussion board post will be a substantive reply by the student to at least one other student. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Online Exam | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal of this online exam is to evaluate students' ability to apply evidence-based practice principles in real-world scenarios. By presenting students with real-world scenarios or other examples of research problems, instructors can assess students' ability to identify appropriate research methods, analyse data, and draw conclusions based on evidence. |
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| Product: | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | Online Exam, multiple choice, matching, case scenarios. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Problem solving |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Poster presentation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal of having emerging health professionals present an evidence-based practice poster is to provide a meaningful and engaging learning experience that integrates knowledge, skills, and critical thinking in a way that prepares them for future professional practice in the field. |
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| Product: | Oral and Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Recorded, orally narrated poster presentation. Details about this task can be found in the course learning management system. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Greenhalgh, T., Bidewell, J., Crisp, E., Lambros, E., & Warland, J. | 2020 | Understanding research methods for evidence-based practice in health | 2nd ed. | John Wiley & Sons |
Specific requirements
1. Required textbook. Purchase direct from publisher as interactive ebook (recommended), or paperback at Wiley or Booktopia 2. Laptop or other device to access Canvas, store files and complete assessments.
How are risks managed in this course?
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Assessment: Submission penalties
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: