Unit rationale, description and aim

Rigorous science is the foundation of evidence-based practice. It contributes to the academic, clinical, and/or industry-related development of policy and practice in health care across all Biomedical and Health Science disciplines. This unit introduces students to the scope and range of research methods available in biomedical and health professions. The unit will assist students in understanding the research process, levels of evidence, qualitative and quantitative research design, the steps taken for development of biomedical and health-related research questions, selection of appropriate research methods to address those questions, and identifying, appraising and synthesising existing research studies that underpin those questions. Students will learn to consider all aspects of research design through an ethical lens, with particular regard to the role culture plays in the design and conduct of an ethical research program. This unit aims to provide the opportunity for students to develop practical research skills and an ability to critically assess the quality of biomedical and health science research. Further, students will apply the above-mentioned skills to a food and nutrition-related problem through the development of a research question and proposal suitable research methods to address the problem in a practice setting.

2026 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

HLSC401 Fundamental Research Skills in Biomedical and Health Sciences , HLSC641 Introduction to Health Sciences Research

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Develop and critically assess strategies to search...

Learning Outcome 01

Develop and critically assess strategies to search and retrieve relevant scientific literature
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC10, GC11

Critically reflect on the ethical principles that ...

Learning Outcome 02

Critically reflect on the ethical principles that underpin biomedical and health science research
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC7, GC10

Critically reflect on the ethical conduct in resea...

Learning Outcome 03

Critically reflect on the ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC6, GC9

Critically appraise research methods in biomedical...

Learning Outcome 04

Critically appraise research methods in biomedical and health science research from a scientific and ethical perspective
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7, GC9, GC10

Formulate a research question and method to addres...

Learning Outcome 05

Formulate a research question and method to address a food and nutrition problem in practice
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC11

Content

This unit includes topics related to the development and demonstration of professional dietetic practice and competence according to the Accreditation Standards of Dietitians Australia. These are described under the heading ‘Building professional dietetic practice’ in each unit outline and build on topics delivered synchronously and progressively throughout the degree. Those in bold reflect ‘new’ topics addressed in this unit. Students will have opportunities for collecting evidence of competence in these, and in other areas (italics).

Building professional dietetic practice 

  • reflection and evaluation of practice 
  • acknowledges, reflects and understands own values, beliefs, attitudes, biases and assumptions and their influence on practice
  • scope of practice and standards of care, codes of conduct
  • continuing professional development 
  • attributes (empathy, flexibility, adaptability, resilience, ethical, respectful, demonstrates integrity, honesty, fairness, critical thinker)
  • time management in research
  • role of the dietitian in research
  • collaboration and communication skills with stakeholders


This unit requires the completion of 5 days of research placement. Content delivery is arranged as required to support these placements and the underpinning theoretical components.

Topics will include:

Research in dietetic practice

  • Food and nutrition research problems
  • Formulating a research question
  • Selecting appropriate methods to answer a research question
  • Food and nutrition research with diverse groups, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and linguistically diverse groups


Both professional practice and performance will be directed by the university and the appointed placement supervisor at the host organisation, through a pre-defined and monitored set of criteria which encompass:

  • completion of defined project or project element/s
  • professional practices/attributes to be demonstrated whilst undertaking the experience 
  • ability to seek, respond to and provide feedback from supervisors
  • overall student performance throughout the placement

Assessment strategy and rationale

Four assessments are sequenced to progressively support students' learning and development of professional competence through authentic assessment.

Assessment 1, requires students to demonstrate the advanced knowledge and practical skills needed to effectively search library databases and use appropriate referencing software.

Assessment 2 is a critical reflection on the role of ethics in biomedical and health science research. This assessment will require students to demonstrate an advanced understanding of the fundamental importance of the ethics process before conducting research and/or ethical conduct as a part of the research.

Assessment 3 is a critical appraisal of research studies that requires students to demonstrate an advanced understanding and demonstration of research design by critiquing the components of research methodology and assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of research methods and techniques.

Assessment 4 (ungraded hurdle) is the successful of five days of professional practice placement. This task is a hurdle to ensure students demonstrate the competency standards required by Dietitians Australia.

Overview of assessments

To pass the unit, students must demonstrate that they have achieved each learning outcome, passed any graded or ungraded hurdle tasks and obtain a total mark of 50% in the unit as the minimum standard.

Completing 100% of placement hours is a requirement to pass this unit. Students are required to submit a medical certificate or statutory declaration for any professional experience placement hours missed. An interim grade of “IP” will be made if 100% attendance at the professional experience placement is not achieved.

Assessment 1: Written task Critically develop a ...

Assessment 1: Written task

Critically develop a comprehensive literature search strategy to address a

research question.

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO1

Assessment 2: Multimedia task Requires students ...

Assessment 2: Multimedia task

Requires students to critically discuss ethical issues in biomedical and

health science research.

Weighting

35%

Learning Outcomes LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment 3: Multimedia task Requires students ...

Assessment 3: Multimedia task

Requires students to critically appraise a quantitative or qualitative

research study or a systematic review and construct a research question/method to investigate a food and nutrition problem.

Weighting

45%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5

*Ungraded hurdle Completion of 5 days of placeme...

*Ungraded hurdle

Completion of 5 days of placement

Weighting

*Ungraded Hurdle

Learning Outcomes LO4

*If a student has not successfully completed the ungraded hurdle, additional placement time (up to one third of total placement time) may be offered to allow demonstration of an appropriate level of competency.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

NUTR505 is offered in multi-mode. Essential theory and concepts will be delivered via online modules with face to face activity, using an evidence-based, student-centred teaching and active

learning approach to support students in exploring theoretical and practical knowledge of research design in a biomedical and health science context. Learning is reinforced through facilitated tutorial activities involving reading, writing, discussion, and problem solving, which provides students with the opportunity to apply lecture content to specific biomedical and health contexts/scenarios, and progressively develop their ability to apply research methods to contemporary health issues.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Bowling, A., & Ebrahim, S. (2014). Research methods in health: Investigating health and health services (4th ed.) Berkshire, United Kingdom: Open University Press.

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Elwood, M. (2017). Critical appraisal of epidemiological studies and clinical trials (4th ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Liamputtong, P. (Ed). (2017). Research methods in health: Foundations for evidence-based practice (3rd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Van Horn, L. & Beto, J. (2019). Research: Successful Approaches In Nutrition and Dietetics (4th ed). Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.

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