module specification

Evidence Based Practice 1: Academic development and clinical measurements (PT4053) module begins the research pillar of the course. It seeks to develop essential skills that support academic learning and introduce students to foundational knowledge for evidence-based practice.

The module provides students with appropriate scaffolding to help them optimise their learning and development through the teaching opportunities provided in their modules, and prepares them for evidence-based clinical practice.  Students will have opportunities to acquire, and develop effective study skills, note taking, revision, examination approaches, critical reading and writing, digital skills, and assessment literacy.  They will also explore the concept of measurements and its use for the assessment of clinical problems encountered in clinical practice and research.
Specifically, in this module, you will:

1. Explore your learning and study skills to identify ways to improve them for a continuing education.
2. Develop digital literacy, critical writing, editorial skills required for life-long learning.
3. Consider the concepts of measurements and factors what will affect validity, reliability, and usefulness of measurements.
4. Learn about common clinical outcome measures used in clinical practice and how to optimise their validity and interpretation.

None
Available for Study Abroad? NO

• Preparation for academic study (resilience, time management and organisational skills, reading and note-making, academic writing and speaking skills, critical thinking skills, referencing, paraphrasing, structuring an argument and understanding plagiarism (academic integrity), groupwork and presentation skills, confidence with numbers (descriptive statistics),
• Assessment and feedback literacy
• Digital research database search approaches including Pubmed, EMBASE, e-learning for health etc.
• Academic writing for communication in professional practice (equivalent to level 7 of the International English Language Testing System, with no element below 6.5)
• Research principles (searching, understanding source materials, quality, validity, and trustworthiness of information,
• Personal development, e-portfolio development, digital skills – Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, SPSS etc
• Measurements (concepts, types, psychometrics – reliability, validity)
• Clinical outcome measurements (common in musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, neurological); reliability, validity, responsiveness, minimum clinically important difference, minimum detectable difference
• Common service level outcome measures

Learning and teaching activities will include face to face lectures, supported by online resources, Guided learning in textbooks, journal articles and external web-based resources. It will also include workshops and tutorial sessions

At the end of this module students should:
1. Self-reflect on own knowledge and identify learning needs for continuing academic development as an important requirement for professional practice.
2. Develop effective academic study and digital skills required for life-long learning and professional development.
3. Demonstrate a range of skills to search and analyse academic and clinical literature.
4. Demonstrate ability to write academic essays and use appropriate referencing styles for different types of writing.
5. Identify the nature of measurements and consider factors that affects their utility for gathering information about patients’ health in research and clinical practice.
6. Identify common outcome measurements used to evaluate the outcomes of physiotherapy interventions and service improvements.

Module Reading List

1. COTTRELL, S. 2023. Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and Argument. (4th Ed.) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
2. COTTRELL, S. 2019. The Study Skills Handbook (5th ed.) Red Globe Press, London.
3. GREETHAM, B. 2018. How to write better essays. 4th Ed. Red Globe Press, London.