Syllabus

Instructor

Co-instructor

Course details

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays
  • January – May 2022
  • 3:30 - 4:45 PM
  • McGG 1304

Teaching Assistants

  1. Katie Mollan ()
  2. Audrey Renson ()

Course objectives

  1. Build competence in asking and answering important public health questions
  2. Understand and appreciate time in epidemiologic studies
  3. Address threats to accuracy in epidemiologic studies

Course structure

Each topic will be covered during 2 course periods. The first (typically Thursdays) will be reserved for short, modular lectures, initiated with small group discussions and closed with class-wide discussion. During the second course period on each topic (typically Tuesdays), students will discuss exercises in small groups and we will again close with class-wide discussion of lingering questions.

Readings

One reading will be assigned each week. Students are expected to read thoroughly and submit one question about the week’s reading to the course website by Wednesday at 5pm. Please reference the page, column, and line number that motivated your question. Students will discuss the questions in small groups and the instructors will address a subset of the questions during lecture.

Exercises

Each week, students will complete an exercise outside of class to be discussed during the second course meeting on each topic (typically Tuesday). Students are expected to submit written answers to the exercise questions prior to that course meeting (typically Thursdays). Collaboration on the exercises is encouraged, but all students must submit individual answers to the exercise questions. Exercises will be graded for completion. Exercises require implementation of methods discussed in the context of real data sets. Some exercises will provide SAS or R code to get you started, others will require students to look back at the course notes or previous exercises to find relevant code.

Midterm Exam

The course will contain one in-person mid-term exam during the week before spring break.

Final Project

Students will work in groups of 2-3 students to develop a “target trial” related to a clinical or public health question of interest. Each group will present their target trial in a 5 minute presentation during designated course periods at the end of the semester. In addition to the presentation, each team should submit a 1-page document describing their target trial, due on the date of their presentation. Additional details will be provided before Spring Break.

Grading

The final grade will be based on completion of the weekly exercises (30%), the midterm exam (30%), the final project (30%), and class participation (10%).

Grade Range
H [90, 100]
P [70, 90)
L [60, 70)
F [0, 60)

Office Hours

Teaching assistants will hold at least one regularly scheduled help session per week for students to ask questions and seek general assistance with the course, and be available by email. Please check the Teams site for up-to-date information on office hours. Instructors welcome email, and will be available by appointment.

Software

This course is software agnostic. That means that you may use any type of statistical software you like to complete the exercises. Example code will occasionally be provided in SAS and/or R.

Spring 2022 Adjustments

In spring 2022 the University community is experiencing, along with the rest of the world, ongoing COVID pandemic conditions. We hope we can offer an in-person class for the duration of the semester. However, I will be considering the course content and making an assessment about the best way to offer the content for this course given our shared circumstances. For example, in a given week, if I find that many students in the course are sick and are unable to attend, I may choose to offer the course over zoom (synchronously). Please be alert for my weekly announcements (sent to you by email via Sakai).

UPDATE 1/21/22: As a reminder, the School of Public Health has stipulated that all courses are virtual until at least January 31, 2022. We will reassess the situation at that time.

This year

The past 2 years have been tumultuous. The pandemic and political situation have added a great deal of stress to the beginning of 2022. In this course, we strive to create an atmosphere that encourages learning and exploration of ideas without compounding that stress. Please contact the instructors or TAs with any concerns. Above all, remember to be kind to yourself and others as we navigate the coming months.

Feedback

We welcome feedback on the course at any time. Please feel free to email us with your suggestions or leave anonymous feedback via our website here.

Mask Requirement and Community Standards

This semester, while we are in the midst of a global pandemic, all enrolled students are required to wear a mask covering your mouth and nose at all times in our classroom. This requirement is to protect our educational community — your classmates and me – as we learn together. If you choose not to wear a mask, or wear it improperly, I will ask you to leave immediately, and I will submit a report to the Office of Student Conduct. At that point you will be disenrolled from this course for the protection of our educational community. Students who have an authorized accommodation from Accessibility Resources and Service have an exception. For additional information, see the Carolina Together webpage.

Accessibility Resources (ARS)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill facilitates the implementation of reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability or pregnancy complications resulting in barriers to fully accessing University courses, programs and activities. Accommodations are determined through the Office of Accessibility Resources and Service (ARS) for individuals with documented qualifying disabilities in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. See the ARS Website for contact information or email .

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS is strongly committed to addressing the mental health needs of a diverse student body through timely access to consultation and connection to clinically appropriate services, whether for short or long-term needs. Go to their website or visit their facilities on the third floor of the Campus Health Services building for a walk-in evaluation to learn more.

Title IX Resources

Any student who is impacted by discrimination, harassment, interpersonal (relationship) violence, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking is encouraged to seek resources on campus or in the community. Please contact the Director of Title IX Compliance (Adrienne Allison – ), Report and Response Coordinators in the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (), Counseling and Psychological Services (confidential), or the Gender Violence Services Coordinators (; confidential) to discuss your specific needs. Additional resources are available at safe.unc.edu.