Final exam in December 2008, location and time to be announced by the registrar

Course Description

This course introduces the concepts of quantitative data analysis within the context of nursing research. It focuses on understanding and interpreting research results through examination of nursing research and examines the fit between research purpose and results, and results and implications for nursing practice. Building on concepts introduced in nursing research and inquiry (AK/NURS3300 3.0), this course provides students with the tools and techniques necessary for understanding, evaluating, and applying new findings in nursing practice.

Prerequisite: Open only to students in the BScN program. Recommendation: AK/HH/NURS 2300 3.00 be completed prior to or concurrently with AK/HH/NURS 3300 3.00.

Drop Date: November 7, 2008

Course Goals
By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Organize and display data in order to describe and understand the varied approaches in data presentation.
• Understand the practical and statistical significance of results and the implications for nursing practice.
• Define descriptive and inferential statistics and their role in nursing research.
• Understand appropriate uses of parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques in nursing research.
• Understand and interpret results in published reports of nursing research.
• Link research findings to the study purpose and/or hypotheses/questions posed.

Topics to be addressed in the course include:

• Organizing and summarizing data - distributions and graphs
• Understanding central tendency and dispersion
• Probability
• Understanding and interpreting correlation and regression results in published research
• Hypothesis testing as the basis for inferential statistics
• Interpreting t-test results
• Interpreting analysis of variance
• Use of Chi-square
• Critiquing and applying results in nursing research – fit between purpose and results and implications for nursing practice

Required Course Text:
Scott, I., & Mazhindu, D. (2005). Statistics for Health Care Professionals: An Introduction. London: Sage.

Recommended:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Washington, DC: APA. ISBN# 1-55798-810-2

Passport York and Acadlab Account
All students must set up their Passport York access and an Acadlab account. The course will be using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for doing the analysis for assignments. This is free to York students and is Web accessible.

Course Evaluation

Description of Course Components

A. Assignments
You will prepare two assignments this term, due at the beginning of the appropriate class. Only hard copies will be accepted. Late penalty starts if not submitted on time as per policy.
Assignment 1:
Students will work with an assigned data set to address the following questions:
1. Identify one possible hypothesis that could be tested using this data set and state both the null hypothesis and the research hypothesis
2. Run a descriptive analysis of the assigned data set.
3. Using text, for each variable in the data set, describe the variable, identify the level of measurement, the measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, and produce the appropriate graph/chart.
4. Attach the SPSS printouts for the ‘descriptives’.

Assignment 2:
Students will write a 4-5 double-spaced typed critique of a quantitative nursing research article. APA format will be required as this is a scholarly paper. Acceptable journals include Nursing Research, Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, Research in Nursing, and any other journal approved by the professor. Be sure to summarize key themes and findings from the article, but do not quote from it.
Address the following points: (a) the authors’ purpose for writing the article, (b) the methodology employed in the study, and (c) the authors’ analysis and conclusions (Do they seem credible?). Your critique should also address fit between purpose and results and implications for nursing practice fit between purpose and results and implications for nursing practice. Students are encouraged to find at least 2 additional references to support their critique. A copy of the research article you chose for this assignment must be attached. Five percentage points will be deducted from your assignment grade for each day that the assignment is late.

B. Mid-Term Exam
Multiple choice, 2.5 hours in length. Involves all of the course work from weeks 1-6. You will not need a calculator. No notes and/or texts allowed..

C. Final Exam
To be held in the exam period. Three hours in length. This will cover the material from the entire course, with an emphasis on weeks 7-12. Multiple-choice format, similar to midterm exam. You will not need a calculator. No notes and/or texts allowed.

B. Mid-Term Exam
Multiple choice, 2.5 hours in length. Involves all of the course work from weeks 1-6. You will not need a calculator. No notes and/or texts allowed.

C. Final Exam
To be held in the exam period. Three hours in length. This will cover the material from the entire course, with an emphasis on weeks 7-12. Multiple-choice format, similar to midterm exam. You will not need a calculator. No notes and/or texts allowed.

Importance of Attendance

Regular class attendance is strongly recommended. Listening to lectures in addition to reading the textbook is necessary for successful performance in the course. If you miss a lecture, it is your own responsibility to find out what you missed by asking a fellow classmate for the notes. Please do NOT ask instructor for lecture notes.

Policy on Missed Exams

Make-up exams will be granted only under exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness, or death in the immediate family. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teaching assistant in person, by telephone, or by email within 24 hours of the missed exam. In the case of a missed exam that is appropriately documented (see below), the student must be prepared to write the make-up exam within 1 week of the missed exam. The format of the make-up is at the discretion of the instructor. Failure to provide the appropriate documentation will result in a grade of F on the missed exam. A conflict in another course during the time of the make-up is not an acceptable reason for missing the make-up exam (arrange your make-up exam so that it does not conflict with exams in other courses).

Appropriate documentation verifying circumstances for a missed exam must be provided to the professor prior to the make-up exam.

A. Tests or examinations missed on the grounds of medical circumstances must be supported by an Attending Physician’s Statement from the Office of the Registrar. The Attending Physician’s Statement must include: (1) the full name, mailing address, and telephone number of the Physician, (2) state the nature of the illness and its duration, and (3) an indication of whether the illness and/or medication prescribed would have SERIOUSLY affected the student’s ability to study and perform over the period in question. NOTE: The physician’s office will be contacted to verify that the forms were completed by the physician.

B. Any examinations missed on grounds of non-medical circumstances must be supported by appropriate documents (i.e., obituary notice, automobile accident reports, airline/train/bus tickets/receipt for emergency travel must indicate destination, departure, and return dates. Missing an exam for a vacation, etc., is not an acceptable reason for a make-up exam. Having to work at the time of an exam is not considered a valid excuse for missing the test.

Academic Honesty

The policies of academic honesty including plagiarism and cheating will be strictly adhered to in this course. For example, if you submit the exact same answers to an assignment as another group, then both groups will be considered to have violated the policy and charges will be laid. There is a difference between collaborating/consulting and copying – do not copy one another and submit work as if it were done by different people. Please see the York University policy on academic honesty at: www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm
There are also excellent resources available online at York about exactly what constitutes violations of the academic honesty policy: www.yorku.ca/academicintegrity/students.htm
You can also work though a tutorial at: www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity
Your School of Nursing Student Handbook has further information about academic honesty. A last suggestion, ‘If in doubt – always ask your professor!’

Overview of Topics, Preparation, and Expectations

You are expected to complete the class preparation prior to attending class. If you do not, then you will fall behind very quickly. However, this does NOT mean that you are expected to fully understand everything before you come to class. Typically, students in this type of course need to a) read the materials before class, b) participate by attending class and bringing any questions for clarification, and c) read the material again to synthesize what they have learned. Students from previous courses strongly advise you that you need to spend a minimum of 10 hours per week on this course, including reading, practicing examples, and completing assignments.

York Grading Standards

The School of Nursing adheres to the common York grading system. Except for those practicum courses which are pass/fail (i.e., NURS 4110, NURS4900, NURS 4120, and NURS 4150), grades are reported as letter grades which correspond to the following percentages:

A+ = 90-100% A = 80-89% B+ = 75-79% B = 70-74% C+ = 65-69%
C = 60-64% D+ = 55-59% D = 50-54% E = 40-49% F = 0-39%