Adaptation and Deployment of OER for Teaching Advanced Epidemiological Methods to Health Researchers and Trainees

Project Title	Adaptation and Deployment of OER for Teaching Advanced Epidemiological Methods to Health Researchers and Trainees
Principal Investigator	Mohammad Ehsanul Karim
Co-Applicants	Suborna Ahmed, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Forest Resources Management, Belal Hossain, PhD Candidate, UBC School of Population and Public Heath Fardowsa Yusuf, PhD Candidate, UBC School of Population and Public Heath Hanna Frank, PhD Student, UBC School of Population and Public Heath Michael Asamoah-Boaheng, Post-Doctoral Fellows, UBC Department of Emergency Medicine Chuyi (Astra) Zheng, Undergraduate Student (4th year, Major in Visual Arts, Major in Statistics), Faculty of Arts
Faculty	Medicine
Funding Year	2023
Project Summary	The SPPH 604 (with computational lab component) was developed to fill the much-needed methodological gap for health researchers and trainees within SPPH, UBC-V (and other UBC/SFU Departments). It focuses on teaching the implementation of advanced epidemiological methods using open-source data. Typically, these students have had exposure to health research, but have less exposure to advanced statistical analyses. We teach students (i) how to use a powerful open source statistical software, R, from the novice level, (ii) how to access real-world survey data from government repositories (e.g., Statistics Canada, or US government CDC), and (iii) how to conduct reproducible advanced epidemiological analyses using those data in a hands-on approach, and communicate findings. This project address will support student learning in SPPH 604 by developing an interactive open textbook and formative quiz materials that combine epidemiological concepts and statistical implementations of those concepts for health researchers who may not come from a strong methods/statistical background. This OER project will allow us to build capacity and improve the quality of educational materials regarding the methodological aspects of health research. Furthermore, this open-source and self-learning material will be highly sustainable, and enhance the accessibility of such materials for diverse learners locally and internationally.
Grant type	OER Implementation
Funded Amount	$24,931