Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2021-2022 (archived)

Module MATH52315: Models and Methods for Health Data Science

Department: Mathematical Sciences

MATH52315: Models and Methods for Health Data Science

Type Tied Level 5 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2021/22
Tied to G5P323

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To introduce the knowledge and skills for the modelling and analysis of routinely collected health data

Content

  • Basics of Epidemiology
  • Health Economic Modelling
  • Modelling techniques for discrete data
  • Survival analysis

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of the module students will have a working knowledge and understanding of concepts in the following areas:
  • Appreciation of different types of health data, and choice of modelling technique for a specific situation
  • Measures of disease and risk
  • Compartmental and agent-based models
  • Decision Trees, Markov models
  • Odds ratios, Logistic and Poisson regression
  • Cox regression and other techniques for time-to-event data
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Students will have basic statistical skills in the following areas: modelling, simulation.
Key Skills:
  • Students will have skills in the following areas: synthesis of data and data analysis, critical and analytical thinking, statistical modelling, computer skills.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures will usually be delivered synchronously, either online or face-to-face, and will demonstrate the methodological and conceptual foundations of the modelling techniques for different types of health data. Lectures will be divided into four blocks of four lectures each, according to the classification given under the “Content” item, and other modes of teaching will be aligned accordingly. Asynchronous delivery of lectures is possible if deemed adequate by the lecturer given circumstances.
  • Workshops describe theory and its application to concrete examples, concretize understanding via the application of calculational and computational methods to more complex problems, as well as providing feedback and encouraging active engagement via discussion and groupwork.
  • Surgeries give students the chance to pose personalized questions on both theory and practice.
  • Summative assignments are designed to test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge and critical understanding, and skills of implementation and interpretation of calculational and computational methods as applied to both synthetic and real health data-related problems.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 16 4 per week (Term 2, weeks 11-14) 1 hour 16
Workshops (a combination of live lectures, computer practicals, problem classes, and tutorials) 8 2 per week (Term 2, weeks 11-14) 2 hours 16
Surgeries 8 2 per week (Term 2, weeks 12-15) 1 hour 8
Preparation, exercises and reading 110
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Assignment 1 (Report, essay, or task-based style) 25%
Assignment 2 (Report, essay, or task-based style) 25%
Assignment 3 (Report, essay, or task-based style) 25%
Assignment 4 (Report, essay, or task-based style) 25%

Formative Assessment:

<enter text as appropriate for the module>


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University