Postgraduate Course: Data Analysis for Food Safety (VESC11152)
Course Outline
| School | Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will provide students with high quality SCQF level 11 specialist skills in analysing data flows and communicating the outcomes of a food safety outbreak investigation to a variety of stakeholders. |
| Course description |
Week 1 to 5: The Data Analysis for Food Safety course provides a basic introduction to the R statistical language and takes the student through the data workflow required for analysis of data from food safety studies such as an outbreak investigation. Emphasis is placed on the main epidemiological and statistical concepts relevant to food safety and will also be applied to foodborne outbreak investigations.
Syllabus:
- Application of data workflow from collection to presentation including data collection, curation, backup, cleaning, analysis and communication.
- Scientific and statistical methods to food safety data using the R data science language including data exploration, basic descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, confidence intervals, standard deviation, standard error, basic probability), introductory regression models and data visualization.
- Principles and methodology of a foodborne outbreak investigation.
- Principles of writing and administering questionnaires.
- Identify and use available resources for more in-depth data analysis in R.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
| Course Start Date |
08/08/2022 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Numerical and graphical analysis of dataset from the food chain using R (formative).
MCQs assessing knowledge on epidemiology, data analysis and outbreak investigation principles (summative) - 25%.
(Group Exercise, if applicable) Outbreak investigation focusing on epidemiology and data analysis (summative) - 75%.
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| Feedback |
Lecturer / course tutor will provide feedback as students carry out the weekly assignments on the discussion board and supportive live sessions for both these and the formative assessment.
Lecturer / course tutor will provide marks and feedback on the report for the outbreak investigation according to the marking rubric provided in the assessment guide.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically evaluate food safety data by applying epidemiological and statistical methods from collection to presentation including data collection, curation, backup, cleaning, analysis and communication
- Apply the principles and methodology to carry out analysis of a foodborne outbreak
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Graduate Attributes, Personal and Professional Skills:
Knowledge and skills will include:
A. Research and Enquiry
Graduates of the University will be able to create new knowledge and opportunities for learning through the process of research and enquiry. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- be able to identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create processes to solve them
- be able to exercise critical judgment in creating new understanding
- be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
- be able to critically assess existing understanding and the limitations of their own knowledge and recognise the need to regularly challenge all knowledge
- search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and understanding
- have an informed respect for the principles, methods, standards, values and boundaries of their discipline(s) and the capacity to question these
- understand economic, legal, ethical, social, cultural and environmental issues in the use of information.
B. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
Graduates of the University will be able to work independently and sustainably, in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement
- be able to make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account ethical and professional issues
- be able to use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views
- be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
- be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts
C. Communication
Graduates of the University will recognise and value communication as the tool for negotiating and creating new understanding, collaborating with others, and furthering their own learning. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
- use communication as a tool for collaborating and relating to others
- further their own learning through effective use of the full range of communication approaches
- seek and value open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness
- recognise the benefits of communicating with those beyond their immediate environments
- use effective communication to articulate their skills as identified through self-reflection
D. Personal Effectiveness
Graduates of the University will be able to effect change and be responsive to the situations and environments in which they operate. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- appreciate and use talents constructively, demonstrating self-discipline, motivation, adaptability, persistence and professionalism
- be able to manage risk while initiating and managing change
- be able to flexibly transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from one context to another
- understand social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and issues
- be able to work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking, experience and skills.
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| Keywords | Statistical analysis for food safety,foodborne outbreak investigation,¿R¿,epidemiology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stella Mazeri
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Natalie Honeyman
Tel: (0131 6)51 3194
Email: |
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