FOUD02K9: Concepts, Methods and Theories in Human Health and Disease

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• Foundation students have 3 or 4 core components to their programme, depending on route. The CMT modules are designed to introduce students to concepts, methods and theories within the students chosen discipline, and provide a lens through which students engage with knowledge and knowledge creation in their chosen discipline. Meanwhile the Scholarship in Higher Education (SHE) module provides the toolkit for their engagement and communication of knowledge; whereas the Advanced Scholarship in Higher Education for Science and Economics (ASHE SE) module provides an iterative experience of bringing toolkit and lens together to provide students with the opportunity to actively engage in the process of knowledge generation and communication by completing a research project within the students chosen discipline. All students apart from Arts & Humanities also have a maths component.
• This module contributes to the overall aims of the Foundation Programme, which are aligned to FHEQ level four descriptors. By the end of the module, students will have demonstrated:
• knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with their area(s) of study, and an ability to evaluate and interpret these within the context of that area of study
• an ability to present, evaluate and interpret qualitative and quantitative data, in order to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basic theories and concepts of their subject(s) of study.
• evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems related to their area(s) of study and/or work
• communicate the results of their study/work accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments
• undertake further training and develop new skills within a structured and managed environment.
• the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility.
• Module Aims:
• To introduce, extend and develop a range of concepts, methods and theories relevant to health and disease in human history.
• To develop an understanding of the history and theories of health and disease in Western societies.
• To develop an insight into the developmental, inter-individual (e.g. personality, intelligence, illness perceptions) and cultural influences on physical health and wellbeing.
• This module supports the overall Foundation Programme aims to enable students to have:
• acquired the ability to work confidently with a range of academic materials and sources (as appropriate to progression pathway)
• gained various skills for undergraduate study, including the ability to extract and summarise meaning from text, to read rapidly and accurately, to write and present clear and precise arguments using appropriate evidence
• gained skills in collecting, analysing and presenting data (as appropriate to progression pathway)
• acquired a level of self-efficacy in relation to workload management, basic academic autonomy and a learner identity as an effective university student
• gained skills in using reference resources

• The module provides students with key reference knowledge and skills necessary for further study in a science-related subject. This includes:
• The management of health from an individual to a societal level
• How individual differences influence health throughout a persons lifespan
• Historical and social aspects of health and disease including health promotion, social measures and health inequalities
• Theoretical models of health psychology and how they are applied in practice.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of the module students will have demonstrated they have knowledge of:
• a range of concepts and theories relevant to health and disease in human history
• the interaction of biological, social and psychological aspects of health
• key developments within Western medicine and public health
• methods of disease prevention and health promotion

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of the module students will have demonstrated that they can:
• apply a range of discipline specific perspectives to the study of health and disease
• relate lifestyle effects to normal human physiology
• effectively research causes, effects and treatments of a range of diseases

Key Skills:

• By the end of the module students will have demonstrated that they can:
• use appropriate subject-specific vocabulary to communicate effectively in written and oral forms where appropriate
• use number accurately to present, interpret and evaluate historical and contemporary data
• use logical reasoning to produce clear and effective written work leading to a conclusion
• cite sources of evidence and arguments used, ensuring the precise application of in-text citation, and referencing.

• This module will be delivered using a combination of whole group lectures and seminars on a weekly basis. Students will be taught subject specific concepts to be applied to a variety of tasks or assignments designed to lead to achieving the module outcomes.
• Lectures and Seminars
• Lectures and seminars are used to provide guided access to the module content. Teaching is carried out in one group, with approximately 10 students attending the main module lecture each week. There is an interactive teaching/learning style which will encompass some lecture-style presentations by the teacher, teacher-led discussions and discussion in groups, particularly in the seminar. Lectures are supported by reference materials, such as the module handbooks, discussion papers, handouts, or notes posted on the VLE and are delivered by expert staff from within the DCAD team.
• Lectures and seminars focus on developing Subject Specific Knowledge, Subject Specific Skills, and Key Skills.
• Orientation Tasks and Self-Regulated learning
• Orientation tasks support students toward self-regulated learning and support students to develop Subject Specific Knowledge and Skills, and Key Skills. Self-regulated learning encourages students to reflect on their own learning; identify strengths and weaknesses; and structure some of their own future learning and develop relevant skills such as time management.
• Orientation tasks and self-guided learning support all learning outcomes, enabling students to consolidate and expand on Subject Specific Knowledge and Skills gained through other learning methods, and to develop Key Skills, which are applied in the production of engagement tasks, and both formative and summative assessments.
• Summative assessments within this module are designed to provide opportunities to engage in an iterative process to develop students subject knowledge, epistemological maturity, self-regulation, and essential academic communication skills relevant to their progression pathway. Early assessments (and formative tasks) are used to provide detailed tutor feedback on which later assessments build. The first summative assessment, undertaken at the end of the ten-week module is the Presentation which takes the form of a Podcast. The Podcast is based on a contemporary issue in health and disease that students will research independently. It primarily allows students to demonstrate the range and sophistication of their engagement with the modules reference/factual knowledge, and how they apply this within the context of their discipline, with the secondary focus on effective academic communication through the medium of a 5-minute podcast, accompanied by slides and a written 500-word summary. The podcast will also give students the experience of presenting their understanding and analysis of academic sources and data, with an element of criticality, serving as a forerunner to the project presentation and report they produce for the ASHE SE module. The Test is the final summative assessment and is the culmination of the modules work for the students. In this module, the Tests primary function is to allows students to demonstrate the range and sophistication of their engagement with the modules reference/factual knowledge, contextually and selectively applying this knowledge in response to specific test questions, with the secondary focus on the key skills of academic communication under timed conditions, in-person in an examination room (as they are likely to experience in their subsequent years of study on their chosen pathway at Durham).

A range of formative tasks are used to help students work towards module outcomes and to iteratively build competency towards each respective summative assessment. Formative Test There will be a short (60 minutes) test. The purpose of this test is to check and consolidate reference/factual knowledge, contextually and selectively applying this knowledge in response to specific test questions, in preparation for Summative Assessment 2: Test at the end of the module.

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