INSTRUCTIONS
Overview:
Now that you have submitted your article review, you will submit Your Final Project Data Analysis. The Final Project Article Review was an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to interpret statistics included in an article. The Final Project Data Analysis is a chance to show that you know how to choose the correct statistics to analyze a set of data and calculate these using software. Regardless of their field of interest, health professionals across disciplines need to be able to run basic biostatistical calculations to describe a set of data. The Final Project Data Analysis reinforces these critical skills by asking you to conduct your own analysis of a small data set, explain the basic parameters of the data, graph it, and run simple tests. You will present this data analysis in a brief statistical report, using language appropriate to a non-technical audience. The Final Project Data Analysis consists of four milestones, submitted in Modules Two, Three, Five, and Seven. The final submission occurs in Module Nine.
Prompt:
Biostatisticians are constantly called upon to analyze data in order to help researchers and health officials answer critical questions about populations’ health. For this assessment, you will imagine you are a biostatistical consultant on a small study for a local health organization. In the Assignments Guidelines and Rubrics area of the course, you will use the Data Analysis Data Set and Data Analysis Data Description, along with some background information on how and when the data was collected and the general research question the organization is interested in answering. This is often the way you will receive data in the real world. Your task is to help the organization answer their question by critically analyzing the data. You will compute your chosen statistics, interpret the results, and present the results and recommendations to non-technical decision makers in the form of a data analysis. Keep in mind that it is your job to do this from a statistical standpoint. Be sure to justify your conclusions and recommendations with appropriate statistical support.
Milestones
Milestone One: Select Health Question In Module Two, you will identify the health question you will be researching for instructor feedback and approval. Milestone One should be several sentences in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Describe the Data In Module Three, you will describe the key features of the data set, including limitations that might exist. Milestone Two should be one or two paragraphs in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Milestone Three: Process and Calculations In Module Five, you will create a table in which you propose the calculations (descriptive statistics and statistical test) and graph(s) you will need to perform to answer the health question you are investigating. Then you will complete the table. For Milestone Three, you will submit this completed table. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.
Milestone Four: Data Analysis In Module Seven, you will submit the data analysis section of Final Project Data Analysis. This section includes the graph(s) and statistics you conducted on the data set to answer the health question. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Four Rubric.
Final Project Data Analysis In Module Nine, complete the conclusions section and the rest of the completed data analysis (including graph(s), statistical output for chosen test, or Excel spreadsheet with calculations). You have been working on this analysis in Milestones One through Four. Before submitting, revise each section of the analysis based on the feedback you received from your instructor and peers. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded using the Final Project Data Analysis Rubric.