| Unit name | Causal Inference |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0088 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Savovic |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Causal inference considers the assumptions, study designs, and estimation strategies that allow researchers to draw causal conclusions based on data. Applied to epidemiology, it focuses on understanding the difference between association and causation. Traditional epidemiology relied on estimating associations between risk factors and diseases, often leading to spurious associations being interpreted as causal, with negative consequences for public health policy. Causal inference approaches attempt to circumvent this problem.
This unit will introduce the principles of causal inference and how they can be applied to design and analyse an epidemiological study. It will expand your knowledge on how confounding, selection and information bias arise within different epidemiological studies, and how they affect findings. You will use causal diagrams to summarise assumptions about causal relationships, identify sources of bias, and select variables to adjust for. You will learn advanced statistical methods to address biases when traditional methods are inadequate.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This compulsory unit in Teaching Block 2 will consolidate the learning from units in Teaching Block 1, introduce causal inference concepts and apply that knowledge to designing an epidemiological study. It will contribute to developing critical thinking that future experts in epidemiology need to have. The assessment will provide you with hands-on experience in formulating your own research question and designing a study to address your question. Some of the learning from this unit will feed into the dissertation unit, informing study design and analysis, and scientific writing.
Overview of content
This unit will introduce causal inference concepts applied to different study designs, and explain how to select the appropriate design to address a research question. It will focus on using causal diagrams and appropriate analytic methods to explore how confounding, selection and information biases could affect the results of epidemiological studies.
How will students be different as a result of the unit
You will learn the principles of causal inference and the strengths and limitations of key epidemiological study designs. You will be able to choose an appropriate study design for your research question, justify your choice and develop this into a full written study protocol, further developing your scientific writing skills.
Learning outcomes
Teaching will include learning activities set by the tutors including lectures (synchronous and asynchronous), small group work, discussions, individual tasks, and practical activities (face to face or online). Learning is often interactive or inquiry or problem based with opportunities to engage in practical activities illustrating the main concepts introduced in the lectures. These learning activities are set by tutors who are engaged in relevant research activities and are best suited to demonstrate how researches design studies in real life and the pitfalls that they usually face.
Directed and self-directed learning will include activities such as reading, accessing web-based supplementary materials, critical analysis and completion of assessments.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative assessment will support learning by using informal questioning, homework, quizzes, and individual and group exercises in lectures and tutorials. These will provide regular assessments of learning and will not contribute to the final unit mark. Feedback will be provided in the form of model answers and through group discussion to consolidate learning required for the summative assessments. There will be opportunities in both group and individual settings to receive feedback on writing progress in the form of Q&A sessions.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The unit will be assessed using a single piece of coursework: You will be required to prepare an appropriately referenced, structured study protocol for an epidemiological study addressing a research question of your choice (ILOs 1-4; 100% of total unit mark).
When assessment does not go to plan
If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0088).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
