Program Overview

Program Overview

The Physiotherapy Research Project B (PHTY607) is a postgraduate unit designed for physiotherapists looking to engage in leadership and supervisory roles. The unit aims to extend the body of knowledge for physiotherapists and provide students with the foundation for future self-directed learning and research.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Physiotherapists in leadership and supervisory roles are required to facilitate research projects that evaluate services and outcomes, improve clinical practice, and innovate services provided. This unit provides students with the opportunity to enhance critical thinking, analysis, and professional and academic communication skills developed throughout their course.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:

• Interpret the outcome of statistical analyses to inform the presentation of results and their discussion in a paper.
• Develop and document the implications of clinical research findings on relevant stakeholders.
• Draw robust conclusions about the contributions of the findings to the advancement of discipline-specific or inter-professional healthcare practice.
• Report the outcomes of the clinical research project in both oral and written modes, critically interpreting the implications for clinical practice.

Unit Content

Topics covered in this unit include:

• Application of statistical packages for data analyses
• Methods of presenting results for written and oral presentations
• Drafting manuscripts in accordance with author guidelines

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

Assessments for this unit have been developed to guide students in finalizing a capstone project that reflects an advanced level of professional knowledge and skills, enhanced critical analysis, and professional writing style. The assessments include:

• A seminar presentation using national or international conference guidelines (35%)
• A manuscript submission using author guidelines from a selected journal (65%)

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in exploring knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn, and mentorship and supervision are facilitated through regular meetings and guidance.

Representative Texts and References

Recommended texts for this unit include:

• Allen, P., Bennett, K., & Heritage, B. (2019). SPSS statistics version 22: A practical guide.
• Creswell, J. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th edition).
• Higgins, J. P. T., & Green, S. (Eds). (2019). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions (2nd edition).
• Hoffmann, T, Bennett, S, & Del Mar, C (2024) Evidence-based practice across the health professions (4th edition).
• National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, & Universities Australia. (2007, updated 2018). National statement on ethical conduct in human research.

Locations and Credit Points

This unit is offered online and is worth 10 credit points.