Table 1.

Summary of changes to the Oral Epidemiology course

Category		Before revision (2015–2016)	After revision (2016–2017)
Content and ordering	Block ordering	A mixture of statistical and epidemiology topics starting with statistical ones.	Resequenced: The first 4 blocks in term 1 are allocated to epidemiology topics that are easier to absorb followed by statistical topics in which the knowledge students gain in the first blocks are applied.
	Block objectives	1. Block objectives were not aligned with the course objectives. 2. Block objectives were general and not measurable. For example, regarding the t-test, the objective was “learn how to do a t-test”	1. Block objectives are aligned with the course objectives. 2. Block objectives are measurable and more aligned with the block activities and assessments.5 For example, regarding the t-test, the objectives are broken down to “explain the relative advantages of different types of t-tests” or “explain assumptions of a t-test.”
	Reflective thoughts	None	Added to the introduction section of each block. For example, in block 6 titled “Transition from Descriptive to Inferential Statistics,” the following reflective thoughts have been added: As you work through Block 6 think about: What are the properties of a normal curve? and What is the relationship between variance and standard deviation?
	Block reviews and self-assessments	Were general and no answers provided	Now aligned with the block objectives and detailed answers provided
	Overlap of the course objectives with other courses	Overlapped with DHYG 461 Literature Review I (concurrent Year 3 course)	Redundant learning objectives related to writing a review paper have been removed
Course material	The main statistics textbook (eBook)	Was published in 2008	Updated to 2014
	Educational media	None	Includes “hands-on” activities through the integration of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
	Required readings	4 to 8 readings per block5	2 to 3 readings per block5
	Educational videos	Approximately 10	Increased to 36
Course activities	Block activities	1. 17 activities (1 per block5) 2. Teamwork activities in which team members would split the questions and combine answers to develop the team summary report	1. 10 activities (1 for 1 to 3 topic-related blocks5) 2. Each student completes the activities individually and then posts them to the teamwork area for discussion and team summary report development
	Student–student interactions	Limited interaction due to the workload, structure, and types of activities	Sufficient time for students’ block activities created through: 1. Defining one set of activities per 1 to 3 topic-related blocks5 2. Allocating the whole block time (i.e., 1 week) for block activities
	Team organization	6 to 7 students per team	4 to 5 students per team
Course assessment	Peer-assessment activities	Only instructor would assess the team’s assignment report	Peer-assessment activities introduced to increase student engagement. For example, in the second assignment the teams develop a case analysis report in the first week. In the second week, each team assesses and grades the other team’s assignment report anonymously and, in the third week, they grade their own reports considering a key report provided by instructor as well as the peer team’s assessment report. (Peer assessment and self-assessment are common ways of involving students in the assessment process. Research shows that involving students in the assessment process encourages them to be more active in their learning and be responsible for their own learning.6) The instructor gives the final assignment grade.
	Assignments	4 assignments (2 per term)	1. 2 assignments (1 per term) 2. The format of the assessment is now as follows: engagement and content knowledge are assessed using the self/peer plus instructor assessment as mentioned above rubrics clarify expectations
	Instructor’s feedback on assignment and block activities	No specific timeline	For block activities: Feedback is provided within 1 to 2 days after the class discussions are over For assignments: Feedback is provided within 1 to 2 weeks after submission