Class Project for Evaluating Literature in Public Health

The purpose of the class project is to help students to synthesize the topics discussed throughout the course, in the context of evaluating the literature. This will aid to underscore the importance of evaluating the evidence in advancing public health knowledge. The class project will incorporate a small-group format, whereby each group will identify and critically evaluate a published paper. Each of you has been assigned to a project group (group assignments are posted on CoursePlus). You are required to work with your assigned group members, as you will receive a GROUP grade* for this project. Each group should work independently.

(1) Selection of a published paper (notify via email): As a group, select a paper on which to base your project. There are two papers available in the Project folder in Courseplus; you may choose either the cohort or case-control study. Elect ONE member of your group to notify the instructional team (via email) of your group’s chosen paper, no later than 11:59pm on Tuesday November 30, 2021.

(2) Group presentation (submit via Voicethread): Construct a VoiceThread presentation comprised of audio- (or video, but not text) annotated slides. Prepare no more than three slides for each topic covered (i.e., the individual items in the bullet list on p.4 of this document). You are expected to create
slides that illustrate the application of relevant components of epidemiologic methodology to your selected research paper. You may create your own content for these slides; in addition, slides may contain material quoted or copied directly from the paper (e.g., text, tables, figures) and/or lecture or reading material (don’t forget to cite your sources!). Please include all group members’ names on the title slide and include your group number in the name of your presentation itself. Your slides should be shared among all members of your group for discussion and refinement. Once the group reaches consensus on the content of the slides, elect one person to upload the presentation to VoiceThread and allow access to the other group members. Once uploaded and shared, each group member should annotate their own slides by inserting voice comments (this is the online analogue to presenting your
PowerPoint slides in front of the class). In commenting, be clear in explaining how the concept being covered relates to the paper. Presentations should be uploaded, comments added, and shared with the course group by 11:59pm Wednesday, 

December 22 (below you will find information about using VoiceThread; be sure to share your presentation with the course group). Be sure to share your presentations with permission for all others to make comments – this will allow the instructional team to provide you with feedback. Groups that fail to complete the assignment by December 22nd risk receiving zero credit for this project.

Because you will receive a group grade for the project, we require that each presentation include a statement of author contributions. You may include a
separate slide, or simply add this into your voice comments on the title slide. Individual students who do not contribute fully to the group process may receive an individual grade, instead of the overall group grade, that is more reflective of their work.

The project is worth 30% of the overall course grade. The rubric on the following pages is intended to provide a guide as to the expectations for the project quality. VoiceThread is an interactive collaboration and sharing tool that enables users to create a cloud-based presentation. The system is flexible, allowing you to easily upload and add PowerPoint slides, images, documents, and/or videos. Furthermore, other users can add comments via voice, text, or video. The JHSPH Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has a webpage and tutorials devoted to VoiceThread. This page contains instructions on setting up your VoiceThread account, joining the course group, and creating and commenting on presentations.