HPOL5003: Semester 2, 2022

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Units HPOL5003 Semester 2 2022 [Normal evening]

Unit of study_

HPOL5003: Analysing Health Policy

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal evening] - Remote

Overview

Health policy analysis involves examining the components of health policy and the health policy process – it is the study of both the causes of policy decisions and the consequences of these decisions. Health policy analysis requires us to consider the complexity of policy making, and the political, economic, social, cultural and historical context within which this occurs. This unit aims to develop skills for undertaking health policy research and analysis and is underpinned by systems thinking principles to equip students with the skills to embrace complexity in researching and evaluating health policy. We take a multidisciplinary approach to familiarise students with fundamental frameworks and methodologies that can be applied to health policy research and analysis. By the end of the unit students will be able to: Define policy and formulate research questions that can be used to analyse policy and policy processes; Understand and apply systems thinking approaches to policy analysis; Understand and explain the different methodological approaches and research paradigms that can be applied in policy analysis; Apply a critical analysis to a case study of policy success or failure; Identify appropriate study designs, research methodologies, data collection methods and analysis frameworks for specific policy research questions; Design a systems thinking-informed analysis of a current policy issue.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	HPOL5003
Academic unit	Public Health
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Penny Farrell, penny.farrell@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research project proposal Research Proposal	50%	Formal exam period	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assessable Learning Tasks Participation	15%	Ongoing	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Analysis of policy success Report	35%	Week 07 Due date: 18 Sep 2022 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined in marking rubrics for individual assessments.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined in marking rubrics for individual assessments.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined in marking rubrics for individual assessments.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined in marking rubrics for individual assessments.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week -01	Familiarise yourself with the resources in ‘Getting Started,’ ‘Unit Outline,’ Assessment', and 'Timetable' pages on Canvas	Independent study (1 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to health policy analysis and systems thinking	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 02	Research paradigms in health policy analysis	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 02	Workshop on health policy analysis, systems thinking and research paradigms	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 03	Designing health policy research	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 04	Analysing policy success	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 04	Workshop on analysing policy success	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 05	Dominant frameworks for health policy analysis	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 06	Alternative frameworks for health policy analysis	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 06	Workshop on frameworks for health policy analysis	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 08	Case studies and comparative approaches	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 08	Workshop on designing health policy research	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 09	Complexity approaches to health policy analysis	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 10	Doing systems-thinking informed health policy research and analysis	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 10	Workshop on systems approaches to health policy research and analysis	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 11	Context-free versus context-embedded approaches to health policy evaluation	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 12	Interpretivist approaches for health policy research and analysis	Independent study (7 hr)
Week 12	Workshop on approaches to evaluation	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 13	Novel data sources for health policy research and analysis	Independent study (7 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

All students are expected to attend workshop sessions where possible (Zoom workshops are available for online students). Please get in touch with the unit coordinator if you are unable to attend your timetabled workshops.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Required readings will be available on the Canvas site.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. define policy and formulate research questions that can be used to analyse policy and policy processes
LO2. apply a critical analysis to questions of policy success or failure
LO3. understand and explain the different methodological approaches that can be applied in policy research
LO4. identify appropriate research methodologies, data collection methods, and analysis for specific policy research questions
LO5. design a systems thinking informed health policy research project.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

In response to student feedback a number of improvements have been made to this course in 2021. These include changing from 2 x 2-day workshops to 6 x 2-hour workshops (including workshops via Zoom for online students) across the semester. This will enable more staged discussion of questions and topics as students progress through the unit and reduces the burden of long days (especially for online classes). We also have weekly drop-in sessions for students to attend if they want additional support. In response to feedback on the volume of readings for this course, we have streamlined the reading lists, making in clearer which readings are compulsory and which are additional resources for those who are interested in finding out more. We have also made various enhancements to improve the overall experience of online learners in this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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