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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences : Health Information

Postgraduate Course: Data Ethics in Health and Social Care (HEIN11059)

Course Outline
SchoolDeanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences CollegeCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeOnline Distance Learning AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course will introduce students to the various ethical issues that arise regarding the use of service user data from health, social, and care service systems, emphasising data ethics and ownership.
Course description Data science is revolutionising how health, social and care services are delivered. However, the use of service user data in health and social care and safe sharing of datasets within and across care systems creates ethical challenges and data ownership issues. Therefore, a balance must be struck between a desire for privacy and the need to improve the management of health and social care systems. This course introduces the ethical and data ownership issues around the use, collection, storage and utilisation of service user data from and across health, social and care service institutions.

The course develops a framework to understand the ethical issues of collecting and managing health, social and care service user data. Students will be introduced to ethical codes of practice and accountability and examine how service user data are ethically used in the health and social care setting and the impact of unethical practice. The course also covers aspects of data ownership.
Key issues in data ethics and ownership, with case studies and questions, will be presented to students that prompt active self-reflection and appraisal and provide students with an opportunity to give and receive constructive feedback. Students taking this course do not need to have any prior exposure to data ethics nor ownership.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Flexible
Course Start Date 06/01/2025
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 5, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 1, Online Activities 35, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 5, Formative Assessment Hours 5, Revision Session Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 46 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback Written feedback will be provided for all summative assessments. Formative feedback will be provided throughout the course through discussion board postings.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of ethical challenges and data ownership issues associated with the use of service user data in the health, social and care service contexts.
  2. Apply logical, analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and assess current ethical challenges and data ownership issues to make informed decisions when addressing these within the health, social and care services sector.
  3. Apply professional critical judgement and demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate about data ethics and ownership issues.
Reading List
A reading list will be provided on the course virtual learning environment.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills 1) Mindsets:

Enquiry and lifelong learning
Students on this course will be encouraged to seek out ways to develop their expertise in data ethics and ownership. They will also be encouraged to strive for excellence in their professional practice and to use established and developed approaches to resolve ethical challenges and data ownership issues as they arise in health and social care systems.

Aspiration and personal development
Students will be encouraged to draw on the quality, depth and breadth of their experiences to expand their potential and identify areas in which they wish to develop and grow. Students will also be encouraged to understand their responsibility within and contribute positively, ethically and respectfully to the health and social care community while acknowledging that different students and community members will have other priorities and goals.

Outlook and engagement
Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning. Students will be asked to use on their initiative and experience, often explicitly relating to their professional, educational, geographical or cultural context to engage with and enhance the learning of students from the diverse communities on the programme. Students will also be asked to reflect on the experience of their peers and identify opportunities to enhance their learning.

2) Skills:

Research and enquiry
Students will use self-reflection to seek out learning opportunities. Students will also use the newly acquired knowledge and critical assessment to identify and creatively tackle problems and assimilate the findings of primary research and peer knowledge in their arguments, discussions and assessments.
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Students will be encouraged to use their personal and intellectual autonomy to critically evaluate learning materials and exercises. Students will also be supported through self-directed learning, discussion boards and collaborative activities to critically evaluate concepts, evidence and experiences of peers and superiors from an open-minded and reasoned perspective.

Personal effectiveness
Students will need to be effective and proactive learners that can articulate what they have learned, and have an awareness of their strengths and limitations, and a commitment to learning and reflection to complete this course successfully.

Communication
Effective data scientists' practitioners in the health and social care sector require excellent oral and written communication, presentation and interpersonal skills. The structure of the interactive (problem-based learning examples, discussion boards and collaborative activities) and assessment elements incorporate constant reinforcement and development of these skills.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserMiss Michelle Evans
Tel: (0131 6)51 5440.
Email: michelle.evans@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Rebecca Sewell
Tel: (0131 6)51 7112
Email: Rebecca.Sewell@ed.ac.uk
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