Postgraduate Course: Data Ethics in Health and Social Care (on campus) (HEIN11078)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This 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 |
1) Academic 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.
2) Outline content
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.
3) Student Learning Experience
Students will learn from experts in data ethics and ownership. Teaching sessions will be composed of written materials and video presentations, accompanied by guided reading in the form of links to journal articles with problem-based learning questions.
Discussion of the content and reading materials will be posed to an online forum, and students' answers to the problem-based learning questions. Students will be graded on discussion board posting. Students will further evidence their learning by writing a reflective report by the end of the course.
Formative peer and teacher-led feedback will be given throughout the course through the discussion boards, and summative assessment feedback will be provided at the end of the course.
Learning will be reinforced by in-person seminars. During these sessions, the students will have an opportunity to discuss data ethics case studies based on recent events in the field, and will also receive formative feedback on their assessment ideas.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%
Formative feedback will be provided throughout the course.
Overview
Understanding how to make ethical decisions is key in any health care setting. We will simulate some ethically sensitive scenarios regarding service user data in the health, social and care services context. The simulated scenarios will be presented to the students in Week One.
The simulations will provide students with the opportunity to explore the consequences of good and bad decision making. Simulations will provide students with immediate feedback as to whether their decision making is wrong or right. After examining the ethical decision-making process, students will learn how to apply a systematic approach to guide their ethical deliberations.
Assessment summary:
LO1 and LO2: Discussion Board participation (20%)
LO2 and LO3: Essay written assignment (80%) |
| Feedback |
Feedback is information provided to the students about their learning relative to learning outcomes. The two main types of feedback are formative and summative. Formative feedback is generated to engage learners to constantly reflect on how they can approach, orient and evaluate learning, which leads to successful learning outcomes. Summative feedback provides an evaluation of how much a student has learned at the end of the course through a final assessment.
Formative feedback will be provided throughout the course, the example, during live question and answer sessions, quizzes and discussion boards. A formative task will also be offered before the student submits their assessed course work. All assignments will be marked, and feedback is provided within fifteen days (where possible). |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- 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 context.
- 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.
- Apply professional critical judgement and demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate about data ethics and ownership issues.
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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 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 hav en 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. |
| Keywords | Ethics,data ownership,health,social and care services,responsible practice,risk management |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Nayha Sethi
Tel: (0131 6)51 4267
Email: nayha.sethi@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Laura Miller
Tel: (0131 6)51 5575
Email: Laura.Miller@ed.ac.uk |
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