Welcome to the Research Methods for Health Sciences course. This course provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to design a research project and present it in the form of a research proposal.

The Research Methods for Health Sciences course is sponsored by the University of the Incarnate Word. Like all NextGenU.org courses, the Research Methods for Health Sciences course is competency-based, referencing competencies from the Health Services Research Doctoral Core Competencies (2018), Development of the Learning Health System Researcher Core Competencies, and WHO-ASPHER 2020. It uses learning resources from accredited, world-class organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization.

The Research Methods for Health Sciences course was developed in collaboration with the University of the Incarnate Word and was designed by Hugo Rojas, MD, MSc, DiplEd; Pablo Baldiviezo, MD, DiplEd; Carolina Bustillos, MD, DiplEd; Felix Emeka Anyiam MPH, MScPH, DataSc., Ph.D.; Jean Pierre Musabyimana MSc; Genikka Camille Gabral, B.ED, MSc; Glenda Niles PhD.

For publications on NextGenU.org’s courses’ efficacy, see “A Novel Integration of Online and Flipped Classroom Instructional Models in Public Health Higher Education” (2014), BMC Medical Education, “Building Public Health Capacity through Online Global Learning,” (2018), Open Praxis, or on NextGenU.org’s publication page. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of future updates, new courses, and to be part of our community.

There are 6 modules to complete, which provide an introduction to:

• Module 1: Introduction to Research Methods
• Module 2: Research Questions, Research Objectives, and Hypotheses
• Module 3: Quantitative Studies
• Module 4: Qualitative and Mixed Studies
• Module 5: Literature Reviews and Critical Appraisals of Research
• Module 6: Scientific Skills

The completion time for this course is estimated at 143 hours, consisting of 27 hours of learning resources, 55 hours for time to study content and assimilation, and 61 hours of participating in learning activities and quizzes, to assist the learners in the synthesis of learning materials. This course is equivalent to 3 credit hours.

The course requires the completion of all activities i.e., quizzes, peer activities, discussion forums, and a final assignment that are needed to complete the course. At the end of each module, there is a practice quiz of ten (15) multiple-choice questions. After you’ve completed each lesson, quiz, peer activity, and learning activity, you will have access to a final exam consisting of fifty (50) multiple-choice questions and a chance to evaluate this course. The final exam will be designed so that participants can have multiple opportunities to answer correctly until the required score of 70% or higher is obtained. Once you’ve passed that last test, you will be able to download a certificate of completion from NextGenU.org and our course’s co-sponsoring organizations (listed above). We keep all of your personal information confidential, never sell any of your information, and only use anonymized data for research purposes. Also, we are happy to report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) at your request. 

Engaging with this course:

You may browse this course for free to learn for your personal enrichment; there are no requirements. To register in this course, it is required that learners have obtained a college-level/bachelor's degree.  

To obtain a certificate, a learner must first register for the course and then successfully complete:

• All reading requirements,
• All quizzes and pass with a score of 70% with unlimited attempts,
• All peer activities,
• All discussion forums,
• Final assignment,
• The final exam with a minimum score of 70% and a maximum of 3 attempts, and
• The self and course evaluation forms.

To obtain credit:

• Complete all requirements listed above for the certificate, and
• Your learning institution or workplace should approve the partner-university-sponsored NextGenU.org course for educational credit, as they would for their learner taking a course anywhere.  

NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with:

• A link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the co-sponsoring universities and other professional organization co-sponsors; 
• Your grade on the final exam;
• Your work products (e.g., case study activities) and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them;  
• Your evaluations -- course, and self-assessments;
• A copy of your certificate of completion, with the co-sponsoring universities and other organizations listed.

To obtain a degree, NextGenU.org co-sponsors degree programs with institutional partners. To obtain a full degree co-sponsored with NextGenU.org, registrants must be enrolled in a degree program as a student of a NextGenU.org institutional partner. If you think that your institution might be interested in offering a degree with NextGenU.org, contact us.

We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.

Here are the next steps to take the course and earn a certificate.

• Complete the registration form.
• Take the pre-test.
• Begin the course with Module 1: Introduction to Research Methods. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activities, as well as take the corresponding quizzes.