Strategies and techniques for teaching a research methods course for Health Science undergraduate students

Introduction: Teaching research methods at the undergraduate level can be a challenge for both faculty and students taking the course. Most research courses require application that may vary from that in content-based courses. Since the material in a research methods course can be challenging for many undergraduates, there is a need to evaluate the best techniques for teaching health research methods at this level. Methods: During fall 2012, spring 2013, and fall 2013 semesters, students in an undergraduate health research methods course were asked to complete a survey, using a Likert scale (5 = strongly agree and 1= strongly disagree), to assess their learning of the course material. Results: A total of 97 students completed the survey. Students in the health science research methods course found hands-on activities to be beneficial to their learning. Such activities included constructing an abstract (Mean = 3.88; SD = 0.81), engaging in a qualitative observation exercise (Mean = 3.68; SD=1.10), and critiquing a survey instrument (Mean=3.53; SD=1.06).  Students also found the PowerPoint presentation (Mean = 4.47: SD = 0.58), quizzes (Mean=4.00; SD = 0.88), and the exams (Mean = 3.99; SD=0.76) to be helpful to the learning process. Results also showed that students felt that the course increased their critical thinking skills (Mean = 3.74; SD = 0.88) and would be helpful in graduate school (Mean = 3.51; SD = 1.49). Conclusions: Utilizing an interactive teaching approach can be beneficial to undergraduate health science students in a research methods course.