Module 1 – SLP INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY THEORY AND HEALTH STATISTICS

Your specific assignment for this week is to select one type of quantitative health datum to collect from your own life. Some examples of data to collect could be:

1. How many minutes do you spend exercising each day?
2. What is your total daily caloric intake in calories?
3. What is your resting heart rate in beats per minute?
4. How many ounces of water do you drink each day?
5. What is your estimated total caloric expenditure from exercise each day?
6. What is your estimated daily intake of saturated fat in grams?
7. What is your daily systolic/diastolic blood pressure?

Your Task:

1. Choose one variable that varies measurably from day to day. Be sure to specify the units of measurement, and state how it will be gathered.
2. Then collect at least 5 days worth of data on that one variable. For example, if your variable is how many minutes you spend exercising each day, simply record the number of minutes that you spend exercising each day during the sampling period. Be sure to save this data for use in remaining SLP assignments. The more data points that you gather during the session, the better.
3. Describe the data you have collected and its importance in relations to individual/population’s health.

Submit your (1-2 pages) paper by the end of this module.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Assessment and Grading: Your paper will be assessed based on the performance assessment rubric that is linked within the course. Review it before you begin working on the assignment.

The following guidance appears only in Module 1, but it applies to the assignments throughout the course:

File format:  Your work should be prepared using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel depending upon the assignment instructions. For assignments requiring video or voice recordings, use media formats that are supported by MyTLC Courses as noted in our Trident Support page.

In-text citations and references:  Be sure that all information and ideas in your papers are supported by in-text citations and corresponding references at the end of the paper.

Scholarly sources:  Online sources must be limited to credible professional and scholarly publications such as peer-reviewed journal articles, e-books, or specific webpages on websites from a university, government, or nonprofit organization (these have extensions .edu, .gov, or .org). Presenting consumer sources such as e-magazines, newspapers, Wikipedia, WebMD, or other commercial websites (these have extensions .com) as references is not appropriate.

Scholarly writing:  Use an academic paper format, not an essay based on your opinions or experience. Avoid using the first person in writing. Synthesize what you learned from the sources you read; write papers in your own words; and cite sources within the text, as well as include a properly formatted reference list.

Use of direct quotes:  Use of direct quotes should be avoided. Only use direct quotes when preserving the exact words of an author is necessary. In the rare instance that directly quoted material is used, it must be properly cited (with quotation marks and page numbers in the in-text citation); quotes should not exceed 5-10% of the total paper content.

The Writing Style Guide that is linked on the TLC Portal homepage under My Resources will help clarify expectations.