Course overview
This FREE online course provides a basic instruction to administrative data as well as a general overview of the data access policy and application process at Population Data BC.
This course has three key objectives:
- To provide an orientation to working with administrative data
- To highlight the key opportunities and challenges associated with using administrative data
- To become familiar with key resources available for further study and analysis of administrative data
The training will cover the following:
- What administrative data are and where they come from
- Population Data BC's mission and objectives
- The benefits and limitations of administrative data
- Translating (at least simple) research questions to requests for access to data
- Expectations of researchers using administrative data for research purposes
- What admin data looks like and know how to prepare accordingly
- Where to seek further information
Course format
This course has been redesigned from its original inception as a face-to-face workshop to broaden knowledge mobilization in this subject area. Course delivery includes voiceover Power Point information with associated reference guides, web links and an animation video clip concerning administrative data.
Training time
The self paced course is divided into 7 modules. Each module can be reviewed in approximately 8 to 16 minutes with a total training time of approximately 1 hour.
You may wish to complete the modules all together or as separate training sessions over a period of several days or weeks to best fit your schedule or learning preferences.
Access fee
Access to this guide is free. Go to: my.popdata.bc.ca and, if you do not already have a my.popdata account you will need to sign up and create one.
Once you have a my.popdata account, go to the Education & Training section of the my.popdata site at https://training.popdata.bc.ca/. You can then login in with your PopData account username and passphrase and self-enroll to access the guide/course.
Course presenter
Kim McGrail has a PhD in Health Care and Epidemiology from the University of British Columbia. She is currently an assistant professor in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC, an Associate Director of the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, a senior researcher with Statistics Canada and an associate with the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation.
Her current research interests are in variations in health care services use, aging and health care services use, understanding health care as a determinant of health, comparative health policy, and the development of health information and technology to improve evidence and practice.
Preview the course below.