| The course runs from 7 to 11 July 2025, and will have a hybrid format and students can choose to attend in person in London or online. |
This course will provide attendees with a clear understanding of how to design and analyse cluster randomised trials and stepped wedge trials. Cluster randomised trials and stepped wedge trials are increasingly used to evaluate health and social interventions. This course will cover all aspects of designing and analysing these trials. This includes the rationale for using these designs, specific design issues, the randomisation process, sample size calculations, analytical methods, ethical considerations, trial reporting, and interpretation. We will include case studies from low, middle and high-income settings. Participants will gain practical experience in data analysis using the computer package Stata.
Who is this course for?
We require students to have a working knowledge of standard statistical methods used in epidemiological analyses (e.g. linear, Poisson and logistic regression) and of clinical trials. The course is taught primarily in Stata, but detailed explanations of how to implement the methods will be provided in both Stata and R. Students should have either a basic knowledge of Stata or a solid knowledge of R, and a good command of English.
Attendance
This short course is studied on a full-time basis for one week. The course will have a hybrid format and students can choose to attend in person in London or online. Most participants should expect to spend approximately 7 hours a day on the course. Further details are given on the course objectives tab.
Assessment
There will be no formal assessment, but participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance.
Additional information
Course content
By the end of this course, attendees will be able to critique and apply a range of appropriate design approaches and analytical methods for cluster randomised and stepped wedge trials.
The course will cover:
- Key concepts of cluster randomised trials, including measures of between-cluster variation and the rationale for cluster randomisation
- Design of cluster-randomised trials, including cluster selection and randomisation procedures
- Calculation of sample size
- Analysis of cluster randomised trials using both cluster-level summaries and individual-level data (random effects models and generalised estimating equations)
- Design and analysis of stepped wedge trials
- Ethical considerations, data monitoring and reporting of CRTs
Teaching format
The course will have a hybrid format and students can choose to attend in person in London or online. Teaching will take place through a blend of lectures and hands-on, live, practical sessions. There will be a strong emphasis on the practical exercises where participants will have hands-on experience using Stata to analyse illustrative datasets from a variety of trials. Solutions to practical exercises in R will also be provided to enable students with a solid knowledge of R to use that instead of Stata.
Students attending in person who do not have their own laptop will be given access to one for the practical sessions. For those attending online, sessions will take place using Zoom and therefore participants will need to have a reliable internet service and a PC or laptop with microphone and speakers. Students on the course without access to Stata will be given a temporary Stata licence for the duration of the course.
The course will take place from approximately 9:30am to 5.00pm British Summer Time (BST).
"It felt like a package of "what you need to know in order to conduct and analyse a CRT"
"The professors were wonderfully kind and super helpful when questions were asked."
"The combination of theory and lab sessions was very helpful."
"The lectures where well prepared with many examples and the opportunity to practice what we learnt."
"All sessions were amazing, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity of attending the course and learning something from the experts!"
"Very knowledgeable teachers and student-centred approach."
"Good combination of theory and practice."
"The course was absolutely great. All teachers were amazing. One can feel that they are very experts and passionate on what they are doing."
£1,604 full fee
£802 for LMICs (eligible countries)
When applying for discounted fees, please include proof of LMIC status instead of your CV. LMIC status can be confirmed with a passport and proof of current residence.
This fee will cover participation in the course and access to the course materials, including, course notes, slides, practical sessions, and solutions to exercises. Comprehensive course notes will be given to participants at the beginning of the course. Students on the course without access to Stata will be given a temporary Stata licence for the duration of the course.
Applying for this course
Applications for 2025 are now open and can be made via our online application form.
The application deadline is 6 June 2025.
Please read LSHTM's Admissions policies prior to submitting your application.
Visas
The student is responsible for obtaining any visa or other permissions to attend the course, and is encouraged to start the application process as early as possible as obtaining a visa for the UK can sometimes take a long time. The Short Courses team can provide supporting documentation if requested.
Accommodation
A list of hotels located in the vicinity of LSHTM, along with further resources for short-term accommodation, can be found on our accommodation pages.
Important information
Please note:
- Students will be required to bring their own laptops. The Stata package will be available for the duration of the course.
- If you have been offered a place on the course you will not be able to register without bringing a formal ID (Passport) and without having obtained the correct visa if required.
- It is essential that you read the current visa requirements for short course students.
- LSHTM may cancel courses two weeks before the first day of the course if numbers prove insufficient. In those circumstances, course fees will be refunded.
- LSHTM cannot accept responsibility for accommodation, travel and other losses incurred as a result of the course being cancelled.