BB817: Planning and evaluation of biological experiments (5 ECTS)

STADS: 04011701

Level
Master's level course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the autumn semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: jones@biology.sdu.dk
Email: usteiner@biology.sdu.dk

Timetable
Show entire timetable
Show personal time table for this course.

Comment:
Undervises på engelsk.

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
The content of the course ST501 Science statistics or ST503 Statistics for Biologists is assumed to be known.

Course introduction
The students will learn to formulate biological questions in order to design, analyse, interpret, and present their own experimental investigations and field studies. Furthermore, they will learn to perform critical evaluations of research papers from the international scientific literature. Examples of studies, reflecting the complexity in the biological disciplines will be presented. The students will learn to use a statistical software for analysis of general linear models.

Expected learning outcome
At the end of the course the student is expected to be able to:

• sum up questions in biological disciplines, e.g. ecology, physiology, neurobiology, and evolutionary biology, in order to formulate testable biological hypotheses
• design relevant laboratory or field studies in order to test the proposed hypotheses, including the use of statistical power calculations
• handle, analyse, and interpret data from experimental investigations, including statistical analyses of general linear models, such as factorial ANOVA, multiple regression, and ANCOVA
• present results from experimental investigations correctly, according to the data types specific to the individual biological disciplines
• critically evaluate and discuss international scientific publications

Subject overview
The necessity of quantitative evaluation of results from biological experiments. Types of biological data and sources of variability in experimental biology. Design of experimental biological studies. Handling of raw data, statistical analysis, and interpretation and presentation of results.

Literature
There isn't any litterature for the course at the moment.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
Prerequisite test concicting of mandatory written assignment during the course. (04011712)

Prerequisite test concicting of active participation in seminars including presentation of a scientific paper and applications of the statistical software used in the course. (04011722)

Assessment and marking:
Written project, which is evaluated by the 7-mark scale, external censorship (04011702)

Reexam in the same exam period or immediately thereafter. The re-exam can have a different form than the ordinary exam.

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 20 hours
Skills training phase: 25 hours

Educational activities Study phase: 5 hours

The training phase consist of seminars with student presentations.

Language
This course is taught in Danish or English, depending on the lecturer. However, if international students participate, the teaching language will always be English.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.