ST503: Statistics for biologists (5 ECTS)

STADS: 25000301

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the spring semester.
4th quarter.

Teacher responsible
Email: hcpetersen@stat.sdu.dk

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

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
The material from the courses MM503 BioMath I and MM504 BioMath II for biologists must be known.

Course introduction
The participants should know the basic principles of and methods for statistical description, analysis and inference in relation to biological research. The participants will learn how to use a statistical software for analyzing data. Furthermore, weight will be put on critical reading of scienrific papers, treatises, reports, etc, with regard to applications as well as further mediate the results from these.

Qualifications
The participants will obtain insight into elementary statistical methods, and achieve competences in simple statistical analyses. Furthermore, the will obtain competences in critical evaulation and mediation of research results from the biological sciences. They should be capable of applying the aquired knowledge in relevant situation for:

* utilizing graphics and summary methods for descriptive data analysis;
* describing data using key statistics such as mean, variance, and correlation;
* constructing confidence intervals for key statistics;
* testing simple statistical hypotheses;
* analyzing data using simple regression models;
* designing data collection;
* undertanding central elements in published results from statistical analyses of biological data;
* critically evaluating the appropriateness of employed methods and inferences based on these;
* presenting statistical results in non-technical terms;

Expected learning outcome


Subject overview
The foundation for statistical considerations. From population to sample and back again. Basic Parameters and their estimation. Descriptive statistics (tables and graphics). Probabilities and distributions. Hypotheses and principles for tests. Examples of test methods: t-test, chi-square-test. Basic concepts underlying linear models starting from simple linear regression. Basic concepts with regard to study design. Common problems in applied statistics (types of inferential error, mass significance, pseudoreplication). Reading of papers with statistical analyses in the biological sciences.

Literature

• Jim Fowler, Lou Cohen, Phil Jarvis: Practical Statistics for Field Biology, 2nd Edition, ISBN: 0-471-98296-2.Paperback. Wiley.272 pages. 1998.

Syllabus
See syllabus.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:
3 hours written exam with books, notes, desk calculator etc. Grading: passed/not passed. Internal censuring. Obligatory home exercises (internal censuring by teacher: passed/not passed), that must be passed in order to participate in exam. The home exercises can be written in groups of max 2 persons.

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.

Forelæsninger (28 timer), eksaminatorier (12 timer) og laboratorieøvelser (7timer).
Educational activities

Language
This course is taught in Danish.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.