Department of Biology & Biochemistry, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
BB40112 Data interpretation in biology |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Masters |
| Academic Year |
| Assessment: CW 100% |
| Requisites: |
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Aims & Learning Objectives: To provide experience of the interpretation of biological data. After taking this course the student should be able to: * interpret and represent information on biological phenomena, using quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (text or image) sources; * make logical statements and reach sound conclusions from biological data; * explain the limits of interpretation and be capable of selecting suitable statistical tests; * interpret the outcome of a statistical test on biological data. Content: The course comprises a series of assignments and problems which are undertaken by the students and then analysed and discussed in weekly workshops. Using examples which illustrate different types of biological information, the course covers the interpretation of simple data sets, data transformation, graphical presentation, interpretation of trends, selection of appropriate statistical tests for particular data sets. As far as possible, the examples are generic, designed to be capable of interpretation without a requirement for in depth understanding of any particular area of biology. |