Enrolled students may access all course materials on Canvas.

Course Description:

Statistics, experimental design, and the analysis of biological data. This course will introduce you to sampling, probability, the process of experimental design, hypothesis testing, and analysis of data from experiments. This will include data exploration, visualization, and interpretation of statistical results, using the statistical program R, and Excel. We will cover an array of standard tests including goodness of fit tests, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, correlation, regression, multiple regression and ANCOVA.  Students must attend two lectures and one laboratory each week. 

Program learning goals (Biological Sciences) 

• BIO LO1: Students will demonstrate the ability to formulate hypotheses and design experiments to address a scientific question using the scientific (Laboratory Activities, Group Project, Exams)
• BIO LO2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of relevant content in their discipline. (Laboratory Activities, Group Project, Exams)
• BIO LO3: Students will demonstrate laboratory or field skills in their discipline. (Laboratory Activities, Group Project)
• BIO LO4: Students will demonstrate proficiency in scientific writing skills. (Laboratory Activities, Group Project)
• BIO LO5: Students will demonstrate proficiency in oral presentation skills. (Laboratory Activities, Group Project)

Course Learning Outcomes (CLO):

After completing this course (mapping to PLOs and assessment in parentheses):

• CLO1: Students will demonstrate the ability to formulate testable, scientific hypotheses (BIO LO1; Laboratory Activities, Group Project, Exams)
• CLO2: Students will design appropriately controlled and sampled experiments that lend themselves to appropriate statistical analyses (BIO LO1, BIO LO3; Laboratory Activities, Group Project)
• CLO3: Students will demonstrate an understanding the role of statistical hypothesis testing in the sciences, including the basic philosophy of hypotheses, theories, and facts (BIO LO2; Laboratory Activities, Group Project, Exams)
• CLO4: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the application and basic assumptions of a variety of statistical tests commonly used in the sciences and select appropriate statistical tests, given information about an experiment’s design (BIO LO2; Laboratory Activities, Group Project, Exams)
• CLO5: Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate results of statistical analyses in writing and orally (BIO LO4 and LO5; Laboratory Activities, Group Project, Exams)