Biostatistics & Experimental Design (BIOL2006)

Course overview

Introduces students to the process of biological research in fields ranging from ecology to genetics. In addition to lectures students will get hands-on experience including generating ideas and hypotheses, through to designing experiments, analysing real data-sets, critiquing published studies and communicating results.

Our ability to gather large data-sets in the laboratory and field is rapidly expanding, making it essential for modern practicing scientists to be able to organise, explain and use these data to make important scientific advances. The variability of organisms' (including humans!) responses to experimental treatments and natural conditions, which themselves are highly variable, makes both experimental design and statistical analysis essential skills for addressing research questions across all biological and environmental fields. This course provides students with the in-depth knowledge and tools to enable them to generate hypotheses andﾠdesign robust experiments andﾠfield studies to test hypotheses or distinguish between competing hypotheses.ﾠThe ability to critique methods, correctly analyse experimental or observational data andﾠinterpret and present the results will beﾠof greatﾠbenefit to studentsﾠtaking a wide range ofﾠresearch- and project-based courses.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Basic statistics, e.g. STAT1201 and basic mathematical skills such as the manipulation of algebraic equations, logs, indices etc.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

STAT1201 or STAT1301

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

BIOL2106

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

All classes of BIOL2006 are shared with BIOL2106.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Please attend only the PBL (Problem-Based Learning) and the Prac class which you are allocated.

Aims and outcomes

To provide students with the skills to design, carry out and present creative, scientifically rigorous biological research projects, skills that will also enable them to critically evaluate other research projects.

To provide students with an ability to implement statistical tests using the programming language R, and to interpret R outputs in a meaningful way.ﾠ

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Weekly Quiz

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

30%

Due date

Quiz 1 (cancelled) 10/03/2025 - 14/03/2025

Quiz 2: 17/03/2025 - 21/03/2025

Quiz 3: 24/03/2025 - 28/03/2025

Quiz 4: 7/04/2025 - 11/04/2025

Quiz 5: 14/04/2025 - 18/04/2025

Quiz 6: 28/04/2025 - 2/05/2025

Quiz 7: 12/05/2025 - 16/05/2025

Quiz 8: 19/05/2025 - 23/05/2025

Quiz 9: 26/05/2025 - 30/05/2025

QUIZZES ARE IN CLASS DURING YOUR TIMETABLED PBL SESSION IN EACH OF THE WEEKS INDICATED

Other conditions

Student specific, Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Quizzes occur weekly and cannot be extended or deferred. To calculate your overall grade for these PBL quizzes, we will take your best 2 of the 3 quizzes for modules 2 and 3. For module 1, due to the postponement of teaching in Week 3 to 4, there are Quizzes only in Week 4 and 5 and both these quizzes will contribute to module 1.

Quizzes cannot be deferred - if you are unable to attend in a week, we will take the marks from the other two quizzes of the module (Modules 2 and 3 only).

Analysis of Data & Presentation of Results

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

25%

Due date

29/04/2025 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific, Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Submission guidelines

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.ﾠ

Please ensure you receive and save the submission confirmation for all submitted items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.ﾠwritten assessment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission portal, which can be found within the Blackboard site. You are responsible for ensuring that your submission is complete. It is wise to re-enter the Turnitin portal and confirm that your submission is there and that it has not been altered during the submission process.ﾠ

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.ﾠ

In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.ﾠ

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

A maximum of 14 days extension may be permitted as feedback is released after 14 days & review of the assessment is discussed in class. Timely release of the feedback from this assessment is important as future learning material expands on ideas presented in this assessment and may be featured in the final exam. See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

End of semester exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

45%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Other conditions

Student specific, Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See the Additional information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.

Additional assessment information

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum timeframe applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for timeframes. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total. If you are incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, you are advised to apply for Removal of Course.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Plagiarism:ﾠ

You should be aware that the University employs purpose built software to detect plagiarism. It is very important that you understand clearly the practical meaning of plagiarism.

Students are encouraged to read theﾠUQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policyﾠwhich makes a comprehensive statement about the University's approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarismﾠand the principles associated with preventing plagiarism.

DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM:

1. Direct copying of paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence;

2. Direct copying of paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence with an end reference but without quotation marks around the copied text;

3. Copying ideas, concepts, research results, computer codes, statistical tables, designs, images, sounds or text or any combination of these;

4. Paraphrasing, summarising or simply rearranging another person's words, ideas, etc without changing the basic structure and/or meaning of the text;

5. Offering an idea or interpretation hat is not one's own without identifying whose idea or interpretation it is;

6. A 'cut and paste' of statements from multiple sources;

7. Presenting as independent, work done in collaboration with others;

8. Copying or adapting another student's original work into a submitted assessment item.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.