Sampling Design & Analysis in Conservation Science (CONS7008)

Course overview

The modern conservation professional possesses the ability to collect/interpret data, and to understand statistical analysis as presented in research reports.
As part of this course you will develop highly important skills in statistical analysis using the R program.
The underlying theory and philosophy is explained without recourse to mathematical symbolism. Illustrations draw from a wide variety of studies in conservation biology.
These skills will be reinforced and utilized throughout many of the remaining courses in the Masters of Conservation Biology program

How many koalas are there in the Gold Coast? What are the best ways to plant trees for habitat restoration? How are the distributions of species responding to habitat change? These are real questions of the type that scientists and other professionals often want to answer.

During the course we develop the statistical skills needed to understand how scientists answer such questions.

The emphasis is threefold:

(i) understanding how to formulate a "good" question: one that is both important and amenable to statistical methods;

(ii) designing studies that will produce data and strong statistical inferences that address questions unambiguously, and;

(iii) analysing data using the R statistical package.

No prior knowledge of statistical methods is assumed. The emphasis is on hypothesis testing, using linear regression techniques. From the basics, it takes the students up into mixed effects modelling and generalized linear modelling. It also covers principal components analysis, ordination techniques and multi-dimensional scaling.

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Course requirements

Assumed background

A course in Elementary Statistics, e.g. STAT1201

Incompatible

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

CONS6008

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

• Another instance of the same course

The course is taught in person and externally.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Aims and outcomes

Our aim is to teach students how to apply quantitative methods when formulating and addressing important questions in conservation science.

We teach students how to:

1) choose well the question that is the focus of the research effort;

2) plan the data gathering process, with the data analysis in mind, in order that the analysis address that question, and;

3) perform that analysis using the R statistical package.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Written project proposal

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

30%

Due date

12/09/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Students are required to submit an electronic version of their report through Turnitin which can be found on the course Blackboard site in the Assessment folder.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

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.

Detailed research proposal (recorded group presentation)

• Team or group-based

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Presentation

Weight

30%

Due date

3/10/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

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.

Statistical analysis using R (10 weekly quizzes worth 1 mark each)

• Online

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Quiz

Weight

10%

Due date

5/08/2024 - 21/10/2024

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

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.

Final RMarkdown report (Statistical analysis of frog data)

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Computer Code, Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

7/11/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Electronic submission via Turnitin and email directly to John Dwyer - j.dwyer2@uq.edu.au

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

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

Information on applying for an extension can be found here - my.UQ Applying for an extension

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

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 Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.

Please note: While your extension request is being considered, you should work towards completing and submitting your assessment as soon as possible.

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses. You might need to consider applying for removal of course. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.

APPLYING FOR A DEFERRAL OF AN EXAM

If you are unable to sit an exam you need to apply for a deferred exam online, through my-SiNet. Please read the information on theﾠMyUQ websiteﾠon how to apply for a deferral of your exam.

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION

All appropriate assignments must be submitted through Turnitin. Submissions by email are not accepted.

Turnitin submission

1. Access the Assessment folder on the course Blackboard site
2. Upload an electronic version through the Turnitin site for the assignment
3. You will then be able to download your digital receipt, retain the receipt as proof of submission.
4. If you don't receive a receipt, your assessment wasn't submitted.

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Students may be required to work in groups and submit an assessment item as a group.

In some cases, students are expected to work in a group to gather data or generate ideas, but are expected to submit individual assessment items based on the group work. This means that you can use the group-generated ideas or data but you cannot collaborate to produce the individual written submissions. If the divisions are unclear, ask for clarification.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE (AI)

The assessment tasks in this course evaluate students’ abilities, skills, and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

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.