Data Analysis Skills for Science (11723.1)

Required texts

Suggested (not required): Lepš, J. and Šmilauer, P. (2020) Biostatistics with R: an introductory guide for field biologists. Cambridge University Press, ISBN-13: 978-1108480383.

There are a wealth of open access resources available relating to introductory data analysis, R and R Studio, and Microsoft Excel. These will adequately complement the unit's learning materials. For students intending to take further studies in data analysis or data science (using R), it is likely to be worthwhile obtaining the above text.

Submission of assessment items

Special assessment requirements

The final mark for this unit will be calculated by an accumulation of marks from each assessment item. To achieve a passing grade or higher in this subject, students must:

• attempt all assessment items and
• achieve a final aggregate mark of 50% or higher.

The unit convener reserves the right to question students on any of their submitted work for moderation and academic integrity purposes, which may result in an adjustment to the marks awarded for a specific task.

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Learner engagement

The contact hours for each student in this unit consist of 12 hours of lectures (1 hr x 12 weeks) and 24 hours of computer labs (2 hr x 12 weeks). There are an additional up to 12 hours of online content videos. The remaining 102 hours of workload should be distributed across self-directed study and the various assessment tasks.

Participation requirements

It is highly recommended that you attend and participate in all classes. Your participation in both class and online activities will enhance your understanding of the unit content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

It is expected that you will attend a two-hour computer lab each week and that you either attend the lectures or participate in the live stream. Computer labs will not be recorded. Although lectures are recorded, we cannot guarantee that the recording will accurately convey all the information presented in the live lecture. Problems with the recordings will not be accepted as an excuse for any assessment-related purpose. 

Required IT skills

All students are assumed to be able to:

• Read and download documents on the unit website - mostly in Adobe PDF format.
• For the End of Semester Assessment students need to know how to open and run R, R Studio and Excel. Students also need to unzip files to access datasets. These skills are covered in lectures and computer labs.
• Communicate using email

In-unit costs

None. Required software is either open source (R, R Studio) or made available by UC for free to UC Students (e.g. Excel, Canvas). Campus computer labs can be used if a student cannot otherwise access computer hardware.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.

Additional information

Provision of information to the group
Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forum are deemed to be made to the whole class. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for announcements on the Unit's Canvas website (forum messages are also emailed to student email addresses only). Students should ensure they check their student email regularly. The Canvas discussion forum will be checked by staff regularly.

Use of student email account
The University email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes". Therefore all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Students should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

Caveat
Unforeseen circumstances beyond the unit convener's control could result in changes to the mode of delivery of lectures, tutorials and practicals (where applicable) and assessments. Students will be advised if this occurs and appropriate alternatives will be arranged.

• Semester 1, 2024, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (217150)
• Semester 2, 2023, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (214956)
• Semester 1, 2023, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (213321)
• Semester 2, 2022, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (209097)