Course syllabus for Biostatistics

Biostatistik

Specific entry requirements

At least grade pass (G) at the courses Introduction to biomedical science; General and organic chemistry; Cell-, stem cell and developmental biology and Genetics, genomics and functional genomics, and at least grade pass (G) at the part Metabolism in health and disease (3 credits) of the course Biochemistry, at the Bachelor's programme in Biomedicine.

Outcomes

The aim of the course is to give students knowledge of basic statistical concepts and tools that can be used to understand results published in scientific literature and to perform their own statistical analyses.

Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:

Regarding knowledge and understanding

• explain the concept of random variation in biological phenomena and how it is related to observational and experimental studies,
• describe appropriate statistical methods to quantify random and systematic effects in biological data,
• discuss (at an elementary level) the relevance of statistical inference for empirical research.

Regarding competence and skills

• choose and apply statistical methods to address research questions by means of statistical software,
• communicate statistical results in oral presentations and scientific publications,
• interpret and discuss statistical findings of basic complexity in relevant scientific literature.

Regarding judgement and approach

• assess scientific hypotheses based on empirical proofs.

Content

Data types: nominal, ordinal and continuous variables. Descriptive measures. Graphical presentation. Randomness in biological observations. Statistical thinking around randomness. Data from experiments and observational studies. Probability concepts. Probability distributions: coin, dice, Poisson, Binomial, Exponential, Normal, Student's t. Parameter estimation: mean and proportion. Quantification of statistical uncertainty: standard error, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Elementary hypothesis testing: Z-tests, t-tests. Elementary considerations concerning power and samples size.

Correlation and linear regression. Statistical models. Verification of model assumptions. Robust (non-parametric and distribution free) methods. Analysis of contingency tables.

Teaching methods

Teaching will be in the form of lectures and practical computer activities.

Examination

The examination consists of written examination.

Compulsory participation
The examiner assesses if and, in that case, how absence from compulsory components can be compensated. The student must participate in all compulsory parts or compensate for absence in accordance with the examiner's instructions, in order to pass the course. Absence from a compulsory activity may result in the student not being able to compensate the absence until the next time the course is given.

Limit to the number of examination sessions
A student who does not pass an examination at their first attempt is entitled to participate in five additional examination sessions. If the student does not pass after four examinations, he/she is recommended to retake the course at the next regular course occasion, and may, after that, participate in two more examination sessions. If the student has failed six examinations, no additional examination sessions are provided.

Physically attending or otherwise commencing an examination is regarded as an examination session. Handing in a blank exam is considered taking part in an examination session. An examination, for which the student registered but did not participate, is not counted as an examination session.

Adaption of examination
If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Other directives

The course language is English.

Course evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Higher Education.

Oral evaluation in the form of course council meetings will be carried out during the course.

Literature and other teaching aids

Recommended literature

• Altman, Douglas G., Practical statistics for medical research, London : Chapman and Hall, 1991 - xii, 611 s. ISBN: 0-412-38620-8 (hft.), LIBRIS-ID: 8286190,
• Bland, Martin, An introduction to medical statistics, 3. ed., [Nachdr.] : Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2009 - XVI, 405 S ISBN: 978-0-19-263269-2, LIBRIS-ID: 11926588,
• Dalgaard, Peter, Introductory statistics with R, 2. ed. : New York : Springer, cop. 2008 - xvi, 363 s. ISBN: 978-0-387-79053-4 (pbk. : alk. paper), LIBRIS-ID: 11305121,
• Pagano, Marcello; Gauvreau, Kimberlee, Principles of biostatistics, 2. ed. : Pacific Grove : Duxbury, cop. 2000 - xvi, 525 s. , [42] s. ISBN: 0-534-22902-6 ; No price, LIBRIS-ID: 5036554,
• Rosner, Bernard, Fundamentals of biostatistics, 6. ed. : Belmont, Calif. : Thomson/Brooks/Cole, cop. 2006 - xx, 868 p. ISBN: 0534418201, LIBRIS-ID: 9942420,