Studying online
There are now 2 possible online modes for units:
Units with modes Online timetabled and Online flexible are available for any student to self-enrol and study online.
Click on an offering mode for more details.
Unit Overview
- Description
This unit provides students with the data management and analysis skills required for research in a range of natural sciences, including agricultural science, botany, conservation biology, ecology, environmental science, marine science, natural resource management, agricultural and environmental economics, and zoology. The first part of the unit provides essential foundation knowledge and skills for all students, while in the second part of the course, there are several options and students select the options most relevant to their research area and interests. The whole course takes an applied approach, focussing on developing clear hypotheses or questions; designing experiments or surveys to address these questions; exploring, understanding and analysing the resulting data; and finally drawing relevant and justifiable conclusions. The statistical software program R is introduced as a powerful tool for managing, presenting, and analysing biological, environmental and economic data. The course covers the classical analysis methods likely to be of most use to natural scientists, such as t-tests, proportion tests, chi-squared tests, linear regression, analysis of variance, and general linear models, with an emphasis on the applicability and limitations of different methods in different situations. The options in the second part of the course will include approaches for dealing with situations such as more complex experimental designs; multivariate species abundance data; species count data; germination data; growth data; human, environmental or ecological survey data; and survival data, through methods such as generalised linear models, mixed-effects models and multivariate analysis.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
(see Timetable) Availability Location Mode Semester 1 UWA (Perth) Face to face Semester 1 Online Online timetabled Semester 2 UWA (Perth) Face to face Semester 2 Online Online timetabled Semester 1 Online Online timetabled Semester 1 Albany Face to face Semester 2 Online Online timetabled Semester 2 Albany Face to face - Details for undergraduate courses
- Honours core unit in Agricultural Science; Botany; Conservation Biology; Environmental Science; Marine Biology; Marine Science; Natural Resource Management; Zoology [Bachelor of Science (Honours)]
- Honours option in Marine Science [Bachelor of Science (Honours)]
- Outcomes
Students are able to (1) develop clear questions or hypotheses regarding natural or agricultural systems; (2) design experiments or surveys to collect data to address these questions; (3) have a broad overview of the analysis methods likely to be of most use to natural scientists; (4) have a more detailed understanding of linear modelling including regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) approaches and more sophisticated approaches relevant to their research area; (5) appreciate the applicability and limitations of different analysis methods in different situations; (6) use computer software to manage, present and analyse data appropriate to their research area; and (7) draw relevant and justifiable conclusions based on their data analysis.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) quizzes and (2) assignments. Further information is available in the unit outline.
Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Dr James Fogarty and Dr Michael Renton
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites
- Enrolment inHON-CONBI Conservation Biologyand Successful completion of
or HON-ZOOLY Zoology
or HON-BOTNY Botany
or HON-AGSCI Agricultural Science
or HON-ENVSC Environmental Science
or HON-NRMGT Natural Resource Management
or HON-MARSC Marine Science
or 72510 Master of Agricultural Science
or 72520 Master of Biological Science
or 72530 Master of Environmental Science
or 72540 Master of Hydrogeology
or 73530 Master of Agricultural Economics
or 70550 Master of Bioinformatics
or 74230 Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics
or 74540 Master of Marine Biology
- Contact hours
- 5 days (1 day per fortnight). The total workload for the unit is 150 hours.
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.