課程概述 |
If you cannot register online, please come to the first class and I will give you a registration code.
This course has two parts: 1) experimental design and 2) data analysis. The experimental design part of the course will use a textbook (Ruxton and Colegrave 2016; see below). The main theme of the data analysis part is the method of maximum likelihood although other approaches are also discussed. Computer simulations will be used to understand the concepts of various statistical tests, but no prior experience in programming is required.
Although the course title contains the word 'ecology', this is a general course on experimental design and data analysis. Students of any fields (social science, political science, physical science, biological science, business, engineering, etc.) can take the course. No knowledge of ecology is required.
The computer language R (http://www.r-project.org/) will be used.
Expectations
Ask questions, in or out of class, when you don’t understand something. If you are confused, you are probably not the only one.
Assignments will be given nearly every week. Students must work on assignments on their own. Understanding a provided solution and deriving it by yourself are not the same (especially for programming). To discourage students from copying assignments (which has been very common in past years), assignments are not graded. Even if students have the perfect assignments (i.e., 100% if graded), the assignments have no influence on their grades. Nonetheless, successful completion of assignments is essential for the successful completion of the course. Students are encouraged to seek out the instructor for help when they have troubles completing assignments.
Students are responsible for checking their NTU email accounts regularly as some information may be sent by email.
Bonus points
Bonus points will be calculated based mainly on attendance and participation. Two absences or four tardies will result in 0 bonus points (being late over 20 min is regarded as an absence). Poor class participation (e.g., playing with a cell phone/computer, sleeping, etc.) is considered an absence. Even when a student has a valid reason for an absence, it is considered as an absence because attendance only affects bonus points. The maximum possible bonus points are 10% (to final % grade), but undergraduate students whose grades are less than 60% (final grade without bonus points) can get at most 60% (final grade with bonus points). Graduate students whose grades are less than 70% (final grade without bonus points) can get at most 70% (final grade with bonus points).
Schedule
The schedule (shown in the content section of this website) is subject to change. |