Learning goals (LG)
1. Contextualize statistics in society and in science
2. Understand the fundamentals of descriptive statistics
3. Recognize the importance of probability theory
4. Understand the concept of random variable
5. Understand the fundamentals of sampling theory and of experimental design
6. Understand the mechanic of hypothesis testing
7. Distinguish parametric and non-parametric tests
8. Distinguish correlation and regression
9. Recognize Bayesian inference
Skills
General (GS)
1. Team work
2. Bibliographic search and synthesis
3. Communicate scientific information
4. Write a scientific report
Specific (SS)
1. Develop statistical reasoning
2. Apply descriptive statistics
3. Simulate random variables
4. Apply sampling distributions
5. Estimate confidence intervals
6. Apply hypothesis testing
7. Use computer tools in statistics
1. (Bio)Statistics
Theoretical classes
Lectures are used to present concepts, explore examples and solve problems. Assessment: Task I (individual) – Importance of Statistics and its Applications in Biological Sciences (two page A4 text); Task II (groups of three students) – Sampling and/or Experimental Design (two page A4 text and 10 minutes presentation); Quiz (problem solution).
Laboratorial classes
Use of computer tools in Descriptive Statistics and in Statistical Inference, namely the use of spreadsheets and statistical applications (e.g., Excel and SPSS). Tutorial files are given with protocol and data files. Students (groups of three) will be asked to write a scientific report to develop and assess different skills. Several problems are also solved regarding the taught subjects, which will be assessed with the aid of a computer.
Gouveia de Oliveira, A. (2009). Bioestatística, Epidemiologia e Investigação. Teoria e aplicações - Uma nova abordagem sem equações matemáticas. Lisboa: Lidel.
Gotelli, N. J. & A. M. Ellison (2004). A primer of Ecological Statistics. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, 510 pp.
Maroco, J. (2010). Análise estatística com a utilização do SPSS, 3ª Edição. Edições Sílabo, Lisboa, 822 pp.
McCarthy, M. A. (2007). Bayesian Methods for Ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 296 pp.
Pestana, D. D. e Velosa, S. (2010). Introdução à Probabilidade e à Estatística, 4ª edição. Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa, 1164 pp.
Rosner, B. (2010). Fundamentals of Biostatistics, 7th Edition. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Stigler, S. M. (1986). The history of statistics. The measurement of uncertainty before 1900, Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 410 pp.
Zar, J. H. (2010). Biostatistical analysis, 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall International, Upper Saddle River, 662 pp.
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