Admission requirements
None
Description
In the master Statistics and Data Science the curriculum is mostly focused on statistical and data science techniques, their (mathematical) foundations, their application, and how to implement them using programming languages. All these skills are necessary to be successful as a data scientist, but they are mostly about numbers. And these numbers can mean very different things depending on the context or work field that they come from. An essential skill for statisticians/data scientists is thus to know how to make these numbers meaningful and insightful to others, be it your scientific peers, your colleagues, the executive board, or the general public. This requires domain knowledge of different research fields as well as knowledge on how to clearly communicate.
In this course we will introduce you to research in the three prominent fields of our master:
Clinical, Epidemiological, and Observational Medical Research, (Leiden University Medical Center)
Plant/Animal/Human Genetics and Genomics, and Environmental Research, (Wageningen University)
(Neuro)Psychological Research, (Leiden University).
We will show you how data are acquired in these fields, what statistical methods are usually employed, and how the data translate into useful concepts. This includes fieldtrips to the different departments and an interview with a prominent researcher in this field.
Course Objectives
The overall aim of this course is to introduce students to important areas of application of statistics and data science methods in the Life and Behavioural Sciences. Students will also develop their communication skills (presenting, writing, and working in teams). More specifically, students should, at the end of the course:
Be able to reflect on the role of data science and statistics in different fields.
Be able to work together on a team project.
Be able to communicate about data science and statistical concepts.
Be able to clearly present to an audience.
Be able to adapt communication to a specific audience.
Be able to formulate and answer questions about general statistical principles after a presentation.
Have basic knowledge of the types of research performed in the different subfields in the Life and Behavioural sciences.
Have basic knowledge of research designs, and methods of the different subfields in the Life and Behavioural sciences, both for experimental research and observational research.
Be able to identify the prominent statistical and data science methods within a subfield.
Timetable
You will find the timetables for all courses and degree programmes of Leiden University in the tool MyTimetable (login). Any teaching activities that you have sucessfully registered for in MyStudyMap will automatically be displayed in MyTimeTable. Any timetables that you add manually, will be saved and automatically displayed the next time you sign in.
MyTimetable allows you to integrate your timetable with your calendar apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and other calendar apps on your smartphone. Any timetable changes will be automatically synced with your calendar. If you wish, you can also receive an email notification of the change. You can turn notifications on in ‘Settings’ (after login).
For more information, watch the video or go the the 'help-page' in MyTimetable. Please note: Joint Degree students Leiden/Delft have to merge their two different timetables into one. This video explains how to do this.
Mode of instruction
The course consists of a mix of lectures, workgroups, and research visits.
Assessment method
Students will work in small groups to prepare a final presentation on a specific statistical topic covering on of the three (sub)fields. The final grade will be based on the quality of, and performance on the presentation (40%), the quality of the questions designed to test the knowledge of the audience (30%), and the quality of the interview (30%). A resit possibility is scheduled in consultation with the teacher.
Reading list
Literature will be specified during the course; no books are required.
Registration
It is the responsibility of every student to register for courses with the new enrollment tool MyStudyMap. There are two registration periods per year: registration for the fall semester opens in July and registration for the spring semester opens in December. Please see this page for more information.
Please note that it is compulsory to both preregister and confirm your participation for every exam and retake. Not being registered for a course means that you are not allowed to participate in the final exam of the course. Confirming your exam participation is possible until ten days before the exam.
Extensive FAQ's on MyStudymap can be found here.
Contact
w.d.weeda@fsw.leidenuniv.nl