Duration
25h Th
Number of credits
| Bachelor in biology | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
In various fields of biology, the evolution of technology results in the production of large raw data sets. The course will consist of a hands-on discovery of computational and statistical tools suitable for the analysis of biological data sets (with a particular focus on expression data).
Various concepts will be reviewed through exercices, from general concepts (vectors and matrices, correlation, p-values).
Specifically, the course will focus on the use of the R language (base) in order to deal with biological datasets. The professor is a contributor of official R packages with this goal since 2008.
The potential use of some tools based on AI (LLM) is also introduced in this course.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Reflexes and practical autonomy needed to address the processing and analysis of complex biological data sets with the R software, from multi source data loading to the summary statistics and results visualization. Ability to plan the different stages of a data analysis.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Though not fundamental, students are encouraged to review the basics they have already acquired in the following areas: statistics and programming.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Theoretical lectures and practical work on computer.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Further information:
The theoretical part of the course is face to face.
The practical parts are online through videos of theoretical materials, webpages of online exercises and videos of resolution of exercises. This blended learning orientation has a pedagogical motivation that is usually explained on the first course.
The Ecampus forums are available for online questions and answers. The advised software Rstudio is freely available online. When possible, our RStudio server is available in order to allow students to perform the practical sessions online as well as evaluations, via a web navigator (+vpn if needed).
Ecampus interrogations can be scheduled during the year. Those evaluations helps the student understand the tools for the evaluation and can contribute to the final grading of the first session (rules concerning the interros are well specified on the course webpage and on the first course).
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Other site(s) used for course materials
- Page web du cours (www.bioinfo.uliege.be/classes/I2BDA/)
Further information:
The course is available on the following link and the required passwords are given on the first course as well as on the forum ecampus.
www.bioinfo.uliege.be/classes/I2BDA/
Ref (useful but not necessary):
Getting Started with R: An Introduction for Biologists (Oxford Biology 2012)
by Andrew P. Beckerman and Owen L. Petchey
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Out-of-session test(s)
Further information:
Each student is evaluated through a practical written exam (in a computer room when possible) with questions quite similar to the practical sessions. A few theoretical questions can also be inserted in the exam.
It is a written exam (on a computer in theory) and it last two hours.
Ecampus interrogations can take place during the courses (information such as duration, starting time, process, grading... are detailed on the webpage of this class and on the first course).
The level of the questions for interros and/or exam is close to the most difficult exercises made previous to the test. Most exercises are mainly there to prepare for the more advanced and difficult ones.
In case of a second session, the exam covers the whole grading (no bonus nor negative points from the year will remain).
Exams are individual works (not-assisted by online tools nor other students). Unless stated otherwise during the course, no other tools than Ecampus and the R software are authorised (no phone, no calculator, no sheets of paper,...).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Practical exercises are given online (via videos).
The theoretical parts are typically given in face to face.
Contacts
Teaching assistant: bioinformatics@uliege.be
Prof. Patrick Meyer
Life Sciences Department
email: patrick.meyer@uliege.be