On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

1. Analyse a biological question in order to develop a small programme of research.

2. Explain the ethical implications of conducting a given bioinformatics research programme.

3. Use contemporary version control systems to maintain a software or text repository.

4. Explain the importance of reproducible research and its ethical basis.

5. Devise approaches to ensure reproducibility of a research programme.

6. Explain the limitations of a variety of sequencing technologies.

7. Use a variety of database systems for simple datamining.

8. Employ effective communication techniques within a teamwork environment.

9. Identify areas of confusion that may arise when bioinformaticians communicate with biologists and develop approaches to deal with this.

Lectures are supported by face-to-face tutorials that build on student’s understanding of the details of running a research programme from the developmental through to the operational stages. The preparation and presentation of workshops based on practical aspects of running a research programme will help develop students’ capacity to work in small groups, analyse and develop solutions and communicate these to others.

The course covers concepts in three themes: Conducting Research, Dealing with Data, Software and Communication.

Conducting Research:

• Project proposal/planning/management

• Team work skills

• Entrepreneurship

• Research ethics

   

  Dealing with Data:

• Sequencing technologies – limitations and error profiles

• Datamining and databases

   

  Software:

• Version control

• Reproducible research approaches

   

  Communication:

• Communicating with biologists

• Report writing

• Publishing

   

  The lecture stream for this will be:

  2x Project proposal, planning and management (ECIC?)

  1x Team work skills and entrepreneurship (ECIC?)

  1x Research ethics (ECIC?)

  2x Communication (ECIC?)

  1x Version control

  2x Reproducible research

  2x Sequencing technologies

  1x Datamining and databases

   

  Lectures will have associated tutorials.

   

  Workshops will be held three times in which students will present their research. The topics for the three workshops will be: Communicating with biologists and other stake holders; Reproducible research and version control; and Dealing with data.

Tutorial tasks (total of 20%)

Each tutorial will include an assessment task which may be one of 1) a short answer quiz at the start of the tutorial or 2) a short written piece on the topic of the tutorial directed by provided questions, to be submitted at the beginning of the subsequent tutorial.

Workshop presentations/reports (3x: total of 40%)

Groups of students will be given a choice of topics in biology relating to bioinformatics to select from. In groups, the students will research approaches to analysing the biological system using bioinformatics techniques. The research will include analysis of the problems associated with the approaches. Individually, students will write a 1500 word report on their research. Students will present a 20 min group oral presentation as well as hand in a copy of their presentation and the associated report. Students will also complete a peer assessment for their group members, which will be taken into account in allocating the final mark. The report and the workshop presentation components would contribute equally to the assessment weighting. The contribution of the peer assessment task would make up 10% of the report component and be comprised a brief (less than one page) assessment of the contributions of each of the members of the group, including the assessing student.

The assessment breakdown for each workshop will be 60% for the report and 40% for the group presentation.

Theory exam (40%)
Due to the current COVID-19 situation modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching

The final exam will be open book for 2020

The final theory exam will examine all components of the course. It will consist of short answer and long answer questions.

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.