Research Methods in Ecology National Taiwan University
Course Overview
This is a course in experimental design and data analysis. Computer simulations will be used to understand the concepts of various statistical tests, but no prior experience in programming is required. The experimental design part of the course will use a textbook (see below). The main theme of the data analysis part of the course is the maximum likelihood method although other approaches are also discussed. 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 solution and deriving it by yourself are not the same (especially for programming). To discourage students copying assignments (which has been very common in past years), assignments are not graded. That is, students are not asked to submit assignments. Therefore, even if students have the perfect assignments, the assignments have no influence on their grades. Nonetheless, successful completions of the assignments are essential for the successful completion of the course (e.g., doing well on the exams). Students are encouraged to seek out the instructor for help when they have troubles completing assignments. Grading Exam 1 40% Exam 2 60% (cumulative) Bonus points Bonus points may be added to the final grades at the end of the semester. Bonus points will be calculated based mainly on attendance and participation (e.g., asking questions). Two absences or four tardinesses will make 0 bonus points (a tardiness over 20 min is taken as an absence). Poor class participation (e.g., playing with a cell phone/computer, sleeping, etc.) is considered an absence. Because these are bonus points (e.g., without them, it is still possible to get 100% in the course), even when students have a valid reason for, e.g. an absence, it is still considered an absence. Unannounced in-class quizzes, if any are given, can also affect the bonus points. The maximum possible bonus points is 10%, but students whose grade is less than 60% without a bonus point can get at most 60% in their final grades no matter how good attendance and participation are. In addition, graduate students whose grade is less than 70% without a bonus points can have at most 70% no matter how many bonus points they may have. Schedule The schedule (shown in the content section of this website) is subject to change.
Learning Achievement
Competence
Course prerequisites
Grading Philosophy
Course schedule
Course type
Online Course Requirement
Instructor
Toshinori Okuyama
Other information
(College of Bioresources and Agriculture) Department of Entomology,
(College of Bioresources and Agriculture) Graduate Institute of Entomology,
(College of Bioresources and Agriculture) Department of Entomology
*Registration eligibility: juniors and above.
Site for Inquiry
