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| HOME (PAR) SEARCH INDEX ____________ Laboratory
skills Communication -------------------
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BIOLOGY TEACHING ORGANISATION
PERSONAL
ACHIEVEMENT RECORD
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NUMERACY AND
STATISTICAL SKILLS
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Check the list below. Use the links to find the resources. When you have attained those skills, record them in MY PAR
Basic numeracy skills (see Numeracy resources)
- Basic mathematical skills
- Logarithms and exponential growth
- Presentation of data in graphs, charts, etc.
Statistical tests (see Numeracy resources):
- How to calculate a mean and dispersion about a mean (HELP)
- How to compare two means by statistical tests (HELP)
- How to use the Chi-squared test (HELP)
- How to fit equations to graphs (HELP)
- How to work with probabilities (HELP)
Laboratory measures:
- How to calculate molarities, dilution factors, etc.
- The use of SI Units (HELP)
Spreadsheets and databases (see IT resources):
- How to use the Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet
- How to produce graphs, histograms, pie charts
- How to use the Excel equation function
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All students should have a grasp of basic numeracy, algebraic manipulation, logarithms and exponential growth, fitting straight lines to data, probability, and the presentation of data in graphs, histograms, etc.
These and other basic mathematical skills are taught in many courses, including Quantitative Biology 1h, which uses a mathematics workbook so that you can work through problems at your own pace. The BTO holds copies of the QB workbook if you wish to develop your maths skills.
You should be able to calculate simple laboratory measures - test your ability here.
Basic statistical methods and probability are taught in the Biometrics 2h course. This course uses the Minitab programme for analysing data. You can refresh your knowledge by trying the past examination papers (with solutions)
There are several on-line resources that assume no prior knowledge of statistics and that guide you through the common procedures:
The Really Easy Statistics Site (produced by Jim Deacon). This site gives step-by-step guidance on how to analyse your data in Microsoft Excel (mounted on all our computers).
STEPS (STatistical Education through Problem Solving: a resource developed by a British academic consortium)
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