BCB744 Biostats Self-Assessment Tasks

Author
Affiliation

A. J. Smit

University of the Western Cape

Published

February 1, 2025

Summary of Self-Assessment Tasks

Chapter Task Description Marks
2 — Summarise & Describe Task 2-1 Manually calculate the mean for normal_data /3
Task 2-2 Describe faithful variables with graphs and distribution statement /10
Task 2-3 Manually calculate variance and SD for normal_data /5
Task 2-4 Demonstrate quantile definitions with code and explanation /10
Task 2-5 Explain dimnames() and str() output on penguins /5
Task 2-6 Explain summary() output on penguins /3
Task 2-7 Why consider grouping structures in datasets /2
Chapter 2 subtotal /38
3 — Visualise Task 3-1 EDA of palmerpenguins: summary table, figures, and Results write-up /30
Chapter 3 subtotal /30
7 — t-Tests Task 7-1 Repeat two-sample t-test with Welch’s method and manual calculation /15
Task 7-2 Identify correct t-test design for four scenarios /10
Chapter 7 subtotal /25
8 — ANOVA Task 8-1 Multiple comparisons problem and false-positive probability calculation /8
Task 8-2 Interpret one-way ANOVA result and produce a figure /6
Task 8-3 Interpret Tukey HSD output and plot results in ggplot2 /16
Task 8-4 Conclusions from a series of ANOVAs and the multiple-testing problem /5
Task 8-5 How time has an effect and constructing hypotheses around time /5
Task 8-6 Write hypotheses and interpret two-way ANOVA /5
Chapter 8 subtotal /45
9 — Correlation Task 9-1 Choose and justify correlation method for five variable pairs /10
Task 9-2 Full correlation analysis on two own datasets (with rubric) /20
Chapter 9 subtotal /30
12 — Simple Linear Regression Task 12-1 Examine regression model object, reconstruct response, regress residuals and fitted values /10
Task 12-2 Full regression analysis on life-expectancy data (with rubric) /30
Chapter 12 subtotal /40
Grand Total /208

Self-Assessment Rationale

BCB744 relies on the expectation that you will engage in regular, honest self-reflection about your grasp of each day’s lecture content. The honesty of these reflections cannot be overstated: each task should be rated according to the mark allocation next to the criteria below. These self-assessment marks will be kept on record and serve as an indicator of your progress.

Except for random checks to see if your self-assigned mark reflects reality (as judged by myself or a teaching assistant for how closely it aligns with the model answers), they will not be assessed. We will also discourage students from undertaking the Intro R Test and the Biostatistics Test if their self-assessment scores are consistently low.

For the Daily Self-Assessment Tasks to be effective, you must work alone on all of them. All the tasks must be submitted by the deadline.

Self-Assessment Rubric

Criterion Description Marks Allocated
Content Questions answered in order. Annotations included (metadata in file header, comments about code, ideas, and approach). 10%
Code Formatting & Presentation Application of R code conventions (e.g. spaces around <-, after #, after commas; correct use of new lines for each dplyr function (lines end in %>%) or ggplot layer (lines end in +), etc.). Logical structure of document and thorough, consistent use of headings and subheadings. Appearance and attention to detail. Code runs correctly without errors. 40%
Correct Answers (on MS Excel sheet) Demonstrating the correctness of answers by comparing them to the model answers. Correctly labelled, publication quality figures. 50%
Final Score /100%

Use the above rubric to assess your own progress, and report these marks on the Excel spreadsheets provided for each lecture (see Assessment Instructions, below). Upload these spreadsheets with your self-assigned marks onto iKamva, together with the .html version of your Portfolio with Self-Assessment Task answers.

Self-Assessment Mark Sheets

Download the mark sheet for each day, fill in your self-assessed marks, and submit it on iKamva together with your .html answers file.

Rename each file by replacing Surname with your own surname before submitting, e.g., BCB744_biostats_day_1_Smit.xlsx.

Assessment Instructions

  • Immediately after we have gone over the task answers in the class (e.g., on Tuesday morning for Task Day 1’s Self-Assessments):
    1. Add the marks you gave yourself for each question (according to the model answers we discussed) to the MS Excel spreadsheed, which you can download from the links below.
    2. To calculate your Final Score, rate your performance according to the rubric, enter those marks next to the “Content” and “Code Formatting & Presentation” entries on the spreadsheet. Once those marks have been supplied and the final mark will automagically be calculated.
  • Rename the Excel file correctly (Name and Surname, and take note of the underscores):
    • e.g., 📄 BCB744_Task_A_Smit.xlsx
  • Submit it on iKamva where it will be kept on record.
  • Each day I will randomly select five of the submitted tasks to check how honest you were in your self-assessment. If you are found to be dishonest, you will be penalised by losing marks from the presentations. If you are honest, you will be rewarded with bonus marks.

Submission Instructions

  • Deadline: Submit your work by 8:00 AM on the date indicated in the timetable.
  • Submission Format: Submit on iKamva as an HTML document.
  • Email Subject Line: In case you have to email your work (e.g., no iKamva access), use the following subject line:
    • 📌 BCB744 Task [The Number]: [Your Surname]
  • File Naming Convention:
    • 📄 BCB744_Task_[The Number]_[Your_Surname].html, e.g., BCB744_Day_1_Smit.html

Reuse

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@online{smit2025,
  author = {Smit, A. J.},
  title = {BCB744 {Biostats} {Self-Assessment} {Tasks}},
  date = {2025-02-01},
  url = {https://tangledbank.netlify.app/BCB744/assessments/BCB744_Biostats_Self-Assessment.html},
  langid = {en}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
Smit AJ (2025) BCB744 Biostats Self-Assessment Tasks. https://tangledbank.netlify.app/BCB744/assessments/BCB744_Biostats_Self-Assessment.html.