Syllabus & Policies

Author

Affiliation

Published

August 8, 2022

“Knowledge is not a resource we simply stumble upon. It’s not something that we pluck out of the air. Knowledge is created. It is coaxed into existence by thoughtful, creative people. It is not a free good. It comes only to the prepared mind.”

— Frank H. T. Rhodes, Speed Bumps on the Road Ahead, Trusteeship, May/June 1999

Welcome to Term 3 of BDC334 Biogeography and Global Ecology. This page provides the syllabus and teaching policies for the module, and it serves is a starting point for the theory, instruction, and access to the data you’ll use in the module’s Labs.

Timetable

My part of the BDC334 module runs in the 3rd term, from 22 July to 30 August 2024.

Lecture Timetable

Day	Periods	Location	Notes
Monday	3rd period	5th Floor BCB Dept	self-study
Tuesday	2nd period	5th Floor BCB Dept	self-study
Wednesday	1st period	5th Floor BCB Dept	unused
Thursday	periods 6-8	5th Floor BCB Dept	discussion

Below, you are provided with reading material (lecture slides, PDFs for reading) and pre-recorded video lectures that you are expected to consume before the discussion classes on Thursdays. The weekly face-to-face sessions are essential for discussing the work you covered the previous two days, and it also allows you to be like real students, attending actual lectures, for real, in person. The discussion session is for free talk and bouncing of ideas. We can talk about anything related to the topic of biodiversity but will try and focus on the issues at hand.

Typically, we will meet weekly, on Thursdays, in person on campus. The rest of the time, we will proceed with pre-recorded lecture material from wherever in the world you choose to be.

However, on the first Monday of Term 3, we will all meet in person on campus in the lecture venue (again on the first Wednesday of Term 3). You can then meet me for the first time (even if you saw me online last year), and I will give an outline of my portion of the course. Prof Boatwright will take over in Term 4.

Labs

Day	Periods	Location
Monday	Periods 6-8	5th Floor BCB Dept

The Labs take place on Mondays during Periods 6-8 (starting at 13:30) in the 5th floor computer lab in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Department (starts 22 July 2024).

Labs are compulsory, and failing to attend will result in a penalty of 20% taken from your mark for the week.

Please ensure that you read through each Lab (accessible in the sidebar) before the start the Labs. You have until the following Monday at 07:00 to complete and submit all the material.

Class Tests

There will be two class tests:

Thursday, 8 August 2024, 13:30-15:30
Thursday, 29 August 2024, 13:30-15:30

Instructor and Lab Assistant

Term 3 of BDC334 is taught by me, Professor AJ Smit. You may find me in Office 4.103 in the BCB Department (4th floor). You’ll receive an introductory email from me, and you are welcome to contact me at that email address with questions or concerns. Please also use the WhatsApp group set up for this module to ask questions and share information.

The Lab Assistant for Term 3 is Ms. Zoë-Angelique Petersen. She will be available in the Lab during the Lab periods to assist you with any questions you may have.

Syllabus, Overview, and Expectations

Syllabus

These links point to online resources such as reading material in the form of publications, lecture slides, example workflows, datasets, and R scripts in support of the video and PDF lecture material. Note that the video material is housed on iKamva from where you may download it without incurring Internet costs; various PDFs for reading can also be found there. It is essential that you work through these examples and workflows.

Wk	Type	Topic	PDFs etc.	Class/Lab	Exercise Due
W1	L	Lecture 1a. About Biogeography & Global Ecology	Slides	22-24 Jul
	L	Lecture 1b. Macroecology	Slides
	L	Keith et al. (2012)	Reading
	L	BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Module_Info_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Pracs_Tests_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Lecture_1a_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Lecture_1b_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Lecture_1c_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	P1	Lab 1. Ecological Data	Slides	22 Jul	29 Jul
W2	L	Lecture 2a. Ecological Gradients	Slides	29-31 Jul
	L	Lecture 2b. Metrics of Environmental & Species Diversity	Slides
	L	Nekola and White (1999)	Reading
	L	Smit et al. (2017)	Reading
	L	Tittensor et al. (2010)	Reading
	L	BDC334_Lecture_2a_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_2b_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_2c_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_2d_720p30.mp4	iKamva
	P2	Lab 2a. R & RStudio		29 Jul	5 Aug
	P2	Lab 2b. Environmental Distance		29 Jul	5 Aug
	P2	Introduction to Wiki Assignment	About the Wiki	1 Aug	26 Aug
	L	BDC334_Lecture_3a_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_3b_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_3c_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_4a_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_4b_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_4c_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
W3	L	Unified Accounting: Patterns in Diversity Over Space and Time		5-7 Aug
	L	Shade et al. (2018)	Reading
	L	BDC334_Lecture_5a_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	L	BDC334_Lecture_5b_1080p30.mp4	iKamva
	P3	Lab 3. Quantifying Biodiversity	Slides	5 Aug	12 Aug
	T1	Class Test 1		8 Aug
W4	L	Impacts on Biodiversity		12-14 Aug
	L	Chapin III et al. (2000)	Reading
	L	Gotelli and Chao (2013)	Reading
	L	Maxwell et al. (2016)	Reading
	L	Tilman et al. (2017)	Reading
	P4	Lab 4. Species Distribution Patterns	Slides	12 Aug	19 Aug
W5	L	Nature’s Contribution to People		19-21 Aug
	L	Costanza et al. (1997)	Reading
	L	Costanza et al. (2014)	Reading
	L	Burger et al. (2012)	Reading
	P5	Worksheet Completion (Prac Assessment)	Assessment	22 Aug	22 Aug
W6	L	Revision		26-28 Aug
	FIN	Wiki Essay due			26 Aug
	T2	Class Test 2		29 Aug

Reading in support of the syllabus

In the table above, there are links to several key papers to read in preparation for each week’s theory. You must read these papers.

I cite many other references in each chapter. These serve several functions in that they:

add additional theory relevant to some ecological concepts;
provide background to some of the datasets used in my examples;
discuss derivations of some equations used to calculate diversity concepts;
provide example walkthroughs of some of the computational aspects of the methods covered in the Labs;
collectively supplement the discussion about these concepts covered in the lectures.

Actively engaging with these reading materials will make the difference between a 60% average mark for the module and a mark in excess of 80%.

Graduate Attributes

The graduate attributes resulting from completion of this modules alignment with the expectations of the workspace across diverse organisations and institutions where graduates typically find employment.

Course Resources on iKamva

All the lecture material for this module is on iKamva. You will find there the following under Course Resources:

Interactive Sessions—These are screen recordings belonging to previous years’ teaching where I address some class questions. They might be interesting or helpful.
PDF_Reading—The bulk of the ’teaching’ will happen in the form of reading material. In other words, learning will occur because you read the papers and understand them. My job will be to facilitate understanding, not to convey the content, which you can access yourselves by reading. Yes, reading is an important life skill.
Slides—Some meagre slides to accompany your learning process… for what it’s worth.
Video—These are the actual video of me talking. I might record more as we work through the course.

Computer Access

You are encouraged to provide your own laptops and install the necessary software before the module starts. Limited support can be provided if required. There are also computers with R and RStudio (and the essential add-on libraries) available in the 5th-floor lab in the BCB Department.

Attendance

Labs

These Labs are hands-on. They can only deliver acceptable outcomes if you attend all Lab sessions. Sometimes an occasional absence cannot be avoided. Still, you need to provide evidence (affidavit, doctor’s note, or death certificate) for why you did not attend to avoid a non-attendance penalty. Please be courteous and notify the tutor or me before any absence. If you work with a partner in class, inform them too. Keep up with the reading assignments while you are away, and we will all work with you to get you back up to speed on what you miss. If you do miss a class, however, the assignments must still be submitted on time (also see Late submission of CA).

Since you may decide to work in collaboration with a peer on tasks and assignments, please keep this person informed at all times in case some emergency makes you unavailable for some time. Someone might depend on your input and contributions—do not leave someone in the lurch so that they cannot complete a task in your absence.

General Considerations

The schedule is set and will not be changed. Sometimes an occasional absence cannot be avoided. Please be courteous and notify the tutor or me before any absence. If you work with a partner in class, inform them too. Keep up with the reading assignments while you are away, and we will all work with you to get you back up to speed on what you miss. However, if you miss a class, the assignments must still be submitted on time (also see ‘Late submissions’ below).

Assessment

The syllabus for Term 3 is comprised of the following mark-carrying components for Continuous Assessment (CA):

Worksheet Completion (Prac Assessment) — [20%]
Wiki Essay — [20%]
Quizzes — [10%]
Test 1 — [15%]
Test 2 — [15%]

The CA and an exam will provide a final mark for the module. The weighting of the CA and the exam is 0.6 and 0.4, respectively.

Thursday 8 August
Thursday 29 August

For interest sake, I provide the questions and answers to previous years’ class tests.

Late Submission of CA

Late assignments will be penalised 10% per day late. They will not be accepted more than 48 hours late unless evidence such as a doctor’s note, a death certificate or another documented emergency can be provided. If you know a submission will be late, please discuss this and seek prior approval. Class time is allocated to work on assignments, and students are expected to continue working on the projects outside class. Successfully completing (and passing) this module requires that you finish tasks based on what we have covered in the course by the following class period. Work diligently from the onset so that even if something unexpected happens at the last minute, you should already be close to done. This approach also allows rapid feedback to be provided to you, which can only be accomplished by returning assignments quickly and punctually.

Support

It’s expected that some tricky aspects of the module will take time to master, and the best way to master problematic material is to practice, practice some more, and then ask questions. Trying for 10 minutes and then giving up is not good enough. I’ll be more sympathetic to your cause if you can demonstrate having tried for a full day before giving up and asking me. When you ask questions about some challenges, this is the way to do it—explain to me your numerous attempts to solve the problem and how these various attempts have failed. I will not help you if you have not tried to help yourself first (maybe with advice from friends). There will be a time in class to do this, typically before we embark on a new topic.

Should you require more time with me, find out when I am ‘free’ and set an appointment by sending me a calendar invitation. I am happy to have a personal meeting with you via Zoom, but I prefer face-to-face in my office.

Communication

Ad-hoc communication is encouraged. Subscribe to the BDC334 WhatsApp group to openly discuss module content.

Advice for Success

Your success on this course depends very much on you and the effort you put into it. The module has been organised so that the burden of learning is on you, mainly by reading scientific publications on the week’s lecture topics. Your TAs and I will help you by providing you with materials and answering questions, and setting a pace, but for this to work you must do the following:

Complete all the preparation work before class. This includes reading and working through the lecture slides.
Ask questions. Engage with your peers and me. In a class or away from it. Use the WhatsApp group set up for this module and the comments section on the website. Surround yourself with people who are brighter than you, and make your conversations about ideas, not people and things. If you get a question wrong on an assessment, ask why. If you’re not sure about the Lab assignments, ask. If you hear something on the news that sounds related to what we discussed, raise it as a topic for discussion in class. If the reading is confusing, ask.
Do all assignments and Labs, attend, and don’t be late. The earlier you start, the better. You should ask yourself how these exercises relate to earlier material and imagine how they might be changed (to make questions for an exam, for example.) It’s not enough to just mechanically plough through the exercises.
To learn how to translate your human thoughts into computer language (coding), you should work with computer and R multiple times each week—ideally daily.
Don’t procrastinate. If something is confusing to you in Week 2, Week 3 will become more confusing, Week 4 even worse, and eventually, you won’t know where to begin asking questions. Don’t end a week with unanswered questions. But if you fall behind and don’t know where to start asking, come to my office, and let me help you identify a good (re)starting point.

Reuse

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Citation

BibTeX citation:

@online{j._smit2022,
  author = {J. Smit, Albertus},
  title = {Syllabus \& {Policies}},
  date = {2022-08-08},
  url = {http://tangledbank.netlify.app/BDC334/BDC334_syllabus.html},
  langid = {en}
}

For attribution, please cite this work as:

J. Smit A (2022) Syllabus & Policies. http://tangledbank.netlify.app/BDC334/BDC334_syllabus.html.

--- date: "2022-08-08" title: "Syllabus & Policies" --- > "*Knowledge is not a resource we simply stumble upon. It’s not something that we pluck out of the air. Knowledge is created. It is coaxed into existence by thoughtful, creative people. It is not a free good. It comes only to the prepared mind.*" > > --- Frank H. T. Rhodes, Speed Bumps on the Road Ahead, Trusteeship, May/June 1999 ::: {.my-highlight} Welcome to Term 3 of BDC334 Biogeography and Global Ecology. This page provides the syllabus and teaching policies for the module, and it serves is a starting point for the theory, instruction, and access to the data you'll use in the module's Labs. ::: ## Timetable My part of the BDC334 module runs in the 3rd term, from 22 July to 30 August 2024. ### Lecture Timetable | Day | Periods | Location | Notes | |------------|------------------|-----------------------|---------------| | Monday | 3rd period | 5th Floor BCB Dept | self-study | | Tuesday | 2nd period | 5th Floor BCB Dept | self-study | | Wednesday | 1st period | 5th Floor BCB Dept | unused | | Thursday | periods 6-8 | 5th Floor BCB Dept | discussion | [Below](@sec-syllabus), you are provided with reading material (lecture slides, PDFs for reading) and pre-recorded video lectures that you are expected to consume before the discussion classes on Thursdays. The weekly face-to-face sessions are essential for discussing the work you covered the previous two days, and it also allows you to be like real students, attending actual lectures, for real, in person. The discussion session is for free talk and bouncing of ideas. We can talk about anything related to the topic of biodiversity but will try and focus on the issues at hand. Typically, we will meet weekly, on Thursdays, in person on campus. The rest of the time, we will proceed with pre-recorded lecture material from wherever in the world you choose to be. [However, on the first Monday of Term 3, we will all meet in person on campus in the lecture venue (again on the first Wednesday of Term 3).]{.my-highlight} You can then meet me for the first time (even if you saw me online last year), and I will give an outline of my portion of the course. Prof Boatwright will take over in Term 4. ### Labs | Day | Periods | Location | |--------|------------|--------------------| | Monday | Periods 6-8| 5th Floor BCB Dept | The Labs take place on Mondays during Periods 6-8 (starting at 13:30) in the 5th floor computer lab in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Department (starts 22 July 2024). Labs are compulsory, and failing to attend will result in a penalty of 20% taken from your mark for the week. Please ensure that you read through each Lab (accessible in the sidebar) before the start the Labs. You have until the following Monday at 07:00 to complete and submit all the material. ### Class Tests There will be two class tests: - Thursday, 8 August 2024, 13:30-15:30 - Thursday, 29 August 2024, 13:30-15:30 ## Instructor and Lab Assistant Term 3 of BDC334 is taught by me, Professor AJ Smit. You may find me in Office 4.103 in the BCB Department (4th floor). You'll receive an introductory email from me, and you are welcome to contact me at that email address with questions or concerns. Please also use the WhatsApp group set up for this module to ask questions and share information. The Lab Assistant for Term 3 is Ms. Zoë-Angelique Petersen. She will be available in the Lab during the Lab periods to assist you with any questions you may have. ## Syllabus, Overview, and Expectations ### Syllabus {#sec-syllabus} These links point to online resources such as reading material in the form of publications, lecture slides, example workflows, datasets, and R scripts in support of the video and PDF lecture material. Note that the video material is housed on iKamva from where you may download it without incurring Internet costs; various PDFs for reading can also be found there. It is essential that you work through these examples and workflows. | Wk | Type | Topic | PDFs etc. | Class/Lab | Exercise Due | |-----|-------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|-----------|--------------| | W1 | L | **[Lecture 1a. About Biogeography & Global Ecology](L01a-introduction.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BCB743_01_intro.pdf) | 22-24 Jul | | | | L | **[Lecture 1b. Macroecology](L01b-macroecology.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BCB743_01_intro.pdf) | | | | | L | Keith et al. (2012) | [Reading](../docs/Keith_et_al_2012.pdf) | | | | | L | BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Module_Info_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Pracs_Tests_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Lecture_1a_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Lecture_1b_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Intro_Day_1_Lecture_1c_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | P1 | **[Lab 1. Ecological Data](01-introduction.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BDC334_4_environmental.pdf) | 22 Jul | 29 Jul | | W2 | L | **[Lecture 2a. Ecological Gradients](L02a-gradients.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BDC334_2_gradients.pdf) | 29-31 Jul | | | | L | **[Lecture 2b. Metrics of Environmental & Species Diversity](L02b-biodiversity.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BDC334_3_biodiversity.pdf) | | | | | L | Nekola and White (1999) | [Reading](../docs/Nekola_and_White_1999.pdf) | | | | | L | Smit et al. (2017) | [Reading](../docs/Smit_et_al_2017.pdf) | | | | | L | Tittensor et al. (2010) | [Reading](../docs/Tittensor_et_al_2010.pdf) | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_2a_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_2b_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_2c_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_2d_720p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | P2 | **[Lab 2a. R & RStudio](02a-r_rstudio.qmd)** | | 29 Jul | 5 Aug | | | P2 | **[Lab 2b. Environmental Distance](02b-env_dist.qmd)** | | 29 Jul | 5 Aug | | | P2 | Introduction to Wiki Assignment | [About the Wiki](wikis.qmd) | 1 Aug | 26 Aug | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_3a_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_3b_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_3c_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_4a_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_4b_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_4c_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | W3 | L | **Unified Accounting: Patterns in Diversity Over Space and Time** | | 5-7 Aug | | | | L | Shade et al. (2018) | [Reading](../docs/Shade_et_al_2018.pdf) | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_5a_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | L | BDC334_Lecture_5b_1080p30.mp4 | iKamva | | | | | P3 | **[Lab 3. Quantifying Biodiversity](03-biodiversity1.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BDC334_5_structure.pdf) | 5 Aug | 12 Aug | | | T1 | [Class Test 1]{.my-highlight} | | 8 Aug | | | W4 | L | **Impacts on Biodiversity** | | 12-14 Aug | | | | L | Chapin III et al. (2000) | [Reading](../docs/Chapin_III_et_al_2000.pdf) | | | | | L | Gotelli and Chao (2013) | [Reading](../docs/Gotelli_and_Chao_2013.pdf) | | | | | L | Maxwell et al. (2016) | [Reading](../docs/Maxwell_et_al_2016.pdf) | | | | | L | Tilman et al. (2017) | [Reading](../docs/Tilman_et_al_2017.pdf) | | | | | P4 | **[Lab 4. Species Distribution Patterns](04-biodiversity2.qmd)** | [Slides](../slides/BDC334_5_structure.pdf) | 12 Aug | 19 Aug | | W5 | L | **Nature’s Contribution to People** | | 19-21 Aug | | | | L | Costanza et al. (1997) | [Reading](../docs/Costanza_et_al_1997.pdf) | | | | | L | Costanza et al. (2014) | [Reading](../docs/Costanza_et_al_2014.pdf) | | | | | L | Burger et al. (2012) | [Reading](../docs/Burger_et_al_2012.pdf) | | | | | P5 | [Worksheet Completion (Prac Assessment)]{.my-highlight} | [Assessment](assessments/Prac_assessment_2024.qmd)| 22 Aug | 22 Aug | | W6 | L | **Revision** | | 26-28 Aug | | | | FIN | [Wiki Essay due]{.my-highlight} | | | 26 Aug | | | T2 | [Class Test 2]{.my-highlight} | | 29 Aug | | ### Reading in support of the syllabus In the table above, there are links to several key papers to read in preparation for each week's theory. You must read these papers. I cite many other references in each chapter. These serve several functions in that they: * add additional theory relevant to some ecological concepts; * provide background to some of the datasets used in my examples; * discuss derivations of some equations used to calculate diversity concepts; * provide example walkthroughs of some of the computational aspects of the methods covered in the Labs; * collectively supplement the discussion about these concepts covered in the lectures. Actively engaging with these reading materials will make the difference between a 60% average mark for the module and a mark in excess of 80%. ## Graduate Attributes The [**graduate attributes**](../pages/graduate_attributes.qmd) resulting from completion of this modules alignment with the expectations of the workspace across diverse organisations and institutions where graduates typically find employment. ## Course Resources on iKamva All the lecture material for this module is on iKamva. You will find there the following under Course Resources: - **Interactive Sessions**---These are screen recordings belonging to previous years’ teaching where I address some class questions. They might be interesting or helpful. - **PDF_Reading**---The bulk of the ’teaching’ will happen in the form of reading material. In other words, learning will occur because you read the papers and understand them. My job will be to facilitate understanding, not to convey the content, which you can access yourselves by reading. Yes, reading is an important life skill. - **Slides**---Some meagre slides to accompany your learning process... for what it’s worth. - **Video**---These are the actual video of me talking. I might record more as we work through the course. ## Computer Access You are encouraged to provide your own laptops and install the necessary software before the module starts. Limited support can be provided if required. There are also computers with R and RStudio (and the essential add-on libraries) available in the 5th-floor lab in the BCB Department. ## Attendance ### Labs These Labs are hands-on. They can only deliver acceptable outcomes if you attend all Lab sessions. Sometimes an occasional absence cannot be avoided. Still, you need to provide evidence (affidavit, doctor's note, or death certificate) for why you did not attend to avoid a non-attendance penalty. Please be courteous and notify the tutor or me before any absence. If you work with a partner in class, inform them too. Keep up with the reading assignments while you are away, and we will all work with you to get you back up to speed on what you miss. If you do miss a class, however, the assignments must still be submitted on time (also see [Late submission of CA](BDC334_syllabus.html#late-submission-of-ca)). Since you may decide to work in collaboration with a peer on tasks and assignments, please keep this person informed at all times in case some emergency makes you unavailable for some time. Someone might depend on your input and contributions---do not leave someone in the lurch so that they cannot complete a task in your absence. ### General Considerations The schedule is set and will not be changed. Sometimes an occasional absence cannot be avoided. Please be courteous and notify the tutor or me before any absence. If you work with a partner in class, inform them too. Keep up with the reading assignments while you are away, and we will all work with you to get you back up to speed on what you miss. However, if you miss a class, the assignments must still be submitted on time (also see ‘Late submissions’ below). Since you may decide to work in collaboration with a peer on tasks and assignments, please keep this person informed at all times in case some emergency makes you unavailable for some time. Someone might depend on your input and contributions—do not leave someone in the lurch so they cannot complete a task in your absence. ## Assessment {#sec-policy} The syllabus for Term 3 is comprised of the following mark-carrying components for Continuous Assessment (CA): - **Worksheet Completion (Prac Assessment)** — [20%] - **Wiki Essay** — [20%] - **Quizzes** — [10%] - **Test 1** — [15%] - **Test 2** — [15%] The CA and an exam will provide a final mark for the module. The weighting of the CA and the exam is 0.6 and 0.4, respectively. - Thursday 8 August - Thursday 29 August For interest sake, I provide the [questions and answers](Class_tests.qmd) to previous years' class tests. ## Late Submission of CA Late assignments will be penalised 10% per day late. They will not be accepted more than 48 hours late unless evidence such as a doctor's note, a death certificate or another documented emergency can be provided. If you know a submission will be late, please discuss this and seek prior approval. Class time is allocated to work on assignments, and students are expected to continue working on the projects outside class. Successfully completing (and passing) this module requires that you finish tasks based on what we have covered in the course by the following class period. Work diligently from the onset so that even if something unexpected happens at the last minute, you should already be close to done. This approach also allows rapid feedback to be provided to you, which can only be accomplished by returning assignments quickly and punctually. ## Support It’s expected that some tricky aspects of the module will take time to master, and the best way to master problematic material is to practice, practice some more, and then ask questions. Trying for 10 minutes and then giving up is not good enough. I’ll be more sympathetic to your cause if you can demonstrate having tried for a full day before giving up and asking me. When you ask questions about some challenges, this is the way to do it—explain to me your numerous attempts to solve the problem and how these various attempts have failed. I will not help you if you have not tried to help yourself first (maybe with advice from friends). There will be a time in class to do this, typically before we embark on a new topic. Should you require more time with me, find out when I am ‘free’ and set an appointment by sending me a calendar invitation. I am happy to have a personal meeting with you via Zoom, but I prefer face-to-face in my office. ## Communication *Ad-hoc* communication is encouraged. Subscribe to the [BDC334 WhatsApp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/JCR8DHKVY880KxXJ5E0zKO) to openly discuss module content. ## Advice for Success Your success on this course depends very much on you and the effort you put into it. The module has been organised so that the burden of learning is on you, mainly by reading scientific publications on the week's lecture topics. Your TAs and I will help you by providing you with materials and answering questions, and setting a pace, but for this to work you must do the following: * Complete all the preparation work before class. This includes reading and working through the lecture slides. * Ask questions. Engage with your peers and me. In a class or away from it. Use the WhatsApp group set up for this module and the comments section on the website. Surround yourself with people who are brighter than you, and make your conversations about ideas, not people and things. If you get a question wrong on an assessment, ask why. If you're not sure about the Lab assignments, ask. If you hear something on the news that sounds related to what we discussed, raise it as a topic for discussion in class. If the reading is confusing, ask. * Do all assignments and Labs, attend, and don't be late. The earlier you start, the better. You should ask yourself how these exercises relate to earlier material and imagine how they might be changed (to make questions for an exam, for example.) It's not enough to just mechanically plough through the exercises. * To learn how to translate your human thoughts into computer language (coding), you should work with computer and R multiple times each week---ideally daily. * Don't procrastinate. If something is confusing to you in Week 2, Week 3 will become more confusing, Week 4 even worse, and eventually, you won't know where to begin asking questions. Don't end a week with unanswered questions. But if you fall behind and don't know where to start asking, come to my office, and let me help you identify a good (re)starting point.