Teaching experimental design to biologists

Area of Science:

• Biostatistics
• Experimental Design
• Scientific Methodology

Background:

• Teaching research design and data analysis to graduate students presents significant challenges.
• A persistent problem in graduate education is the effective instruction of research methodology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative course designed to enhance graduate students' skills in experimental design and data interpretation.
• To provide students with practical experience in identifying flaws in research designs and validating conclusions.

Main Methods:

• Integrating lecture-discussions on biostatistics essentials with practical application and critique of research designs.
• Students engage in peer evaluation of experimental designs, identifying confounding variables and analytical errors.
• Focus on interactive learning through analyzing numerous real-world and hypothetical research problems.

Main Results:

• Students gain extensive practice in designing experiments and interpreting complex data sets.
• Enhanced ability to identify critical experimental flaws, such as confounding variables and incorrect data analysis.
• Improved understanding of the principles of sound experimental planning and data interpretation.

Conclusions:

• The described course effectively improves graduate students' competence in research design and data analysis.
• Interactive evaluation and repetitive review of common experimental flaws are key to student learning.
• Students benefit from practical application, scientific writing practice, and peer critique in mastering research methodology.