NPLK22002U Data Processing in Environmental Science and Agriculture
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Biotechnology
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
The course will offer practical knowledge and hands-on experience in different aspects of data science with particular relevance to agronomy.
A large range of data challenges is met in both academia and industry. The purpose of this course is to introduce different tools within data science, to allow the participants to perform and assess different types of data analysis, and understand the methods at a level required to be able to talk to data science specialists.
An important part of the course is to learn the practical application of the methods in appropriate software, such as the open-source statistical programming language R. The main topics of the course include:
- Experimental design
- Statistics
- Machine learning
Within these main areas, the course will cover challenges like data handling, basic programming, and image analysis. Different data sources and types will be considered including both experimental and observational data. The students will during the course enhance their general coding skills.
During the course, the participants will work in groups and hand in two reports.
As a final project, the students will in groups work on case studies provided by the course instructors. This work should be written together as a scientific paper that will be the basis for the exam.
Knowledge
The student will obtain knowledge of:
- Data quality and organization
- Commonly used experimental designs
- Appropriate statistical analyses associated with a given experimental design
- What is an image, and how to make visual objects into numbers and figures
- Basic concepts and techniques for prediction and regression
Skills
The student will be able to:
- Understand and evaluate data quality
- Formulate problems and testable hypotheses
- Choose a relevant design for a given hypothesis
- Carry out a statistical analysis suitable for a given experimental design
- Interpret and communicate the results from the analysis
- Do basic programming in the statistical programming language R
- Recognize possible applications of machine learning
- Evaluate results obtained with machine learning techniques
Competences
The successful student will be able to:
- Plan and communicate a research project.
- Select the relevant tool for investigating a scientific question
- Assess and reflect upon data processing strategies, results, and underlying data quality
Original literature, software manuals and tutorials, and teacher provided compendia.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree are recommended.
And the project in groups, will be based on case studies provided by the course instructors. This work should be written together as a scientific paper that will be the basis for the exam.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 30
- Class Instruction
- 20
- Preparation
- 80
- Theory exercises
- 30
- Project work
- 40
- Guidance
- 5
- Exam
- 1
- Total
- 206
Written and oral feedback is given for reports on group level. All reports have to be re-submitted.
Peer feedback is given on the final presentation of the case study. All students are encouraged to ask questions during lectures and theoretical exercises and can expect to receive feedback on their questions and inquiries.
As an exchange, guest and credit student - click here!
Continuing Education - click here!
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20 min
- Type of assessment details
- 20 min oral examination without preparation. Questions are asked in final case study report (50%) and curriculum (50%).
- Exam registration requirements
50% of the exercise reports (1/2) are submitted and approved, and the final case study report is submitted.
- Aid
- Written aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners
- Re-exam
If the requirements are not met, the student one week before the re-exam has to hand in a report in a topic handed out by the teacher. The re-exam will be as the ordinary exam.
Criteria for exam assesment
See description of learning outcome
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NPLK22002U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 3
- Schedule
- C
- Course capacity
- 45
The number of places might be reduced if you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
Study board
- Study Board of Natural Resources, Environment and Animal Science
Contracting department
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Signe Marie Jensen (smj@plen.ku.dk)