Special Topic Courses

 

Course Title: BIOL 495/595: Challenges of Modern Research 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Malgorzata(Losia) Lagisz

Course description

This course critically examines how modern science operates, focusing on key challenges faced by researchers and how these shape the research process. Topics will include research integrity, collaboration, publishing, hidden lives of researchers, and approaches to studying science itself (meta-research). Students will have the opportunity to contribute topics based on their interests and engage with tools and practices of contemporary research. The course combines lectures with hands-on activities, including the opportunity to participate in collaborative meta-research projects on selected topics

Prerequisites: BIOL 208 or any hands-on research experience. Upper-level high-capacity undergraduate students are welcome. 

Please contact the instructor at mnakaga1@ualberta.ca with any questions.

 

 

Course Title: BIOL 596: Meta-analysis for life science

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Shinichi Nakagawa

Course description

BIOL 596 introduces meta-analysis and research synthesis through discussions and hands-on exercises. Over the course of one semester, students will explore key concepts, practise meta-analytic methods, and learn to interpret findings and assess publication bias. The emphasis is on understanding and applying methods through exercises, rather than completing a full meta-analysis project. Assessment consists of discussion contributions, presentations, and a small project.

Enrolment in this course is limited; prior exposure to statistical & experimental design courses is a prerequisite.

Please contact the instructor at snakagaw@ualberta.ca with any questions.