Improvements in modern biology have led to a rapid increase in sensitivity and measurability in experiments and have reached the point where it is often impossible for a scientist alone to sort through the large volume of data that is collected from just one experiment. For example, individual data points collected from one gene expression study can easily number in the hundreds of thousands. These types of data sets are often referred to as ‘biological big data’ and require bioinformaticians to use statistical tools to gain meaningful information from them. In this course, part of the Bioinformatics MicroMasters program, you will learn about the R language and environment and how to use it to perform statistical analyses on biological big datasets. This course is part of the Bioinformatics MicroMaster’s program from UMGC. Upon completion of the program and receipt of the verified MicroMaster’s certificate, learners may then transition into the full UMGC Master’s Program in Biotechnology with a specialization in Bioinformatics without any application process or testing. See the MicroMasters program page for more.
An excellent online course offered by edX: how it works
edX courses consist of weekly learning sequences. Each learning sequence is composed of short videos interspersed with interactive learning exercises, where students can immediately practise the concepts from the videos. The courses often include tutorial videos that are similar to small on-campus discussion groups, an online textbook, and an online discussion forum where students can post and review questions and comments to each other and teaching assistants. Where applicable, online laboratories are incorporated into the course.
edX offers certificates of successful completion and some courses are credit-eligible. Whether or not a college or university offers credit for an online course is within the sole discretion of the school. edX offers a variety of ways to take courses, including verified courses where students have the option to audit the course (no cost) or to work toward an edX Verified Certificate (fees vary by course). edX also offers XSeries Certificates for completion of a bundled set of two to seven verified courses in a single subject (cost varies depending on the courses).
An edX learning programme under Other Experiences
