Courses: BINF100 Introduction to bioinformatics - Spring 2020
Credits
10.0ECTS Credits
10
Level of Study
Bachelor
Full-time/Part-time
Full-time
Language of Instruction
Norwegian
Teaching semester
Spring. Runs first time spring 2020.
Place of Instruction
Objectives and Content
Will be offered for the first time spring 2020
The course provides an introduction to the field of bioinformatics including key concepts and algorithms, the development of the field historically, its applications and relevant ethical considerations. The course covers the basics of bioinformatics sequence analysis and related tools and databases. Topics covered are global and local pairwise alignment, score matrices, sequence database search, p- and e-values and measures of classification performance. The course also reviews the necessary basics of molecular biology and in particular the concepts of genomes and genes and includes an introduction to genome browsers and central biological databases and knowledge bases.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge
The student
- Has a general understanding of central topics and concepts within the field of bioinformatics
- Understands dynamic programming algorithms for alignment of biological sequences
- Understands and be able to explain basics of molecular biology and evolution pertaining to sequence alignment and connect them with the various algorithms
- Is able to compare technical aspects of pairwise local and global sequence alignment algorithm
- Has basic understanding of what a genome is and how a genome browser can be used to represent and explore genome level data
- Knows principles and examples of biological databases and knowledge bases
- Knows the algorithms behind sequence similarity search, in particular BLAST
- is able to create working implementations of basic bioinformatics algorithms and to use such algorithms for analysis of concrete data
- is able to use and understand different classification performance measures in the fields of biological sequence analysis
- Has an understanding of application areas of bioinformatics including ethical considerations and aspects
Skills
The student can
- use selected bioinformatics databases, genome browsers, and tools in an informed way
- set up scripts to perform simple analysis pipelines
General competence
The student is able to
- work in inter-disciplinary teams to address biological questions using computational approaches
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
INF100. Be able to implement basic algorithms in a programming language of your own choice. A basic understanding of algorithms and efficiency is required. Basic knowledge in molecular biology and statistics is recommended.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
INF281: 5 credits
Access to the Course
Access to the course requires admission to a programme of study at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
Teaching and learning methods
The course is given as lectures and mandatory exercises
Lectures, 2 hours per week
Exercises, 4 hours per week
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Compulsory exercises are valid for one subsequent semester.
Forms of Assessment
The forms of assessment are:
- Compulsory assignments, 30 % of total grade.
- Written examination (3 hours), 70% of total grade.
All compulsory assignments must be approved before examination.
Due to the measures taken to avoid the spread of SARS-CoV-2, UiB is closed for teaching and assessment. As a consequence, the following changes is made to assessment spring semester 2020:
- Written home examination instead of written examination
Examination Support Material
Non-programmable calculator, according to the faculty regulations
Grading Scale
The grading scale used is A to F. Grade A is the highest passing grade in the grading scale, grade F is a fail.
Assessment Semester
Examination both spring semester and autumn semester. In semesters without teaching the examination will be arranged at the beginning of the semester.
Reading List
The reading list will be available within June 1st for the autumn semester and December 1st for the spring semester.
Course Evaluation
The course will be evaluated by the students in accordance with the quality assurance system at UiB and the department.
Programme Committee
The Programme Committee is responsible for the content, structure and quality of the study programme and courses.
Course Coordinator
Course coordinator and administrative contact person can be found on Mitt UiB, or contact mailto:studieveileder@ii.uib.noStudent adviser
Course Administrator
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences represented by the Department of Informatics is the course administrator for the course and study programme.
Contact Information
Student adviser:
mailto:studieveileder@ii.uib.noStudent adviser
T: 55 58 42 00