Academic Advice in MVLS
Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students in MVLS can attend short classes, access slides and guides on Moodle, or make an appointment with the Effective Learning Adviser for the College (or one of her Graduate Teaching Assistants) to talk about anything related to their academic work.
Common topics include:
- academic writing (essays, lab reports, research proposals)
- critical analysis
- scientific presentations
- time and project management
- effective, evidence-based study and revision methods
Class Timetables
Live Classes (Semester 1)
Lab Calculation Refresher Sessions (for MVLS students)
These sessions cover the common calculations needed for lab experiements, such as how to dilute a stock solution to the correct concentration. And don't hesitate to get in touch with the Maths Adviser if you have questions.
> Moodle page for Maths advice (see the life sciences section) - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=140
| Date | Time | Venue | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 29th Sep | 11:00-12:00 | Joseph Black Building C407 |
These sessions cover the common calculations needed for lab experiements, such as how to dilute a stock solution to the correct concentration. The two sessions are the same content. |
| Fri 3rd Oct | 12:00-13:00 | Zoom |
Introduction to Statistics (for any UofG Student)
This series is for any student who will be working with data as part of their assignments, project, or dissertation. It will cover some fundamental concepts in statistics as well as how to use R Studio, a widely used statistical environment, to perform and present analyses. This particular course will be led by the Statistics Adviser.
> Moodle page for this series (includes slides) - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=19841
| Date & Time | Title | Description | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wed 1st Oct |
Introduction to R - Part 1 | This first session introduces some of the basic functionality of R Studio. Bring your laptop with you to follow along! | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 8th Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Introduction to R - Part 2 | In the second session of this series, we will become more comfortable with R Studio and use it to create impactful graphs and predictive models. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 15th Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Descriptive Statistics | The third session in this series looks at what information we can draw immediately from our data, while still painting a more complete picture than a simple average. We will cover measures of central tendencies, dispersion, and position. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 22nd Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Probabilty | To certainly give students a better chance of answering the question "how likely was that?", our fourth session covers the basic rules of probability, as well as both discrete and continuous probability distributions. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 29th Oct 13:00 - 14:00 |
Hypothesis Testing | This fifth session will cover hypothesis testing, which is used to draw conclusions about a whole population from a sample of data, e.g. how can news outlets call an election with only a fraction of the votes tallied? We will discuss how to choose the null and alternative hypothesis, and which distributions to use. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 5th Nov 13:00 - 14:00 |
Simple and Multiple Linear Regression | This sixth session will discuss the relationship, or more precisely the correlation, between variables, and how to describe these relationships using simple and multiple linear regression. We will use R to generate a best fit line to pairwise ordered data, and then also generate a more complex linear model. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 12th Nov 13:00 - 14:00 |
Logistic and Multinomial Regression | Does the amount of time a student spends studying increase the probability of passing their course, and if so, what’s my probability of passing if I spend x hours studying? This session will show how this can be answered using logistic regression, and how this can be implemented in R. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
| Wed 19th Nov 13:00 - 14:00 |
Flexible Regression | Sometimes a linear model won’t be appropriate to model the data we have and we have to instead use a flexible yet smooth curve. The last of our sessions will show how to create a flexible regression model using the R package “mgcv”. | Rankine Building: 107 LT |
Pre-recorded classes and online materials
These classes offer a mix of online materials and resources you can work through at your own pace. Some are classes held in the previous semester. All contain useful resources, sometimes including recordings of past live classes. Check back regularly for updates.
Principles of Scientific Writing
This course provides useful guidance on the core skills science students need in order to write effectively. Key topics include: referencing and plagiarism, critical reading, creating an argument, and effective use of figures.
Assessments and Academic Development (CoSE & MVLS)
> Moodle page for this series - https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=10317
This is an asynchronous resource which you can access anytime.
| Title | Description |
| Lectures, labs, and tutorials | We discuss how to approach your classes in a strategic way so that you get the most out this valuable time with your lecturers. |
| Working in groups | Group work is an integral part of many degree courses. This class will show you how to get the most out of assessed and informal group work. |
| Exam revision strategies | We will show you the best revision strategies, and how to combine them to the best effect in the weeks before an exam. |
| Avoiding procrastination | Procrastination is normal! But this class will help if you feel that it is getting in the way of your studies. |
Assessments at UofG (CoSE & MVLS)
This course provides an introduction to the purpose, structure, and expectations of various different assessment formats. You can find useful and practical advice on a range of assessment types, including some that centre around academic writing skills (e.g. essays, lab reports, reviews) and some that focus on scientific communication skills (presentations, posters, blogs, podcasts).
Science Dissertation Writing
This course is designed for science students undertaking their dissertation, but feel free to use it if you are earlier in your degree as well. It covers what to expect from your dissertation and how to produce a high quality research report.
It is not running live this semester, but you can still access all the resources and past recordings. This particular course is led jointly by the Effective Learning Advisers for MVLS and for Science & Engineering.
> Science Dissertation Writing
Appointments
Undergraduate and PGT students can make an appointment with one of the advising team (GUID required). The booking diary shows appointments available in the next 21 days only.
Dr Rosalind McKenna
Rosalind has a PhD in Biology from the University of St Andrews, during which she used the ladybird-aphid predator-prey system to study behavioural interactions and search strategies. During her postgraduate study (2018-2022), she taught extensively in labs and tutorials, delivered lectures, and designed teaching materials. In 2019, Rosalind also designed and co-presented a course on data visualisation, delivered to secondary school science teachers for the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC). From April 2022 to June 2023, Rosalind gained experience in the University of Glasgow Undergraduate Medical School in her role as the MBChB1 Teaching Administrator. She is now the Effective Learning Adviser for students in the College of MVLS.
Teaching Requests
Rosalind currently lectures on every undergraduate degree and most postgraduate degrees across MVLS. To find out what teaching she can offer on your course, email her: rosalind.mckenna@glasgow.ac.uk
Publications
Rosalind is the co-author of Presenting Scientific Data in R (Oxford University Press). This book, primarily written for students embarking on undergraduate bioscience degrees, aims to provide an accessible, straightforward, and approachable guide to data presentation using R.
Rosalind has also published a range of research and review papers on a variety of behavioural ecology topics.
rosalind.mckenna@glasgow.ac.uk
Room 316
McMillan Reading Room
University Avenue
University of Glasgow
G12 8QQ
