Postgraduate Course: Introduction to scientific programming for MSc in Drug Discovery & Translational Biology (PGBI11039)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will expose the student to the computer programming methods need to write simple software for the types of data handling expected in structure-based drug design. The student will carry out a series of computer-based practical exercises. Supervision will be provided on an introductory basis as well as ad hoc. |
| Course description |
The lectures will try and cover the following areas; however topics covered will be coupled with progress in the practical exercises.
- How programming is done
- Introduction to general concepts
- Input and Output
- Using data structures
- A typical program for the analysis of a molecular structure data file
- Exercises will be in Python
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
Introduction to Python Programming for Data Science (PGBI11123)
|
Other requirements | This course is an introductory programming course and therefore NOT recommended for any students with a programming background. |
| Additional Costs | Recommended course book(s). |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
19/09/2022 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% in-course assessment. There will be 3 assessed practical exercises.
Practical Exercises, each will run over multiple sessions:
1. Reading and analysing a simple description of a molecule (25%)
2. Reading and analysis of a popular chemo-informatics structure format (30%)
3. Develop and test a program to compute molecular similarity (45%)
In all exercises a pass mark will be awarded for achieving basic functionality, higher marks will be awarded for work which shows personal research into programming methods.
|
| Feedback |
Feedback is in the form of marks given for each section (Functionality of Code, readability, comments in code and documentation) and some comments about which sections need improvement. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe how computer programmes can be used to carry out simple data selection, data processing and data comparison work
- Understand basic python programming
- Interpret and summarise the function of Python code
- Compose simple command line programs in Python
- Diagnose syntax/runtime faults in python code.
|
Reading List
The python docs tutorial:
Currently https://docs.python.org/3.7/tutorial/
Python Programming Fundamentals Lee, Kent D. Available as e-book from library resource
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | IntroSciProg |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paul Taylor
Tel: (0131 6)50 7058
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Claire Black
Tel: (0131 6)50 8637
Email: |
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