Course

Experiments: From Idea to Design

4 Modules Duration: 8h05

Experiments: From Idea to Design equips you with the right tools to help develop, plan, and refine robust, impactful experiments. In this course you will cover all the core concepts of experimental design and discover strategies to complete the full process of developing a research motivation, formulate hypotheses, assembling an experimental plan and utilising it.

What you’ll learn

  • Explore the characteristics of robust experimental design
  • Understand the benefits of honing your experimental design skills before embarking on full-scale experiments
  • How to develop a thoughtful and novel motivation for your research
  • How to select the precise methods, tools, techniques and protocols to address your research motivation
  • How to refine and make use of your experimental design

Features

  • 4-module course 
  • Certificate of completion
  • Benefit from the experience of 9 experts on experimental design
  • English language captions and transcripts

Access options

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The course

Foundations of experimental design | 1h20 | 6 lessons

In this module you will:

  • Define the core concepts of experimental design
  • Explore the benefits of honing your experimental design skills before embarking on full-scale experiments
Developing your motivation, assumptions and hypotheses | 1h40 | 6 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • To prioritise research motivations according to their potential impact, your skill set, and your enthusiasm
  • Strategies to identify your assumptions
  • How to formulate hypotheses and make testable predictions
Assembling your experimental plan | 3h45 | 7 lessons

In this module you will:

  • Identify the information that you need to collect to test your assumptions, hypotheses, or predictions, and fulfil your research motivation
  • Ensure your experiment produces robust data that are replicable and reproducible
  • Select the best methods, tools, and techniques to gather the research data you need
  • Choose the protocols that are most appropriate for your experimental design
  • Mitigate any potential problems before committing to your experimental design
Utilising your experimental design | 1h20 | 6 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • The benefits of refining your experimental design before conducting your full experiment
  • How to refine your experimental design after receiving feedback from other researchers and conducting preliminary experiments
  • Strategies to utilise your experimental design as a resource for yourself, your research group, and the wider scientific community