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Last modified: 01 May 2026 12:16
Machine learning has the potential to revolutionise healthcare. The aim of this course is to introduce machine learning for health data science with examples of real-life healthcare applications, using the popular data science language R.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This introductory course will give students from a variety of backgrounds a firm understanding of machine learning and its application to the health domain. The course will cover the foundations of machine learning; case studies of machine learning applications using health data; technical, ethical and legal challenges in the field; active areas of research in machine learning; and the machine learning workflow using R (no coding experience is required).
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 33 | Feedback Weeks | 35 | |
| Feedback |
RMarkdown report (focused on ML models covered in lectures); workflow plan, methodology used, presentation of results, interpretation of results and conclusions. Students should also outline future directions, highlighting handling possible constraints, application of advanced modelling approaches, addressing other challenges, etc. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Apply machine learning methods using R to address healthcare problems |
| Procedural | Understand | Describe the machine learning workflow |
| Procedural | Understand | Explain how machine learning is used to address healthcare problems |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 41 | Feedback Weeks | 43 | |
| Feedback |
Students will be assigned one publication from a selected set and will record an oral presentation summarising the study and providing a critical appraisal, including suggestions for methodological improvements or applications to other healthcare domains. Students will record a short video presentation and upload to MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Discuss current challenges with implementing machine learning in healthcare |
| Procedural | Analyse | Relate a range of healthcare problems to appropriate machine learning algorithms |
| Procedural | Understand | Describe the machine learning workflow |
| Procedural | Understand | Explain how machine learning is used to address healthcare problems |
| Assessment Type | Formative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
Weekly conceptual quizzes with automatic grading and feedback. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Analyse | Relate a range of healthcare problems to appropriate machine learning algorithms |
| Procedural | Understand | Describe the machine learning workflow |
| Procedural | Understand | Explain how machine learning is used to address healthcare problems |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 50 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
R Markdown report applying a ML method to a dataset, including analysis, model development, evaluation, and reflection. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Apply machine learning methods using R to address healthcare problems |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Discuss current challenges with implementing machine learning in healthcare |
| Procedural | Understand | Explain how machine learning is used to address healthcare problems |
| Procedural | Analyse | Relate a range of healthcare problems to appropriate machine learning algorithms |
| Procedural | Understand | Describe the machine learning workflow |
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