| Semester 3, 2021 Online | |
| Short Description: | Fundamental Statistics |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Sciences |
| Student contribution band : | Band 1 |
| ASCED code : | 010103 - Statistics |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Version produced : | 7 March 2021 |
Staffing
Examiner: Enamul Kabir
Requisites
Enrolment is not permitted in STA1003 if STA2300 or STA8170 has been previously completed.
Other requisites
It is recommended that students have basic computing and numeracy skills.
Rationale
This course aims to provide students who have limited knowledge of statistics, with the fundamental statistical concepts, methods and skills necessary in order to undertake or critically appraise quantitative methods and the interpretation of subsequent results. The course is aimed at developing statistical literacy and a strong foundation in threshold statistical competencies in students from a variety of disciplines, including science, psychology, the physical sciences, business, commerce, and IT and is a pre-requisite for most high-level statistics courses.
Synopsis
This course focuses primarily on the appropriate application, interpretation and communication of foundational descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Emphasis is placed on understanding the concepts and principles associated with dealing with data, in particular descriptive and inferential statistics. Data sets from a range of disciplines are included as well as examples of statistics presented in popular media. Core components of the course include the use of statistical software and the development of problem solving and quantitative skills relevant to many disciplines of study. Note: The mathematical underpinnings of the methods used are not covered; other statistics courses cover this aspect.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Explore relationships in data and distinguish between different methods of data collection and analysis;
- Evaluate and apply a variety of statistical inferential methods to real life situations;
- Use a statistical computer package to enter, summarise and analyse data;
- Interpret and communicate the results of statistical analyses for a diverse audience.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Exploring and understanding data: variables and values; types of data; introduction to SPSS; categorical variables; contingency tables; sampling methods; surveys. | 10.00 |
| 2. | Describing distributions: quantitative data; graphs of distributions; summary statistics; Experimental design: principles of good design; causation and confounding. | 10.00 |
| 3. | Using the normal model: standardising; unstandardising; standard normal curve; using Standard Normal Probabilities. | 8.00 |
| 4. | Exploring relationships between quantitative variables: scatterplots; correlation and regression; boxplots. | 12.00 |
| 5. | Randomness and probability: probability rules; events; probability models; means and standard deviation; the binomial model. | 10.00 |
| 6. | Introduction to statistical inference; non-parametric hypothesis test: chi-square test of independence. | 10.00 |
| 7. | Chi-square goodness-of-fit test; sampling distribution models: proportions and means; standard error; the central limit theorem. | 5.00 |
| 8. | Statistical inference about a proportion; introduction to parametric tests; confidence intervals for proportion; z-test for proportion; sample size determination. | 14.00 |
| 9. | Statistical inference about mean: one sample t-procedure for a mean; confidence intervals for a mean; level of significance; type I and type II errors. | 8.00 |
| 10. | Comparing means: two sample t-procedures; independent and dependent samples; confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. | 8.00 |
| 11. | Synthesis and consolidation, ethical collection and use of data. | 5.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from USQ's Online Bookshop (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=03&subject1=STA1003)
Please contact us for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Otherwise:
1) students can access SPSS free online through https://turbo.usq.edu.au/ using their USQ credentials to login (more information will be provided on the course Study Desk)
2) a one year student license can be purchased on disk from the USQ Bookshop, or a six-month license for a download version can be purchased online from the Australia and New Zealand distributors of SPSS, Hearne Software. Before deciding to choose the download option check that the size of the download in compatible with your internet quota and speed. Be aware that the SPSS student license only allows limited reinstalment within the designated license period from initial installation).
Reference materials
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assessments | 32.00 |
| Online Lectures | 26.00 |
| Online Tutorials | 26.00 |
| Private Study | 81.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Objectives Assessed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz 1 | 20 | 20 | 02 Dec 2021 | 1,2,4 | (see note 1) |
| Quiz 2 | 30 | 30 | 23 Dec 2021 | 1,2,4 | (see note 2) |
| Analysis Assignment 1 | 25 | 25 | 18 Jan 2022 | 1,2,3,4 | (see note 3) |
| Short Answer Questions | 25 | 25 | 27 Jan 2022 | 1,2,3,4 |
Notes
- Part of the weighting of this assessment has a flexible due date (within the semester). Full details are available on the course Study Desk. Please contact the examiner if you need clarification.
- Refer to notes for Quiz 1
- Refer to notes for Quiz 1
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to participate appropriately in all activities and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To complete an assessment item satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for that assessment item. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure http://policy.usq.edu.au/documents.php?id=14749PL (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per Section 4.4.2 of the Assessment Procedure. -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
NO EXAM: There is no examination in this course. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
NO EXAM: There is no exam in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations. -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at http://policy.usq.edu.au.
Other requirements
-
Computer, e-mail and Internet access:
Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at http://www.usq.edu.au/current-students/support/computing/hardware.