Foundations of Statistics (Previously STA15)
STA102
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Level of study: What does Undergraduate Level 1 mean?
Undergraduate Level 1
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Availability: What is a Study period?
For enrolment (2011): For forward planning* (2012): What is Forward Planning?- SP1
- -
- SP3
- -
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Fee: Fees (current and planned)
- Domestic student fee:
- $980.00 (AUD)
- International student fee:
- $1,205.00 (AUD)
Description
The aim of Foundations of Statistics is to develop the capacity to carry out independent statistical investigation, together with an awareness of the assumptions and limitations involved with the generalisation of the results of such investigations. You are expected to summarise data, identify research questions, determine and identify appropriate research designs, analyse the data using the statistical package PASW and interpret the results in a report writing format.
You should purchase the statistical package and install it before commencing the unit so that you can sort out any problems with the installation of the software before the start of the Study Period.
Please note: Assessment values are indicative only; details will be advised at the start of the unit.
Prerequisites
Equivalent units
You cannot enrol in this unit if you have successfully completed any of the following unit(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
- STA15 — Statistics and Research Methods (SPSS Software)
Special Requirements
- Additional materials — Textbook: "Foundations of Statistics" (Orders: Ph: +61 3 9215 7181 or +61 3 9214 5484; E: lilydalebookshop@swin.edu.au or bookshop@swin.edu.au)
- Other special requirement — Access to the PASW software: If you only need to meet the requirements of STA102 you can purchase SPSS Studentware. This package usually has a 6-12 month licence, however, if you intend undertaking the Bachelor of Behavioural Studies course we recommend that you purchase the PASW GradPac. The PASW GradPac package covers all of the statistical procedures required in the course and has a longer licence.
Assessment
- Assignments — (15%-25%)
- Invigilated Exam — (50%-65%)
- Test — (15%-25%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- Pose the question:
a) make a clear statement of the objectives of a study
b) specify and classify according to level of measurement the variables of interest in a study.
- Collect the data:
a) identify the research design (observational study/experiment) used in a study b) determine the appropriate research design (observational study or experiment) for a study
c) identify/specify the data to be collected
d) identify/specify the method(s) of measurement
e) be familiar with some appropriate methods of sample selection
- Analyse the data:
a) describe the distribution of a single categorical variable using frequency tables, and where applicable generalise to the population using hypothesis tests and/or confidence intervals for a single proportion
b) describe the distribution of a single interval variable using histograms, stemplots, boxplots, summary statistics and, where applicable, generalise to the population using hypothesis tests and/or confidence intervals for a single mean
c) describe the relationship between a categorical variable and an interval level variable using parallel boxplots, back-to-back stemplots, sets of summary statistics and, where applicable, generalise to the population using the t-test for two means
d) describe the relationship between two metric variables using scatterplots, correlation coefficient (Pearsons r), the coefficient of determination (r2), and a line of best fit and, where applicable, generalise to the population using hypothesis tests for Pearson's r
e) describe the relationship between two categorical variables using cross-tabulation (tables), percentaged as necessary and, where applicable, generalise to the population using the chi-squared test
- Interpret the results:
a) use the outcomes of data analysis to answer a question.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Critical thinking in statistics |
| 2 | Reporting information about a single variable |
| 3 | The theory behind significance testing |
| 4 | Research design |
| 5 | Inferential Statistics : reporting on the relationship between pairs of variables (t-tests, Pearson's correlation and the chi-square statistic) |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Print based materials
- Welcome Letter
Online materials
- Printable format materials
Textbook information for this unit is currently being updated and will be available soon. Please check back regularly for updates. Alternatively, visit the Unibooks website and enter the unit details to search for available textbooks.
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
This unit is part of a major, minor, stream or specialisation in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Behavioural Studies, Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Bachelor of Business, Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Bachelor of Technology (Information Systems), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
If you would like to study this unit and enrol today, add it to your Study Cart. Alternatively if you are still exploring your options, you can save this unit to review later by clicking Save to Wishlist.
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