STAT1201 Analysis of Scientific Data – Semester 1, 2011
Concise Course Profile
This is a concise version of the course profile for STAT1201. You can access the full course profile
through mySI-net or request a printed copy from the Course Coordinator (contact details below).
Course Aims
The aim of STAT1201 is to provide an understanding of the nature of scientific data and the
subsequent need for statistical analysis. You will develop your statistical expertise and critical
judgment in scientific studies, including an awareness of ethical issues in research and analysis. You
will learn about the different types of data and how each can be visualized and summarized, and how
you can make conclusions and predictions from the statistical analysis. You will also see that these
statistical tools are based on simple mathematical ideas and associated assumptions.
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
1. Explain the nature of scientific data and the need for statistical analysis.
2. Identify factors related to the design of a scientific study, including sample size and power, the
need for comparative designs, and ethical considerations.
3. Identify and critically evaluate the role of data analysis and statistics in scientific research and
publications.
4. Demonstrate a foundational knowledge of statistical methods by being able to carry out simple
statistical procedures by hand.
5. Use statistical software appropriately and confidently for exploratory data analysis and to make
relevant statistical conclusions.
6. Effectively and appropriately communicate insights from data as evidence within a given context
for both a professional and lay audience.
Resource Page
www.maths.uq.edu.au/courses/STAT1201
Textbook
Bulmer, M. (2010) A Portable Introduction to Data Analysis (5th edition)
$29.95 from Co-op Bookshop
Software
The R Project for Statistical Computing
Download for free from www.r-project.org
Course Coordinator and Lecturer
Dr Michael Bulmer
Consultation times
67-754
m.bulmer@uq.edu.au
www.maths.uq.edu.au/~mrb
Tuesdays 11:00am – 12:00pm and Wednesdays 8:00am – 9:00am
Other Lecturers
Dr Julian Lamont (Philosophy)
j.lamont@uq.edu.au
Dr Dustin Marshall (Biological Sciences) d.marshall1@uq.edu.au
Contact Times
Three lectures per week for working through the textbook, answering questions and discussing
content; weekly practicals (starting in Week 2 but not in Weeks 8 or 9) to introduce exploratory data
analysis and statistical inference using R; weekly PASS (starting in Week 2) to practice the ideas
covered in the lectures by working through activities and exercises with other students and the PASS
leaders.
Assessment
Quizzes
(10%)
There will be 10 online quizzes during semester, covering the material in each of
the practicals as well as general questions related to the course. You can attempt
the questions as many times as you like by the due date and time (usually 6:00pm
on the Friday of each practical week).
Conference
(10%)
During the course you will look at the use of statistical reasoning in a published
scientific study through two assessment tasks. The first task will be to give a 10minute presentation at the Undergraduate Statistics Conference that summarizes
the scientific topic of the paper and gives a critical overview of the statistical
analysis used by the authors.
Ethics Review
(10%)
The second task will be to review the ethical issues involved in the study in the
form of an essay.
Experimental
Project
(20%)
During the course you will also design and carry out your own scientific study
using an online population of virtual islanders. At the end of the course you will
then analyze your results using the methods covered in the course and present
your findings in the form of a scientific paper, using the paper you reviewed earlier
as a guide. This project may be completed in groups, submitting a single paper with
multiple authors.
Final Exam
(50%)
The 2-hour final examination in June will cover all the lecture material in the
course. The questions will be short answer and problem solving. In the exam you
will be provided with statistical tables and a sheet of useful formula. You will be
permitted to bring a single double-sided A4 sheet of handwritten notes into the
exam.
Visit www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/exam-calculators for a list of calculators approved
for use in the exam and procedures for obtaining the official label.
You must get at least 40% of the marks on the final exam to obtain a grade of 4 or higher for the course.
Key Dates
March 11th
Quiz 1 due online by 6:00pm
April 8th
Quiz 5 due online by 6:00pm
March 11th
A4 Project due in Box 001
(Building 67, Level 4) or at
lecture by 6:00pm
April 15th
Quiz 6 due online by 6:00pm
April 19th
Ethics Review due online by
5:00pm
April 21st
Island proposals due (optional)
May 13th
Quiz 7 due online by 6:00pm
May 20th
Quiz 8 due online by 6:00pm
May 27th
Experimental Project paper
due online by 5:00pm
May 27th
Quiz 9 due online by 6:00pm
June 4th
Quiz 10 due online by 6:00pm
Exam Period
Final Examination held
March 14th
Allocations for Undergraduate
Statistics Conference posted
March 18th
Quiz 2 due online by 6:00pm
March 25th
Quiz 3 due online by 6:00pm
March 25th
Submit first page of paper you
are reviewing in Box 001
(Building 67, Level 4) or at
lecture by 6:00pm
April 1st
April
1st
April 2nd
Quiz 4 due online by 6:00pm
Upload your PowerPoint
presentation by 6:00pm
Undergraduate Statistics
Conference (9:00am – 5:00pm)