MAS183 Unit Information 2020 PDF

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MAS183 Statistical Data Analysis Unit Information and Learning Guide Semester 1 2020

This document should be read in conjunction with the online learning materials available via your Learning page (LMS).

Unit coordinator Dr Douglas Fletcher Information Technology, Mathematics and Statistics Room: 245.3.025 Tel: (08) 9360 2419 Email: [email protected] Admin: [email protected] (08) 9360 6603

Previous Unit Coordinators 1983 1984−1986 1987 1988−1989 1990−1992 1993 – 1994 1995 1996 1997−2001 2002−2003 2004 2005−2007 2008 2009 2010–

Dr Walter Bloom Dr Brenton Clarke Dr Ian Wright Mrs Jen Bradley (Sem 1) Ms Wally Andrioni (Sem 2) Mrs Jen Bradley (Sem 1) Dr Geoffrey Yeo (Sem 2) Mrs Jen Bradley (Sem 1) Dr Vee Ming Ng (Sem 2) Dr Brenton Clarke (Sem 1) Professor Ian James & Dr Geoffrey Yeo (Sem 2) Dr Brenton Clarke (Sem 1) Dr Ross Taplin (Sem 2) Mrs Jen Bradley Mrs Jen Bradley (Sem 1) Dr Ross Taplin (Sem 2) Dr Brenton Clarke (Sem 1) Mrs Jen Bradley (Sem 2) Dr Brenton Clarke Mrs Jen Bradley Dr Leanne Scott Dr Douglas Fletcher

© Published by Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, February 2020. Revised by Dr Douglas Fletcher, February 2020. This publication is copyright. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act no part of it may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of the publisher.

IMPORTANT NOTE Documents on LMS are referred to as “AB”, which means “starting from the MAS183 home page on LMS, click on A then click on B.” E.g., to access “About MAS183Content Plan” you would click first on About MAS183 and then on Content Plan. This document that you are reading is available at About MAS183Unit Information.

CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................................... 3 Information about the unit ...................................................................... 1 Unit overview .................................................................................................. 1 Prerequisites ...................................................................................................1 Aims and outcomes.........................................................................................1

Contact details ........................................................................................ 3 Unit coordinator.............................................................................................. 3 Administrative contact ....................................................................................3 Tutor................................................................................................................3 Technical help ................................................................................................. 3

Studying MAS183 .................................................................................... 4 Unit Content in Outline ...................................................................................4 Effective Learning in MAS183 ......................................................................... 4 Classes .............................................................................................................6 Study Schedule ................................................................................................7 Time commitment ........................................................................................... 7 Computer Software ......................................................................................... 7 Unit development ...........................................................................................8

Resources for the unit ............................................................................. 9 Unit materials..................................................................................................9 Computing resources .................................................................................... 10

Assessment ........................................................................................... 12 University policy on assessment ...................................................................12 Assessment components ..............................................................................12 Class participation (internal students only) .................................................. 12 Tutorial presentation (internal students only)..............................................12 Assignments (all students) ............................................................................13 Test (internal students only) .........................................................................14 Special circumstances ................................................................................... 14 Progress marks ..............................................................................................14 Querying marks .............................................................................................15 Examination (All students) ............................................................................ 15 Determination of final grade.........................................................................15

Learning guide & timetable ................................................................... 16 Learning Guide ..............................................................................................16 Class Timetable ............................................................................................. 16 Revision Workshops ......................................................................................16

Other units of interest / Minors ............................................................. 17 MAS222 Probability and Statistical Inference ................................................17 MAS223 Applied Statistics ............................................................................ 17 MAS224 Biostatistical Methods ....................................................................18 MAS352 Time Series and Multivariate Analysis .............................................18 MAS353 Statistical Design and Data Analysis ...............................................18

MAS183 Unit Information

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Information about the unit Unit overview Welcome to MAS183 Statistical Data Analysis. This unit will introduce you to statistical methods that support study and research in the life sciences. It explores the use of statistics for drawing conclusions from experimental and observational data, illuminating the development and refinement of the scientific knowledge and theories you will encounter in your other units.

Prerequisites Although MAS183 has no formal prerequisites, it assumes familiarity with basic algebra as covered in TES Applicable Mathematics, WACE Mathematics 2C/D, or ATAR Mathematics Applications. Also desirable are general numeracy skills such as use of mathematical formulae and spreadsheets, and some exposure to basic concepts in chance and probability. If your maths background is less than this, please take MAS164 Fundamentals of Mathematics before attempting MAS183. All students should complete the Maths Diagnostic Quiz which you will find under Learning on your myMurdoch home page. The Quiz provides feedback on your maths skills, and, if appropriate, will direct you to support that will help you towards success in MAS183. If you think your maths background may be insufficient, please contact the Unit Coordinator.

Aims and outcomes Unit aims The broad aim of this unit is to enable you to perform basic statistical analyses of data and to understand statistical analyses described in scientific reports and journals. Learning outcomes On successful completion of the unit you should be able to: 1.

apply descriptive techniques for summarising and interpreting data;

2.

apply probability concepts relevant to diagnostic testing and sampling distributions;

3.

perform hypothesis tests and calculate confidence intervals;

4.

recognise data of high statistical quality and recognise data of poor quality;

5.

critically evaluate statistical analyses in scientific literature;

6.

use computer software to perform basic statistical analyses, and appropriately interpret the results;

7.

communicate the content and conclusions of basic statistical analyses.

MAS183 Unit Information

About the unit

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Graduate Attributes This unit furthers development of the following Graduate Attributes: • communication • social interaction • critical and creative thinking • independent and lifelong learning • ethics • global perspective • interdisciplinarity. For further information about graduate attributes, see http://our.murdoch.edu.au/EducationalDevelopment/Preparing-to-teach/Graduate-attributes/

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About the unit

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Contact details Unit coordinator Your coordinator for MAS183 is Dr Douglas Fletcher. Doug has taught statistics and theology at Murdoch University since 1997, including coordination of THE263 Christian Community, MAS180 Introduction to Statistics, and now MAS183. He researches in Theology and in Statistics Education. Your tutor is your first contact for academic help, and you are welcome to contact Doug for any concerns about your study in this unit.

Contact details Email: [email protected] Room: 245.3.025 Tel: (08) 9360 2419 Message/Secretary: (08) 9360 6603

Consultation/drop-in: Tuesday 2:00 – 4:00 pm Other times by appointment. Not available on Thursdays.

Administrative contact If Doug is unavailable, please call College of SHEE Operations on (08) 9360 6603, or email [email protected]. For queries about your enrolment in this unit, or for general information about the University, contact myMurdoch Advice.

Tutor Internal students will meet their tutor in the first computer lab class (week 1). Your tutor will guide class activities, assist you with your study and mark your assessments. Your tutor will advise you how to contact them if you have any questions about your study. Tutor email addresses are available on LMS. External students will receive their tutor’s contact details by the end of week 1. You are welcome to visit the campus to meet your tutor or the Unit Coordinator. To avoid disappointment if we are unavailable, please telephone (either directly or via the Academic Support Officer on (08) 9360 6603) to arrange a convenient time.

Technical help For technical difficulties with campus information technology please contact the IT Service Desk: in person just inside the Library main entrance off Bush Court, online at Murdoch Support, or phone (08) 9360 2000. For difficulties with the online unit materials contact the Unit Coordinator.

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Studying MAS183 Unit Content in Outline

MAS183 unit content divides into three broad parts: descriptive statistics, probability, and statistical inference. Descriptive statistics are numbers and graphs that describe the main features of data. Statistical inference draws conclusions about populations (of animals, microbes, ecosystems, etc) based on samples selected from those populations. The essential link between descriptive statistics and statistical inference is probability, which lets us deal with the inherent uncertainty of inferences based on limited data. MAS183 begins with descriptive statistics and proceeds via probability to reach statistical inference, which is the conceptual goal of the unit. The Unit Notes and lectures are presented sequentially in 20 topics (chapters) as follows: Part 1: Descriptive Statistics 1-4

Overview of statistical thinking, introduction to data and R, descriptive statistics for one and two variables

Part 2: Probability 5-10

Basic probability concepts, random variables, probability distributions, parameters, sampling, sampling distributions

Part 3: Statistical Inference 11-14

Introduction to statistical inference: one-sample confidence intervals and hypothesis tests

15-17

Further statistical inference: two-sample tests and confidence intervals, goodness-of-fit, association

18-20

Inference in regression, analysis of variance, and basic nonparametric methods

For a detailed plan of how the unit content is spread over the semester, in terms of both teaching and assessment, see About MAS183Content Plan.

Effective Learning in MAS183 If you do not already have study habits that you know to be effective, the method described below may be a fruitful starting point. Bear in mind that what works well for one person may not work so well for another, and what works for you in one subject area may not work so well in another, so it is important to experiment, and reflect, to find a method that works for you in this unit.

Learning Activities In MAS183, teaching and learning operate as a conversation involving at least the following 5 activities: pre-reading, detailed study, trying out new concepts and techniques, talking about your learning and getting feedback from staff and peers, and further private study. The ‘conversation’ takes place throughout the teaching and learning of each topic. If you miss part of the conversation, you restrict your capacity to learn the unit content and develop your statistical skills. The activities are roughly sequential, and each one is important.

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1. Pre-reading means that you read the relevant parts of the Unit Notes before attending or viewing lectures. The Content Plan on LMS indicates the material to be covered in each lecture. In pre-reading you should not try to study in depth, or to do the exercises. Rather, the aim is to prepare your mind by getting a ‘feel’ for, or overview of, what the topic is about (maybe including following worked examples and trying one or two exercises). 2. Detailed study is your main disciplined effort to learn the content of a topic. It includes absorbing lectures and slow reading. The pre-reading described above will help you derive maximum benefit from lectures. All lectures are screen-captured on the lecture capture system (Echo360), and whether in person or online, they should not be missed. In slow reading you revisit the material you pre-read earlier, this time attending to details as well as main concepts, and carefully following the worked examples. Questions arising from detailed study may be noted for further reflection, sent to your tutor, or posted on the LMS discussion board. 3. Try out your learning by attempting the exercises in the Unit Notes. Questions arising as you do this may be sent to your tutor or posted on the discussion board. Some immediate feedback is available from the solutions in the back of the Notes. Tutorial exercises and associated online discussions are also part of this “trying out” activity. 4. Talking about your learning is a very valuable learning activity, so we encourage discussion and group work on tutorial questions and in tutorial classes, discussion board participation by all students, and require internal students to do class presentations. Tutors provide feedback in answer to your questions and/or your work on set problems, advancing your learning by identifying what you have learned well, and where further work is needed.

5. Further study can then focus on areas identified by feedback from your tutors and fellow students, thus refining and consolidating your earlier learning. The 5 learning activities described above do not include assessment activities, because we want you to master the content before the relevant assessment is attempted.* However, the learning conversation continues through the assessment process as you develop assignment answers, study for tests, and receive feedback on those assessments, as well as when you prepare for the final exam. Do not leave your learning until you need it for an assessment. That will not allow you enough time to absorb the knowledge and skills that are being assessed. Only regular time spent on something like these 5 activities will lead to real learning. [*An apparent exception to this is that internal students derive a small part of their assessment from class participation. However, this assessment concerns their engagement in the learning process. It is not assessing what they have learned.]

Treat Each Chapter as a Whole Work through the Unit Notes a chapter at a time, trying to master each chapter before going on to the next. As you go through the steps described above, look for the key terms, concepts and techniques, and make sure that you understand them. Follow through the worked examples and perhaps read the relevant sections of the recommended textbook or other statistical texts. Try to relate each chapter to the unit outcomes and to your previous knowledge. Exercise is Vital It is extremely important for in-depth learning that you attempt the exercises in the Unit Notes. This is one of the most effective ways of mastering the subject. Don’t be too concerned if you find some of the exercises difficult. If you can’t make headway after a little while, ask a colleague, or the discussion board, and/or make a note to ask your tutor about the problem, and go on to another exercise. Solutions to the exercises are provided at the back of the Unit Notes. However, please make solid attempts at answering the exercises before consulting the solutions—one of the main reasons for doing problems is to help you develop the skills and the confidence to solve practical problems for which answers are not (yet) available. MAS183 Unit Information

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Further exercises are available in the text book for which the relevant sections are listed at the end of each chapter in the Unit Notes. Examples and some exercises are also included on the lecture slides, which are available on LMS.

Don’t Wait Too Long Before Seeking Help When attempting exercises, don’t spend too long on any one problem. If you are stuck, go on to something else and contact your tutor for some help, or use the online forum. Prepare the questions you wish to ask. If you telephone your tutor, you should have with you this Unit Information document, Unit Notes, Tables and Formulae book (if relevant), and your list of questions, so that you do not waste your time (and money) searching for information during the conversation.

Classes For general class timetables, see timetables.murdoch.edu.au/teaching/. Full details of all MAS183 classes are published in About MAS183Class Timetable. I encourage internal students to attend all three lectures and one tutorial/lab class each week. External students are also welcome to attend if they can.

Lectures Each lecture presents new material (there are no ‘repeat’ lectures), so, whether in person or via Echo360, you should not miss any of them. The recordings are good enough that you can rely on them in place of attendance if you miss a lecture due to illness or timetable clashes. Tutorial/Computer lab groups Internal students: class participation is part of your assessment. Sign up for these classes via the myMurdoch student portal. MAS183 classes are organised in “groups”, which means that the same group of people meets at the same time every teaching week for either a computer lab or a tutorial. Make a note of which group you sign up for. Abou...