This course provides an introduction to basic statistics with an emphasis on statistical concepts and methods commonly applied in social research. Lecture topics cover measurement scales, frequency distributions, measures of central location and dispersion, sampling distribution of statistics, confidence intervals and hypothesis test, Chi-squared test, correlation and linear regression. Teaching is provided through lectures and computer training sessions. No previous knowledge of statistics is assumed, however, a sound knowledge of basic mathematics and spreadsheets is required. The course will equip students with the skills required to assess the validity of common statistical tests used in quantitative research.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. understand the nature of statistical data;
2. undertake univariate and bivariate statistical tests as appropriate;
3. construct an argument using theory and data; and
4. choose appropriate methods for presenting research results.

Examination Material or equipment

Permitted materials:

• Computer with Stata, Excel, and Internet access.

Required Resources

Excel, Stata (available on all university computers in the InfoCommons computer rooms as well as the libraries).

For students off-campus, details for accessing Stata will be provided on the Wattle course site.

Weekly course notes will be provided on the Wattle course site.

Recommended Resources

While there is no required textbook for the course, for students who would like to have a text reference the following is suggested:

Agresti, A., Finaly, B. (2014). Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences (4th Edition). Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Suggested parts of the text relevant to the course will be indicated on Wattle for students. For students who would like a more technical, mathematical presentation the following text is recommended:

Woolridge, J.M. (2006). Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach (3rd Edition). Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Administration, discussion of assessment, levels of data, measures of central tendency	Quiz 1
2	Examining distributions, measures of dispersion	Quiz 2
3	Confidence intervals and significance levels Asking research questions. Hypothesis testing	Quiz 3
4	Bivariate analysis: Comparing means (t-tests and f-tests)	Quiz 4
5	Bivariate analysis: Cross-tabulation and chi-square	Quiz 5
6	Bivariate analysis: Correlation	Quiz 6
7	Revision	Exam
8	Presenting research results, information about research report
9	Bivariate analysis: Introduction to simple linear regression	Quiz 7
10	Bivariate analysis: Simple linear regression continued	Quiz 8
11	Multivariable analysis: Multiple linear regression	Quiz 9
12	Multivariable analysis: Multiple linear regression continued	Quiz 10
13	Research report	Research report

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Class exercises/quizzes	40 %	*	*	1,2,4
Research report	30 %	06/06/2023	29/06/2023	1,2,3,4
Take-home examination	30 %	20/04/2023	04/05/2023	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Active student participation and attendance at class each week is expected.

Examination(s)

Take-home exam

Assessment Task 1

Class exercises/quizzes

There will be 10 quizzes to do throughout the course, but participants only need to do 8 quizzes (adding up to 40% of the course grade). Participants can choose to do any of the 10 quizzes, if more than 8 quizzes are completed, the 8 quizzes with the highest marks will be counted towards the final grade.

Quizzes are done online (through Wattle) and will consist of a combination of: multiple-choice questions, questions requiring calculation, and short-answer open text questions.

Quizzes will open on Thursdays at 9:00 am and close the following Tuesday at 9:00 pm.

Only one attempt is allowed per quiz, however participants do not have to do the whole quiz in one go. It is possible to log in and out of the quiz multiple times, before the final submission is made.

Towards the end of the course some of the quizzes will require the use of Stata.

Quizzes should be done independently, and participants should not share their answers or work together to complete them.

Word limit: Students should adhere to the word limit indicated for each question (if applicable).

Value: 40% (5% for each quiz)

Presentation requirements: Student responses should be submitted via either the online quiz on Wattle, or as a PDF file via Turnitin. Any graphs or tables should be reproduced along with the student answer. As late submission of quizzes is not accepted, please ensure you submit your results by the deadline.

Estimated return date: Thursday following quiz closing.

Assessment Task 2

Research report

For the research report one or more bivariate tests (t-test, f-test, chi-square, correlation) and one or more multivariate linear regressions will be used to answer a research question chosen by the participant.

The report will contain the following sections:

1. Introduction: Including background and literature review, and research questions

2. Method: Including the data and methods used

3. Results

4. Discussion

5. References

6. Appendix: Stata do-file

Word limit: 3,000 – 4,000 excluding tables, references, and appendix

Value: 30%

Presentation requirements: MS Word or PDF. Files are to be uploaded to Wattle and Turnitin by 9pm on the due date.

Estimated return date: 29 Jun

Assessment Task 3

Take-home examination

The take-home examination will be available on Wattle for 24 hours starting from 9am on 2023-04-20 (subject to change by timetabling, but the exam will be during Week 7). Once a student starts the exam, they will have 3 hours to complete it. The exam will require a computer with an internet connection and Stata (via an InfoCommons computer or remotely). It will cover the first 6 weeks of the course.

Word limit: Students should adhere to the word limit indicated for each question (if applicable).

Value: 30%

Format: Wattle using a computer with Stata and internet access

Duration: 3 hours

Permitted materials:

• Computer with Stata, Excel, and Internet access.

Presentation requirements: Done online via Wattle.

Estimated return date: 4 May

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations. Late submission is not accepted for class exercises/quizzes.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students