Quantitative Research Methods provides basic training in the gathering, description and analysis of quantitative information in the social, business, management and financial sciences.
This is a course in basic research methods including discussions of: data gathering issues and techniques; sources of data and potential biases; graphical and numerical data description techniques including simple linear regression, sampling behaviour of averages and the Central Limit Theorem; point and interval estimation procedures; concepts in hypothesis testing for comparing two populations, simple and multiple linear regression; p-values and significance levels.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Compare and contrast different sampling methodologies and assess suitability for a range of situations;
- Discuss different types of variables and produce appropriate graphical and numerical descriptive statistics;
- Explain and apply probability rules and concepts relating to a range discrete and continuous random variables;
- Describe the importance of the Central Limit Theorem and its uses and applications;
- Use concepts of estimation, including point and interval estimators;
- Perform and interpret hypothesis tests for a range of situations;
- Perform and interpret simple and multiple linear regressions; and,
- Use technology to perform statistical analysis, and interpret statistical software output.
Research-Led Teaching
In order to investigate new fields, make sense of new areas and tackle new problems, we need appropriate tools to explore and summarise data, graphically and numerically, and make decisions using the data under uncertainty. This course will use examples from varied areas to introduce statistical tools, methods and ways of thinking to students and prepare them for future courses, work and research projects. Students will have access to talks by guest speakers from industry who will share their experience in working with real data in the workplace.
Examination Material or equipment
The final exam will be centrally timetabled by Examinations, Graduations & Prizes prior to the examination period and will be held in person on campus. The final exam is an invigilated in-person exam. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information. Students will be supplied by ANU with an HP 300S+ Scientific Calculator for use in the final exam. Personal calculators are not permitted. Dictionaries of any form are not permitted.
Recommended Resources
The textbook used in this course is Business Analytics and Statistics (2nd edition, 2019) by Black et al.
Electronic copies of the textbook can be accessed at the library here: https://anu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ANU_INST/1alil8h/alma991027091776507631
This course will also use Microsoft Excel to view data sets, perform some calculations and generate graphs. The software can be accessed for free by ANU students here:
https://services.anu.edu.au/information-technology/software-systems/microsoft-office-365
A calculator or Microsoft Excel can be used to perform the calculations required for this course.
Staff Feedback
Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:
? To the whole class during lectures.
? Within tutorial groups.
? Individually during consultation hours
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.
Other Information
Assessment Requirements
Any student identified, either during the current semester or in retrospect, as having used ghost writing services will be investigated under the University’s Academic Misconduct Rule.
As a further academic integrity control, students may be selected for a 15 minute individual oral examination of their written assessment submissions.
Scaling
Your final mark for the course will be based on the raw marks allocated for each of your assessment items. However, your final mark may not be the same number as produced by that formula, as marks may be scaled. Any scaling applied will preserve the rank order of raw marks (i.e. if your raw mark exceeds that of another student, then your scaled mark will exceed the scaled mark of that student) and may be either up or down.
Support for Students
The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these is available online from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife/
Class Schedule
| Week/Session | Summary of Activities | Assessment |
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| 1 | Workshop TopicsChapter 1 - Basic Statistical concepts (Section 1.3)Chapter 7 - Collecting data (Sections 7.1 - 7.3)Chapter 2 - Presenting data in tables and charts (Section 2.1; Section 2.2 (histograms and scatter plots); Section 2.3)Introduction to Microsoft Excel |
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| 2 | Workshop TopicsIntroduction to Microsoft ExcelChapter 3 - Descriptive Summary Measures(Tutorials begin) |
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| 3 | Workshop TopicsChapter 4 - Probability |
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| 4 | Workshop TopicsChapter 5 - Discrete probability distributions (Sections 5.1 - 5.3)Chapter 6 - Normal distribution (Sections 6.1 - 6.5) |
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| 5 | Workshop TopicsChapter 6 - Normal distribution (Sections 6.1 - 6.5)Chapter 7 - Sampling distributions (Sections 7.4 - 7.5) |
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| 6 | Workshop TopicsChapter 8 - Confidence interval estimationChapter 9 - Hypothesis testing : single population tests |
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| 7 | Workshop TopicsChapter 9 - Hypothesis testing : single population tests |
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| 8 | Workshop TopicsChapter 10 - Hypothesis testing: two population tests |
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| 9 | Workshop TopicsChapter 13 - Simple linear regression |
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| 10 | Workshop TopicsChapter 13 - Simple linear regressionChapter 14 - Multiple linear regression |
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| 11 | Workshop TopicsChapter 14 - Multiple linear regressionChapter 11 (Section 11.2) - One way ANOVAChapter 12 (Section 12.2) - Chi-square test of independence |
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| 12 | Workshop TopicsChapter 11 (Section 11.2) - One way ANOVAChapter 12 (Section 12.2) - Chi-square test of independenceReview |
Tutorial Registration
Tutorials will be held weekly (starting from week 2). All tutorials will be held on campus. ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, and then self-allocate to tutorials so they can better plan their time.
Tutorial registration will be available two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester and will close at the end of week 1. More details can be found on the Timetable webpage https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/timetabling]. All students must enrol in a tutorial in order to complete the In-Tutorial Group Assessment Task and In-Tutorial Quizzes. Tutorials will cover the previous week's pre-recorded lecture and workshop material.
Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Value | Due Date | Return of assessment | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Online Quizzes (on Wattle) | 10 % | 21/02/2025 | 20/05/2025 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 |
| In-Tutorial Group Assessment - Interpretation of statistical graphs | 10 % | 03/03/2025 | 14/03/2025 | 1,2 |
| In-Tutorial Probability Quiz | 5 % | 17/03/2025 | 29/03/2025 | 3 |
| In-Tutorial Hypothesis Testing Quiz | 5 % | 28/04/2025 | 09/05/2025 | 6 |
| Final Exam | 70 % | 29/05/2025 | 26/06/2025 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 |
* 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
- Extenuating Circumstances Application
- 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
Course content delivery will take form of pre-recorded weekly lectures available on Wattle, a weekly face-to-face workshop (recorded and available via echo360 on Wattle) and weekly on-campus tutorials. In-person tutorials are not recorded. Weekly consultations with the lecturer and the tutor(s) will be conducted in-person or over Zoom. If conducted over Zoom, a Zoom link will be provided on Wattle.
Students are expected to have viewed the pre-recorded lecture prior to the weekly workshop on Monday. The pre-recorded lecture will be uploaded by 5pm on the Thursday of the week prior to the scheduled workshop.
Attendance at lectures and tutorials, while not compulsory, is expected in line with “Code of Practice for Teaching and Learning”, clause 2 paragraph (b).
Examination(s)
The final exam will be centrally timetabled by Examinations, Graduations & Prizes prior to the examination period. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information. The examination is invigilated by the ANU Examinations Office.
Assessment Task 1
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Weekly Online Quizzes (on Wattle)
There will be 11 short online quizzes held on Wattle testing knowledge and understanding of each week's lecture (and preceding lectures). The quiz will open on Friday at 12:01am at the end of each week (weeks 1-11 inclusive) and close on the following Monday at 11:59pm. That is, each quiz will be open for a 96 hour (4-day) period. Once the quiz is started it will need to be completed in the set time period. One attempt per quiz is permitted.
The best 10 quiz marks will count towards this assessment. That is, each of the best 10 quiz results will contribute 1% towards the final mark for a total of 10%.
The time allowed for each quiz may vary depending on the difficulty of that week's material. The expected time allowed for each quiz is 30 - 60 minutes. Each quiz will consist of up to ten multiple choice questions or short-answer calculation questions. Each question in each quiz will be presented on a separate page and students can navigate backwards and forwards through the quiz. Some quizzes may require the student to download an Excel data set and use technology to perform statistical analysis. More specific details on the content and duration of each quiz will be announced on Wattle. All quizzes are open book and all materials are permitted (including the use of artificial intelligence tools). No invigilation software will be used for the quizzes.
Solutions and marks will be released upon the close of each quiz. Therefore, extensions for quizzes are not permitted under any circumstances.
Assessment Task 2
Learning Outcomes: 1,2
In-Tutorial Group Assessment - Interpretation of statistical graphs
The objective of this assessment is to work collaboratively in groups to analyse and draw meaningful conclusions from data presented in graphical format. In this task, students will demonstrate in groups their ability to extract key information from a graph and communicate findings in a short, in-person oral group presentation.
The group assessment will be held in tutorials, in person in Week 3. Students must do the group assessment in the tutorial they are enrollled in, otherwise the group assessment mark will not count. No online presentations are permitted.
Students will be informed of their group assignment in tutorials in Week 2. The group size will be 3-5 students. A group will consist of students in the same tutorial class. Group members cannot belong to different tutorial classes. The group allocation will be done by the tutor.
Once notified of their group, students can set up a team meeting in their own time before the group assessment in Week 3 to discuss roles and strategy for the group assessment. No changes to the allocated group are permitted and students will not be able to choose their own group.
For this assessment, in the first half of the tutorial, each group will be given in hard copy (not digital) a set of graphs to analyse. Groups will be given 20 minutes to analyse their graph(s) and prepare a short presentation using Microsoft Power Point (or similar tool). Students are permitted to ask the tutor questions during this session but are not permitted to communicate with other groups. Access to any online materials/tools is permitted during this time. At the end of the 20 minutes, each group must email their presentation to the tutor.
In the second half of the tutorial, groups will take it in turn to present their analysis. The expected duration of the presentation is 3 to 4 minutes, and the expected length is 4 to 6 slides. All team members must speak during the presentation.
The presentation is expected to cover the following items:
- What are some of applied questions that could be answered with the graphs? (give a few possible examples)
- What variables are plotted in the graphs?
- What key trends or patterns are evident in the graphs?
- Are there any outliers? How do they influence the interpretation?
- How could the graphs be improved? What additional graphs with other variables would be insightful to answer the applied questions?
The group presentation will be graded by the tutor. The rubric for the presentation grading will be made available on Wattle at the beginning of Week 1. The rubric will include a component for individual delivery of the presentation. More detailed instructions on the group assessment will be made available on on Wattle at the beginning of Week 1 and discussed in workshops in weeks 1 and 2.
An in-person demonstration of the group assessment will be held in the on-campus workshop in Week 2. Two sets of practice example graphs for the group assessment will be made available at the beginning of Week 1.
The group assessment is worth 10% of the overall score in the course. The group assessment is compulsory and is not redeemable.
Students may request an Assessment Extension if they are unable to complete the group assessment on their enrolled tutorial date due because of exceptional circumstances beyond their control. To be considered, a student must submit an Assessment Extension Request (using the link on the Wattle site), by 8am of their enrolled tutorial date in Week 3. Assessment extension requests received after this time will be rejected. Submission of an extension request does not guarantee the extension will be approved. Extension requests will be reviewed by the course convenor in accordance with ANU Procedure: Student assessment (coursework).
If an extension request is approved by the course convenor, the student must complete the group assessment in Week 4 at a date and time set by the course convenor. This date and time will not be assigned or changed to fit the schedule of individual students. Failure to attend the new assigned date for the group assessment in Week 4 will result in a grade of 0 for this assessment. A student with an extension request for the group assessment will be reassigned to a new group by the course convenor. Students will be notified of their new group at the beginning of Week 4.
Assessment Task 3
Learning Outcomes: 3
In-Tutorial Probability Quiz
A hand-written quiz on probability will be held in Week 5, in tutorials, in person. The quiz will consist of short-answer calculation questions and/or short-answer written questions. The quiz duration will be 15-20 minutes and is to be done individually. The quiz is closed book. Students are permitted to use their own calculator in the quiz. No other materials are permitted. This assessment task needs to be completed in pen (NOT PENCIL).
The quiz questions will be similar in style to the tutorial problems assigned in Week 4. Students will receive feedback on their quiz attempt in tutorials in Week 6.
Students MUST sit the quiz in the tutorial they are enrolled in, otherwise the quiz will not count.
This quiz is worth 5% of the overall score in the course. The quiz is compulsory and is not redeemable.
Students may request an Assessment Extension if they are unable to complete the in-tutorial probability quiz on their enrolled tutorial date because of exceptional circumstances beyond their control. To be considered, a student must submit an Assessment Extension Request (using the link on the Wattle site), by 8am of their enrolled tutorial date in Week 5. Assessment extension requests received after this time will be rejected. Submission of an extension request does not guarantee the extension will be approved. Extension requests will be reviewed by the course convenor in accordance with ANU Procedure: Student assessment (coursework).
If an extension request is approved by the course convenor, the student must sit the probability quiz in Week 6, in person, at a date and time and location set by the course convenor. This date and time will not be assigned or changed to fit the schedule of individual students. Failure to attend the new assigned date will result in a grade of 0 for this assessment.
Assessment Task 4
Learning Outcomes: 6
In-Tutorial Hypothesis Testing Quiz
A hand-written quiz on hypothesis testing (single population tests) will be held in Week 9, in tutorials, in person. The quiz will consist of short-answer calculation questions and/or short-answer written questions. The quiz duration will be 15-20 minutes and is to be done individually. The quiz is closed book. Students are permitted to use their own calculator in the quiz. No other materials are permitted. This assessment task needs to be completed in pen (NOT PENCIL).
The quiz questions will be similar in style to the tutorial problems assigned in Week 8. Students will receive feedback on their quiz attempt in tutorials in Week 10.
Students MUST sit the quiz in the tutorial they are enrolled in, otherwise the quiz will not count.
This quiz is worth 5% of the overall score in the course. The quiz is compulsory and is not redeemable.
Students may request an Assessment Extension if they are unable to complete the in-tutorial hypothesis testing quiz on their enrolled tutorial date because of exceptional circumstances beyond their control. To be considered, a student must submit an Assessment Extension Request (using the link on the Wattle site), by 8am of their enrolled tutorial date in Week 9. Assessment extension requests received after this time will be rejected. Submission of an extension request does not guarantee the extension will be approved. Extension requests will be reviewed by the course convenor in accordance with ANU Procedure: Student assessment (coursework).
If an extension request is approved by the course convenor, the student must sit the hypothesis testing quiz in Week 10, in-person at a date and time and location set by the course convenor. This date and time will not be assigned or changed to fit the schedule of individual students. Failure to attend the new assigned date will result in a grade of 0 for this assessment.
Assessment Task 5
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Final Exam
A compulsory final examination will be held during the university examination period at the end of semester. The exam will be held in-person on campus and will cover the entire syllabus. Students may bring in one A4 page (double-sided) of notes, either hand-written or typed, to the exam.
No dictionaries or personal calculators are allowed in the final exam.
In the final exam, each student will be supplied with an HP 300S+ Scientific Calculator.
The exam will be centrally timetabled. Details of the final examination timetable will be made available on the ANU Timetabling website. The onus is upon students to acquire their own scheduling details.
The final exam is worth 70% of the overall score in the course and is compulsory.
The exam duration will be 2 hours. The final exam may consist of multiple choice questions, short-answer calculation questions and short-answer written questions. Students will be required to submit working for some questions, as specified in the assessment. All work must be the students' own. Further details on the exam (duration, format, permitted materials) will be made available by the end of Week 10. Practice exams will be made available on Wattle by the end of Week 10.
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
There are no online assignment submissions in this course.
Hardcopy Submission
There are no hard copy assignment submissions in this course
Late Submission
No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
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. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
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 Accessibility 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 supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
- ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
- ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students
Convener
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Research InterestsBayesian Statistics, Missing Data, Data confidentiality |
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Dr Bronwyn Loong
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Instructor
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Research Interests |
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Dr Bronwyn Loong
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