This course gives students the experience of analysing data in a wide variety of contexts, using the R computer package, develops written and verbal communication skills, and provides an opportunity for students to carry out a short data-sourcing and analysis project. The practical, lab-based course delivers experience in key skills needed by the professional statistician.

8 2-hour labs

20 additional hours of lectures and workshops

STATS4048 Professional Skills

STATS4052 Data Analysis

STATS3011 Statistics 3A: Data Analysis

Practical skills assessment (100%) of independent and group work on statistical analysis tasks, typically including peer review (5%), quizzes (20%), in-class tests (25%), and group projects and presentation (50%)

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Peer Reviewed Statistical Analysis Plan (5%)

Group Project 1 (25%)

Group Project 2 (25%)

In each case the assessment requires peer review or group work which is impossible to replicate in a reassessment. 

This course aims to prepare students for their possible future role as practising statisticians, by

■ learning to work independently in statistical planning, implementation, and data analysis;

■ critically integrating the knowledge acquired in the other courses taught in this programme;

■ developing written and verbal skills of presentation and communication, through case studies, teamwork exercises and associated written reports and presentations;

■ introducing students to the social, ethical, legal, and professional issues arising in Statistical research.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ work independently, as well as in a team, on practical data analysis tasks;

■ perform the steps in completing a formal statistical analysis, including visualization, data wrangling, identifying relevant statistical methodology, its implementation and validation;

■ develop an analysis plan and implement an appropriate modelling strategy to answer questions of interest about a given data set;

■ implement the statistical techniques covered in other postgraduate courses in R;

■ use features of scientific word-processing and presentation software, including the creation of reproducible documents in R;

■ critically collate the results from statistical procedures, interpret them, draw appropriate conclusions and write up the results clearly as a report;

■ communicate conclusions from data analyses effectively in a presentation;

■ develop, present and critically reflect upon arguments on social, ethical, legal and professional issues in Statistics.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.