STA1CTS
CRITICAL THINKING WITH STATISTICS
STA1CTS
2018
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
Critical Thinking with Statistics will help you to understand why we need data in our daily and professional lives, how data are produced, and how they are transformed using statistics into information that empowers us to make decisions and solve problems. This subject will make you appreciate how numbers reported in the media shape debates about social, economic, and environmental problems and policies. Importantly, it will also make you appreciate how numbers reported in the media can often be misleading, and it will teach you how to critically evaluate the information that you are bombarded with on a daily basis. The emphasis in this subject will be on key concepts rather than mathematical calculations, and you will learn statistics by doing it with the SPSS statistical software package and real data from your discipline area (i.e., science, psychology, or business).
SchoolSchool of Life Sciences
Credit points15
Subject Co-ordinatorRowan O'Hagan
Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes
Subject year levelYear Level 1 - UG
Exchange StudentsYes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
PrerequisitesN/A
Co-requisitesN/A
Incompatible subjects STA1LS, STA1SS, STA2LS, STA2SS, STA1STM, STA1PSY, ECO1ISB
Equivalent subjectsN/A
Special conditionsN/A
Learning resources
Readings
| Resource Type | Title | Resource Requirement | Author and Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Readings | Introduction to the Practice of Statistics | Recommended | Moore, McCabe, Alwan, Craig & Duckworth, 2011, 3rd ed. | Freeman, NY |
| Readings | Statistics for Psychology | Recommended | Aron, A., Aron, E. and Coups, E., 2013, 6th ed. | Pearson |
| Readings | Statistics in Practice | Recommended | Moore, Notz & Fligner, 2015, 1st ed. | Freeman, NY |
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Interpret and convey statistical information using the terminology and important concepts of statistical design and analysis.
- Activities:
- Students' understanding of terminology and concepts is developed and assessed in online quizzes. Their ability to convey statistical information using these concepts and the correct terminology is developed though writing conclusions from statistical analyses.
02. Apply the appropriate descriptive tools of statistics to summarise data and reveal important features that will help to answer questions.
- Activities:
- In assignments, students are given projects involving real data that have a context, question, and data set. They must choose the appropriate tools to analyse the data in SPSS, and answer the question. In the final exam, students are given 1) descriptions of studies that aim to answer certain questions, and from these they must be able to identify the type and number of variables, the type of study, and the appropriate tools for analysis, and 2) SPSS output associated with a particular context and question, from which they must interpret the graphs and numerical summaries to answer the question.
03. Apply the appropriate inferential tools of statistics to weigh up evidence and draw conclusions.
- Activities:
- In assignments, students are given projects involving real data that have a context, question, and data set. They must choose the appropriate tools to analyse the data in SPSS, and answer the question. In the final exam, students are given 1) descriptions of studies that aim to answer certain questions, and from these they must be able to identify the type and number of variables, the type of study, and the appropriate tools for analysis, and 2) SPSS output associated with a particular context and question, from which they must carry out hypothesis testing and estimation to answer the question.
04. Critically evaluate the statistics presented in reports and the media in order to assess the value of the information.
- Activities:
- In an assignment, students are given a media article to evaluate.
Subject options
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Albury-Wodonga, 2018, Semester 2, Day
Overview
Online enrolmentYes
Maximum enrolment sizeN/A
Enrolment information
Subject Instance Co-ordinatorRowan O'Hagan
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Computer LaboratoryWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours computer laboratory per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 weekly online quizzes (equivalent to 750 words) | 20 | 01, 02, 03, 04 | |
| One 2-hour examination | 40 | 01, 02, 03 | |
| Two assignments (750 words each) | 40 | 01, 02, 03, 04 |