Analysis of Scientific Data (STAT1201)

Course overview

Analysis of scientific data and experiments: Design of experiments and ethical research. Data modelling and management. Exploratory data analysis. Randomness and probability. Statistical analysis including linear regression, analysis of variance, logistic regression, categorical data analysis, and non-parametric methods.

The aim of STAT1201 is to provide an understanding of the nature of scientific data and the subsequent need for statistical analysis. You will develop your statistical expertise and critical judgement in scientific studies, including an awareness of ethical issues in research and analysis. You will learn about the different types of data and how each can be visualised and summarised, and how you can make conclusions and predictions from the statistical analysis. You will also see that these statistical tools are based on simple mathematical ideas and associated assumptions.

In the School of Mathematics and Physics we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold both students and staff accountable for actively contributing to the establishment of a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against UQ Policy, and will not be tolerated. We have developed a suite of resources to assist you in recognising, reporting, and addressing such behaviour. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team, or alternatively contact an SMP Classroom Inclusivity Champion (see Blackboard for contact details). Our Inclusivity Champions are here to listen, to understand your concerns, and to explore potential actions that can be taken to resolve them. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Mathematics equivalent to Queensland Mathematical Methods.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

MATH1040; or a grade of C or higher in Queensland Year 12 Mathematical Methods (Units 3 & 4) (or equivalent).

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

ECON1310, ENVM2000, STAT1301, STAT2201, STAT2203, STAT2701, PUBH2007, HRSS3100, STAT7120.

Restrictions

Not available to BE, BE/Biotech, BE/BSc students, BMath, BMath/BArts, BMath/BCom, BMath/BEcon, BMath/BEd(Sec), BMath/BSc

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

All classes will be conducted on campus. Consult your personal timetable for times and locations. Students are expected to attend these sessions in person unless they have a valid reason for being unable to attend (such as illness).

Important: if you are ill, then do not attend any classes in person. Alternative arrangements can be organised – consult Blackboard for details. 

Lectures start in Week 1 and Practicals start in Week 2. There are no Practicals in Weeks 1, 8 or 10.

Aims and outcomes

The aim of STAT1201 is to provide an understanding of the nature of scientific data and the subsequent need for statistical analysis. You will develop your statistical expertise and critical judgement in scientific studies, including an awareness of ethical issues in research and analysis. You will learn about the different types of data and how each can be visualized and summarized, and how you can make conclusions and predictions from the statistical analysis. You will also see that these statistical tools are based on simple mathematical ideas and associated assumptions.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Online Quizzes

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Quiz, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

16%

Due date

Individual questions are due by 4:00pm Fridays. Collaborative questions are due by the end of your allocated practical.

Learning outcomes

L02, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Complete via Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

An approved extension will be applied to the individual questions but taken as an exemption from the collaborative questions in the practical. The mark will be determined by the percentage of correctly answered individual questions for that quiz.

Late submission

You will only receive marks for Quiz questions completed by the submission deadline, unless an extension has been approved. If you are unable to complete the group quiz questions in your practical, then you are welcome to attend a different practical session during the week instead (space permitting).

Paper Review

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

14%

Due date

31/03/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Complete via Blackboard

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for further extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Research Project

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Presentation, Project

Weight

20%

Due date

23/05/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit via Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for further extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Final Examination

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L05, L06

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for further extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Your overall mark will be calculated as per the assessment item weights above and then rounded to the nearest whole percent. 

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Working in Groups

In this course we do not teach you how to work in groups but you are welcome to complete the Paper Review and Research Project in a group of up to three students if you wish. Use the tool on Blackboard (under Assessment) if you want to form a group. After the Paper Reviewﾠis due the groups will reset and the group formation tool for the Research Project will become available (so you will need to re-register your group, or form a new group if you want). Please keep in mind the following three rules:

1. You can only join one group for each assignment and once you have joined a group you will not be able to leave it.
2. All group members must approve a new person joining the group.
3. All group members will receive the same mark for the assignment.

Remarks for paper review - As the paper review includes two components, namely the statistics part and the ethics part, in their re-mark application students should specify whether their application is for either part only, or for both parts. Only the requested component/s will be considered for re-marking.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with

extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date. If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum timeframe applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total. If you are incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, you are advised to apply for Removal of Course. If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end of semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Artificial Intelligence

Assessment tasks in this course evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.