STAT10010 Research Methods

Academic Year 2023/2024

This module is aimed at students who are not studying a degree with a significant statistics content but would like to get some exposure to the basic concepts of data collection and statistical analysis. We welcome students studying Medicine, Nursing, Science (excluding Mathematics and Statistics), Veterinary, Agricultural Science, Business, Social Science, Law, Arts, etc.

Students studying for degrees in Statistics, Economics and Finance or Actuarial and Financial Studies should not take this module. Any such students who attempt to register for this module will have difficulty registering for the core modules in these degree programmes.

Pre-requisites: Leaving Certificate level Mathematics.

Draft syllabus:
1. Statistics: The Science of variability.
2. Data Sources: Sampling and Opinion Polls, Experiments and Observational Studies
3. Descriptive Statistics: Summarising data, Relationships between variables.
4. Inferential Statistics: The Normal Distribution, Simple Linear Regression with applications, How to interpret Hypothesis Tests and Confidence Intervals.


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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to: understand the scope and limitations of statistical techniques and appraise critically statistical analyses performed by others. Students will appreciate the different methods of data collection and be aware of the common biases that can occur with each of the collection methods. Students will compute basic descriptive statistics. Students will draw distinctions between samples and populations and indicate how sample statistics can be used to estimate population characteristics. They will read standard statistical tables and compute probabilities and percentiles for given distributions.

Indicative Module Content:

Critical Components for Research Studies, Questionnaire Design, Survey Sampling Methodologies, Experimental Design, Descriptive Statistics, Inferential Statistics

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

18

Tutorial

11

Autonomous Student Learning

72

Total

101

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, Tutorials, Group Based Learning, Problem Based Learning, Peer Assisted Learning 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Leaving Certificate Mathematics: Ability to perform arithmetic computations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Understanding of fractions and ability to manipulate fractions.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
IS30330 - Quantitative Data Analysis, MATH10130 - Intro to Analysis (E&F), MATH10140 - Advanced Calculus (E&F), MATH10250 - Intro Calculus for Engineers , MATH20130 - Fund. Actuarial Mathematics I, STAT10140 - Research Methods for Science, STAT20110 - Introduction to Probability, STAT20200 - Probability


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Examination: Written examination 2 hour End of Trimester Exam No Standard conversion grade scale 40% No

60

Continuous Assessment: Assessments due throughout trimester Throughout the Trimester n/a Standard conversion grade scale 40% No

40


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Dr Fabian Ofurum Tutor
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
     
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: Weeks 2-12 Fri 12:00 - 12:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: Weeks 2-12 Mon 15:00 - 15:50
Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 14:00 - 14:50
Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 13:00 - 13:50
Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 16:00 - 16:50
Autumn