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STAT10010

Academic Year 2024/2025

Research Methods (STAT10010)

Subject:
Statistics & Actuarial Science
College:
Science
School:
Mathematics & Statistics
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Claire Gormley
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module is aimed at students who are not studying a degree with a significant statistical content but would like to get some exposure to the basic concepts of data collection and to the statistical analysis of data that will be useful when doing their own research and when reading about other people's research. The module aims to improve students' statistical literacy. 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 their degree programmes.

Pre-requisites: Leaving Certificate level Mathematics or similar.

Draft syllabus:
1. Statistics: the science of data and variability.
2. Data sources: sampling and opinion polls, experiments and observational studies.
3. Descriptive statistics: summarising data, exploring relationships between variables.
4. Inferential statistics: the Normal distribution, simple linear regression with applications, how to interpret hypothesis tests and confidence intervals.


About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:

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

Indicative Module Content:

- Critical components of reproducible and generalisable research studies.
- Questionnaire design.
- Survey sampling methodologies.
- Experimental design.
- Descriptive statistics.
- Statistical inference from data.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

11
Autonomous Student Learning

72
Total

107

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, tutorials as well as e.g., 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 Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): A single take-home assignment which requires concise written answers to a series of questions. The assignment will be issued in week 6 and will be due in week 9. Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No
Exam (In-person): Two hour, closed-book, written examination that will take place in an exam centre during the end of trimester exam period. Solutions will require written and numerate responses. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
60
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

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?

Written feedback through a VLE as well as general oral feedback in class.

Seeing through Statistics, by Jessica Utts.

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: All Weeks Fri 12:00 - 12:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Mon 15:00 - 15:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 14:00 - 14:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 13:00 - 13:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 16:00 - 16:50
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