STATS 150G Communicating Statistics

STATS 150G | ARTS, EDSW, LC | Semester Two 2024 | City Campus | 15 points

Description

Examines the uses, limitations and abuses of statistical information in a variety of activities such as polling, public health, sport, law, marketing and the environment. The statistical concepts and thinking underlying data-based arguments will be explored. Emphasises the interpretation and critical evaluation of statistically based reports as well as the construction of statistically sound arguments and reports. Some course material will be drawn from topics currently in the news.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Critically evaluate a statistically-based study and communicate and justify judgement on the study.
  2. Calculate and/or interpret estimates and confidence intervals and assess claims made in the media.
  3. Describe important characteristics of well-conducted polls, surveys, experiments and observational studies and identify potential biases.
  4. Synthesise information from a scientific study by constructing a statistically-sound media article.
  5. Identify and discuss probabilistic and statistical concepts and reasoning embedded in everyday contexts.

Student Feedback

'I really enjoyed this course and found it very interesting. I found the tutorials very useful and I especially liked the room for class participation and the safe and respectful atmosphere you created for discussion and different opinion. This course has been really special in the sense that it was able to be applied in my everyday life. I would certainly recommend this course to someone else and I would take other papers that led on from it. Thank you for a great course!!'

'Really enjoyed class discussions, practical nature of the course, relevance and topicality of media reports used. STATS150 certainly improved my ability to read and interpret media reports. Clear handouts that were easy to understand. Great lecturers who were enthusiastic about their topics. Tutorials very worthwhile and provided good "hands on" help. I would thoroughly recommend the course to others.'

'Thanks a lot for doing such a great job teaching STATS150. I really enjoyed the course and have already recommended it to some of my friends looking for elective papers.'

'It was good to get a range of different types of reading materials rather than just the text book all the time – a range of material was used in lectures, eg, videos and newspaper articles and a range of guest speakers to place things in the real world.'

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