Undergraduate Course: Challenges in Statistics (LLLJ07017)

Course Outline
School	School of Social and Political Science	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	Statistical reasoning is important for the successful study of a number of undergraduate degree subjects, and for understanding and interpreting statistics in the media and in research reports. Through practical exercises and challenges, the course will build studentsż skills in evaluating the authenticity and reliability of data, and in designing survey questions and collecting, analyzing and presenting data of their own.
Course description	The course will be taught in a computer lab and in a classroom, and will provide an introduction to interpreting and understanding data, data types and methods for summarizing and presenting data. By working through challenges and practical exercises, Challenges in Statistics will explore topics such as how to spot leading and misleading questions and bias in samples and the difference between correlation and causation. Through practical exercises and reading, students will learn about questionnaire design, sampling methods, data collection, and summary statistics. They will work in a group to carry out their own research project and present their findings.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Lifelong Learning - Session 3
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 21, Summative Assessment Hours 3, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 74 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 70 %, Practical Exam 30 %
Feedback	Short formative quizzes (probably online) based on each weekżs preparation will be used to offer students informal feedback on their understanding.
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: As part of a group, design and carry out a study to answer specific questions (pose problem, collect data according to a plan, analyze data, draw conclusions from data). Present and explain data in an appropriate and meaningful manner. Evaluate and question statistical ideas.