There are 3 forms of assessment for PSY 248: quizzes, two assignments, and two exams. Overall grades for the unit will be determined by adding together marks for each of the assessments described in this guide. See the university policy on grading for more information.

In PSY 248, you are encouraged to form study groups to revise course material and practice using STATA. However, any work you submit for assessment must be your own, including calculations and written expression. In recent years we have had a number of problems with students copying other students' work and submitting it as their own work. While we encourage students to discuss their work with each other, and working together can be especially beneficial for statistics, cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please check your University Handbook of Undergraduate Studies and the Psychology Department's Policy on plagiarism for the consequences attached to copying others' work and claiming it as your own. 

It is in your best interest to keep a (hard or electronic) copy of your submitted work. Firstly, to be able to produce the copy if your original goes missing, and, secondly, to be able to produce an unmarked copy in the case of requesting a re-mark. If you request a re-mark, you will need to submit an unmarked copy of your work, which will be marked by a different marker, and you will receive the revised mark which may be either higher or lower than the original mark. If you wish to request a re-mark you will need to collect a Department of Psychology Application for Re-mark form from the Faculty.

Assignments:

• A practical assignment involving use of STATA, data analysis, interpretation of results, and communication of findings. 
• Details of assignments will be made available approximately three to four weeks prior to the due date. Marks/feedback will be released to students via iLearn. 
• Assignments must be submitted online via iLearn/Turnitin. Assignments submitted by post or emailed to tutors/lecturers will not be accepted. Marked assignments will be released via iLearn/Turnitin.
• Late penalties will be applied to assignments that are received after the due time, at the rate of 10% mark per day beginning one minute after the due date and time.
• All requests for extensions must be made prior to the due date for the assignment. Ordinarily, no extensions of time for submission of written work will be granted because ample time for preparation will have been given. If an extension is required for medical or other extenuating circumstances, students may request this in writing through ask.mq.edu.au with supporting documentary evidence (such as medical certificate, counsellor note, or similar). 

Quizzes:

Two non-cumulative quizzes will be used to test you understanding of the topics as we proceed through the unit. These should act as a guide to how well you are learning the material, and to identify any areas in which you may require more study or assistance. 

• Quiz 1 will cover material from weeks 1 - 3; Quiz 2 will cover material from weeks 8-10.
• Both quizzes will be conducted during your scheduled Practical (tutorial) session either in person or online. Students are expected to take their quizzes during their scheduled time for the practical and will not be allowed to swap practical sessions. Requests to switch sections or attend any sessions that you are not registered for will not be granted without formal documentation/justification submitted through ask.mq.edu.au.
• For quizzes conducted online, minimum technical requirements include: (a) a computer/laptop, with a stable internet connection; (b) an updated web browser (Google Chrome or Firefox are recommended); (c) access to the iLearn site; and (d) a calculator.

Exams:

• The Midterm Exam will include all material from weeks 2 -7, and the Final Exam will include all material covered in the unit.
• The Midterm Exam will be conducted during your scheduled Practical (tutorial) session either in person or online. Students are expected to take their Midterm during their scheduled time for the practical and will not be allowed to swap practical sessions. Requests to switch sections or attend any sessions that you are not registered for will not be granted without formal documentation/justification submitted through ask.mq.edu.au.
• The Final exam will be a 2-1/2 hour exam conducted during the official university examination period. The exam period for Session 2, 2020 is 9th November to 27th November, 2020. This exam will assess all new course material that has been covered in PSY248, including lecture content, tutorial content, and required readings.

The only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances you may wish to consider applying for Special Consideration. Students who experience serious and unavoidable disruption, must apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au. If a Supplementary Examination is granted, the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period. The format of a supplementary examination is at each unit convener’s discretion and is subject to change from the original final examination. Supplementary Exams are only offered to students who have satisfactorily completed all other assessments for the unit and were unable to sit the final exam because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. You are advised that it is Macquarie University policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, which is the final day of the official examination period.

Lectures

There are three hours of lecture per week. These lectures will be recorded and will be available on the iLearn page at the beginning of the designated lecture meeting. 

You will not be required to attend campus for any of the lectures, but the lectures are considered essential to understanding the unit material so you must be sure to watch each lecture and stay up to date on the materials.

Practicals (tutorials)

The unit’s tutorial program is vital for students to have a first-hand understanding of the material and its application in psychology research. 

The names ‘tutorials’ and ‘practicals’ are used interchangeably in this unit. Students should to attend 1 x tutorial class per week. Tutorials commence in Week 2 and continue throughout the semester. The last tutorial is in week 13. Students will be assigned to tutorials via the automated enrolment procedure. EACH TUTORIAL HAS A MAXIMUM LIMIT for both safety and pedagogical reasons. Placing students into practical classes that pleases both students' preferences and the above limitation is a difficult logistical exercise.

Most weeks (starting Week 1) there will be a set of practical exercises to complete before the next week's Practical Meeting. Most weeks this will involve a data analysis task (involving STATA) and an interpretation task, although in some weeks outputs may be provided for interpretation. Practical assignments will end with a series of questions that you should be able to answer from the analysis task that you were asked to perform. Completing the practical tasks will help ensure that students keep up with the unit material week-by-week. Tutors will then work through the solution during tutorial sessions in the subsequent week. Solutions will NOT be made available outside of tutorial classes. Tutors are instructed not to do the practical exercises for you, but rather to discuss your work, resolve difficulties, etc. throughout tutorial classes. Practical exercises for each tutorial class will be available on the unit’s web page.

Attendance at tutorials is not compulsory (with the exception of Weeks 4, 7, and 11 for quizzes and exams), but attendance is strongly recommended, as success in the unit is unlikely with our revision of practical materials.

Managing Classes: Official changes to all units can be done on-line via eStudent, including tutorials. Students will NOT be allowed to informally move between tutorial classes. Please note that if you are enrolled as a full-time student, work commitments need to be structured around your study, not vice versa. Changes of practical times will only be sanctioned where unresolved clashes have occurred and free spaces in a practical class exist.  

Technology

Students must have access to STATA, a statistical software package, for this unit. STATA can be accessed on University computers (e.g. laptops on loan from the Library), and/or accessed on students' own computer online via AppStream. See https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk/appstream for more information about accessing STATA via AppStream. 

You will also be expected to access the PSY248 unit Web Page at least weekly for unit notices and information regarding data files, etc.

You are expected to have had prior experience in the use of STATA before coming into PSYC248, and be able to read raw data files, access pre-existing data files and retrieve STATA data files. You are also expected to have some knowledge of syntax in STATA. 

Technical Support 

If you experience technological difficulties with iLearn or AppStream, make sure you take a screenshot of any error messages or difficulties that occur, and contact the university's technical support team via OneHelp. Raise and track requests directly at onehelp.mq.edu.au. Alternatively, you can log an issue by calling the IT HelpDesk on (02) 9850 HELP (4357), email onehelp@mq.edu.au, or visit the IT HelpDesk. Because AppStream and use of STATA are fundamental to PSY248, it is your responsibility to make sure you can access both throughout the semester. See http://www.mq.edu.au/onehelp/FAQ.html for more information.

Required Textbook

• Weinberg, S. L. & Abramowitz, S. K. (2020). Statistics using Stata: An Integrative Approach (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press. 

The textbook is available through Booktopia in both paperback and e-book formats:

Text: https://www.booktopia.com.au/statistics-using-stata-sharon-lawner-weinberg/book/9781108725835.html

E-book: https://www.booktopia.com.au/statistics-using-stata-sharon-lawner-weinberg/ebook/9781108808224.html

Course notes 

All slides and unit notes will be made available weekly, by topic, on the PSY248 iLearn page. 

Additional Computing and Statistics References will be posted to iLearn

• Howell, D. C. (2013) (8th ed.) Statistical methods for psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 

This is comprehensive introductory to intermediate level text that overlaps to a reasonable level with this course. 

Computing References  - Please look to iLearn for more STATA resources

Proposed lecture schedule (subject to change)

Please note some practicals, quizzes, assignments, and exams have been changed from previous offerings. As such, sample or previous examples will not always be available.