Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update
The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.
This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.
Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ayse Bilgin
Frank Valckenborgh
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---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(Admission to BMathSci or BSc or BCom) and (20cp from STAT or MATH units at 3000 level)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This PACE unit draws together learning in previous units to prepare students for the workplace through engaging with a partner organisation. Students will work in close collaboration throughout the session with a project sponsor that has provided a problem to be solved or a study to be designed. Students will develop the ability to appreciate the nature of statistical/mathematical problems and discuss the problem solving cycle; listen to a client's statement of a problem and ask appropriate questions for clarification; recognise appropriate statistical/mathematical techniques for use in a variety of problems, and apply these techniques competently; recognise situations in which familiar techniques do not apply and search the literature for appropriate alternative techniques; write reports at an appropriate technical level for a client or a colleague; give a verbal summary of a statistical/mathematical investigation at a level appropriate for the audience; and discuss the ethical aspects and implications of professional statistical/mathematical work. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
The projects that you will be working on are real problems belong to real clients. You need to keep everything confidential. Assessment submissions All assessments should be submitted electronically on iLearn, by the given due date and time.
LATE SUBMISSION OF WORK: All assessment tasks must be submitted by the official due date and time. In the case of a late submission for a non-timed assessment (e.g. an assignment), if special consideration has NOT been granted, 20% of the earned mark will be deducted for each 24-hour period (or part thereof) that the submission is late for the first 2 days (including weekends and/or public holidays). For example, if an assignment is submitted 25 hours late, its mark will attract a penalty equal to 40% of the earned mark. After 2 days (including weekends and public holidays) a mark of 0% will be awarded. Timed assessment tasks (e.g. tests, examinations) do not fall under these rules.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Participation | 10% | No | Weekly |
Project Plan | 10% | No | Week 4 |
Self Reflection | 10% | No | Weeks 2 & 13 |
Project Report | 50% | No | Week 12 |
Project Presentation | 20% | No | Weeks 12 & 13 |
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
Contribution to weekly activities such as workshops, client meetings, group meetings and discussions.
Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 10%
The project plan is a document where students outline what they are going to do to address the issues raised by the partner (i.e. designing a study or solving a problem) in a given time frame (i.e. project milestones achieved within the session).
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Weeks 2 & 13
Weighting: 10%
Self Reflection on Previous Learning, Group Process, technical aspects of the group project and working with partner experience.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 50%
Written report to demonstrate a solution to client problem.
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Weeks 12 & 13
Weighting: 20%
All members of a group will present a 5-7 minutes talk on a particular aspect of the project.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Classes
They will start in Week 1. You should plan 10 hours of learning each week including attending lectures each week.
Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials
Note that some of the following will be provided to students during semester.
Boen J & Zahn D, The Human Side of Statistical Consulting, Lifetime Learning Pubs, Belmont CA, 1982. (Not available in library)
Boomer K, Rogness N & Jersky B, Statistical consulting courses for undergraduates: fortune or folly, JSE, 15(3), 2007. (Electronic version QA276.18)
Chatfield C, Problem Solving: A Statistician's Guide, 2nd ed., Chapman and Hall, London, 1995. (QA276.12 .C457 1995)
Derr J, Statistical Consulting: A Guide to Effective Communication, Duxbury 2000. (HA29 .D386/2000)
Finch S & Gordon I, Lessons we have learned from post-graduate students, ICOTS8, 2010.
Hand DJ and Everitt BS (eds.), The Statistical Consultant in Action, Cambridge Uni Press, 1987. (Sections 1, 2 and 4 are available in Google.books)
Mackisack M & Petocz P, Projects for advanced undergraduates, ICOTS6, 2002.
McGinn M, Learning to use statistics in research: a case study of learning in a university-based statistical consulting centre, SERJ, 2010.
Peter Petocz, Anna Reid (2010) On Becoming a Statistician - A Qualitative View. International Statistical Review. 78(2): 271-286.
Rothman E, Teaching students and staff consultancy skills, ICOTS7, 2006.
Smith H & Walker J, Experiences with research teams comprised of graduate students, faculty researchers and a statistical consulting team, ICOTS8, 2010.
Wild C & Pfannkuch M, Statistical thinking in empirical enquiry, International Statistical Review, 67(3), 1-12.
ICOTS, SERJ and International Stat Review papers are available at http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/publications.php
International Statistical Institute http://www.isi-web.org/
The Statistical Society of Australia http://www.statsoc.org.au/
American Statistical Association http://www.amstat.org/
Statistical Society of Canada http://www.ssc.ca/en/whats-new
EURO (The Association of European Operational Research Societies) website: https://www.euro-online.org/web/pages/1/home
Australian Society for Operations Research http://www.asor.org.au/
INFORMS (The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) website: https://www.informs.org/
We will use iLearn for distribution of course notes, readings, data sets, solutions, announcements and discussions. We would like you to use the ‘Discussions’ to communicate with other students and the lecturers to enable transparency between all the students and the lecturers. You can access the unit iLearn site from http://ilearn.mq.edu.au using your Student ID number and myMQ Portal password. If you have any problems go to the http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/
If you have a personal question, please send an e-mail to one of the lecturers through the iLearn e-mail facility (called dialogue) or alternatively a regular e-mail using your Macquarie University student e-mail account.
The lecturers will make announcements via iLearn. Accordingly, you should make sure you log in and read the posts at least twice a week. You might consider subscribing to iLearn posts this way you will not miss any posts.
WEEK | TOPIC | Staff |
1 | Introduction to consulting in statistical and mathematical sciences | A2B2 & FV |
2 | Asking the right questions (oral communication skills) & Literature Review | A2B2 & FV |
3 | Data preparation for analysis | A2B2 & FV |
4 | Working in a group (skills required for effective group work) | A2B2 & FV |
5 | Statistical Graphics | A2B2 & FV |
6 | Writing a report (written communication skills) | A2B2 & FV |
7 | Statistical and mathematical thinking | A2B2 & FV |
Mid semester break (not holiday) | ||
8 | Human side of consulting (Guest lecture) | A2B2 & FV |
9 | Ethics in Statistics and Mathematics | A2B2 & FV |
10 | Project Work | A2B2 & FV |
11 | Project Work | A2B2 & FV |
12 | Presentations of final projects | A2B2 & FV |
13 | Presentations of final projects | A2B2 & FV |
The order of the lectures might change, as some classes depend on the availability of clients and guest lecturers.
A2B2 = Ayse Aysin Bombaci Bilgin
FV = Frank Valckenborgh
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
This unit is offered first time in 2021 S2. However the content is similar to STAT399 or STAT3199 with addition of material to cater for students majoring in Mathematics.
Unit information based on version 2021.03 of the Handbook