Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Petra Graham
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
See iLearn for consultation hours
Convenor
Alissa Beath
School of Psychological Sciences
See iLearn for consultation hours
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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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 unit provides students with an introduction to research design and statistical analysis. In this unit, students will learn about common research methods used in psychology and related disciplines, critically analyse these methods, and be able to conduct their own analyses. Both experimental and non-experimental research methods are covered, as well as a variety of statistical tests, including t-tests, correlation, and chi square analyses. Students will learn data management techniques and appropriate methods to summarise data, including both numeric and graphical summaries. Students will also gain hands-on experience using the statistical software Stata. |
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:
You will be using the software package Stata throughout the unit including for all of the assessments and practical classes. See how to download Stata in the Delivery and Resources section, below, and in the Required Resources area of the Unit Orientation block in iLearn.
ATTENDANCE and PARTICIPATION: Attendance and participation in SGTA and practical classes is mandatory. You must attend at least 10 of the 12 SGTA and practical classes. You must attend the classes that you are enrolled into. If there are circumstances that mean you will miss a class, you can apply for Special Consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.
ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Assignment submission will be online through the iLearn page.
Submit assignments online via the appropriate assignment link on the iLearn page. A personalised cover sheet is not required with online submissions. Read the submission statement carefully before accepting it as there are substantial penalties for making a false declaration.
You may submit as often as required prior to the due date/time. Please note that each submission will completely replace any previous submissions. It is in your interests to make frequent submissions of your partially completed work as insurance against technical or other problems near the submission deadline.
LATE SUBMISSION OF WORK: All assessment tasks must be submitted by the official due date and time as specified in iLearn. In the case of a late submission for a non-timed assessment (e.g. an assignment), if special consideration has NOT been granted, a 12-hour grace period will be given (including on weekends and/or public holidays) after which the following deductions will be applied to the awarded assessment mark: 12 to 24 hours late = 10% deduction; for each day thereafter, an additional 10% per day or part thereof will be applied until five days beyond the due date. After this time, a mark of zero (0) will be given. Timed assessment tasks (e.g. online quizzes, examinations) do not fall under these rules.
WORD COUNT PENALTY: 5% of the possible mark will be deducted per 100 words over the word limit for the assessment task. An additional 99 words beyond the limit can be written without penalty.
FINAL EXAM POLICY: 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, that is, the final day of the official examination period. The only excuse for not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these special circumstances, you may apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.
If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during this supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Tutorial Participation | 0% | Yes | Weekly |
Practical Participation | 0% | Yes | Weekly |
Online quizzes | 20% | No | Week 3, 8, 13 |
Research Report part 1 | 15% | No | Week 6 |
Research Report part 2 | 25% | No | Week 11 |
Final Examination | 40% | No | University exam period |
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to engage with the unit by participating in tutorial classes.
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to engage with the unit by participating in practical classes.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 3, 8, 13
Weighting: 20%
Multiple online quizzes spread across the session containing short answer and/or multiple choice questions testing both conceptual understanding and practical application of skills.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 15%
Students will submit the first part of a psychology research report in APA format.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 11
Weighting: 25%
Students will submit the remainder of the psychology research report in APA format that they began in Part 1.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: University exam period
Weighting: 40%
Formal examination testing the learning outcomes of the unit.
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
Delivery:
Lectures will be face to face for those enrolled in Lecture theatre attendance as well as live online and later via recordings. Lectures must be attended and/or watched prior to attending tutorial and practical classes in that same week.
Tutorial and practical classes do not begin until week 2.
Offshore students:
Off-shore students must email the convenor as soon as possible to discuss study options. Contact Petra and Alissa via STAT1103@mq.edu.au. In your email let us know that you are enrolled in the F2F/online offering.
Resources:
Please see iLearn for details of required and recommended texts and other resources. Textbooks can change from one year to another so do not purchase without checking iLearn.
Technology Used and Required: All unit material is delivered through iLearn. The link may be found at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au. This unit requires use of a laptop or desktop computer so that the statistical package Stata can be installed and used; Stata can be downloaded for free from the university through the following link: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/software/stata. Students can also install the Microsoft Office Suite (containing Excel and Word etc) for free, this may be useful for report writing and data set handling (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/software/microsoft).
See iLearn for details of assessment delivery and timings. Note that this schedule is subject to change if necessary.
Week | Topic | Assessments |
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1 | Introduction | |
2 |
Research design and analysis; Stata demonstration |
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3 | Hypothesis testing | Quiz 1 |
4 | Ethics + Measurement | |
5 | One-sample tests | |
6 | Non-experimental designs | Report part 1 |
7 | Experimental designs | |
Mid-session break | ||
8 | Categorical data analysis | Quiz 2 |
9 | Longitudinal designs | |
10 | Mixed methods | |
11 |
Best practice in Psychological Science |
Report part 2 |
12 | Putting it all together | |
13 | Conclusions | Quiz 3 |
Final examination period |
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
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
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.
The unit text books have changed.
Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook