Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor Petra Graham STAT1103@mq.edu.au School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences See iLearn for consultation hours Convenor Alissa Beath STAT1103@mq.edu.au School of Psychological Sciences See iLearn for consultation hours Convenor Connor Smith STAT1103@mq.edu.au School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences See iLearn for consultation hours
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
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.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

ULO1: Describe common research designs in psychological science and draw appropriate conclusions consistent with the research design.
ULO2: Describe statistical techniques in psychological science, including both signicance testing and effect sizes, and apply these tests appropriately to research designs.
ULO3: Conduct statistical tests appropriately, including using statistical software, and draw appropriate conclusions.
ULO4: Summarise data, both numerically and graphically, including using statistical software.
ULO5: Critically evaluate research, research designs, and statistical testing in psychological science.
ULO6: Effectively communicate research findings, both formally and informally.

General Assessment Information

You will be using the software package Stata throughout the unit including for most assessments and practical classes. See how to download Stata for free in the Delivery and Resources section, below, and in the Required Resources area of the Unit Information block in iLearn.

Requirements to pass this unit:

To pass this unit you must:

Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%, and
Participate in, and undertake all the Practice-based activities for a minimum of 10 of the 12 weekly Practical exercises

Assessment: Practice-based skills for Practical classes (0%)

During Practical exercises, completed in Practical classes, you will practice using Stata and applying knowledge gained in lectures and tutorials. You must attend the class that you are enrolled into. To pass this hurdle assessment, you must be able to demonstrate your progress in developing and communicating knowledge and skills in at least 10 out of 12 Practical exercises. This is a hurdle assessment meaning that failure to meet this requirement may result in a fail grade for the unit.

Assessment: Online quizzes (20%)

The online quizzes test your conceptual understanding and practical application of skills learned during lectures, tutorial and practical classes. More information will be available on iLearn.

Assessment: Research Report Part 1 and 2 (40%)

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.

Assignment submission is via iLearn. You should upload this as a Word or as a PDF of the Word file.
Please note the quick guide on how to upload your assignments provided on the iLearn page.
If there are technical obstructions to your submitting online, please email us to let us know well before the deadline.

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 Assessment Submission Penalty:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends and public holidays). After the 7th day, a grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled assessment quizzes/ scheduled tests/ exams, and/or presentations students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted:

Report part 1- YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Report part 2- YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
Online quizzes - NO, timed assessments must be completed by the due date unless Special Consideration is granted.

Final Exam Policy:

The final exam for this unit is scheduled to occur on Macquarie University campus. Students are expected to make themselves available for the final exam, at the date and time set by the University, in line with the Assessment Policy and Procedure. 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.

Special Consideration:

Written Assessments/Quizzes/Tests: If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the written reports or quizzes in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au

Weekly practice-based tasks for Practical classes: To pass the unit you need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills and application of knowledge in 10 out of 12 of the weekly practical classes and completion of practical exercises. If you miss your scheduled practical class due to a serious, unavoidable and significant disruption, you should attend another class that week. See the Practical Information section in iLearn for a list of classes. If it is not possible to attend another class in that week, you should request an extension to the practical deadlines by emailing STAT1103@mq.edu.au. Please do not apply for special consideration for practical classes or exercises.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Practice Based Skills for practicals classes	0%	Yes	Weekly
Online quizzes	20%	No	Weeks 3 and 8
Research Report part 1	15%	No	Week 6
Research Report part 2	25%	No	Week 10
Final Examination	40%	No	University exam period

Practice Based Skills for practicals classes

Assessment Type ¹: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task ²: 12 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

In these Practicals, students will practice a range of statistical & research design techniques. To pass this hurdle assessment, students must be able to demonstrate their progress in developing and communicating knowledge and skills by completing practical exercises.