| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ayse Bilgin
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
Data is the foundation of sound business decisions. In this unit, you will learn the fundamentals of analysing, solving and communicating business problems using quantitative information. Problems and examples will be drawn from current real-world experience. The unit will cover statistical and analytics tools that transform data to provide insights for decision-making and professional practice in business and commerce. The focus will be on tools and approaches that are used in contemporary business to enhance your data literacy and technical skills. Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure |
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:
To pass this unit, you must:
There are no hurdle assessments for this unit.
We strongly encourage all students to actively participate in all learning activities. Regular engagement is crucial for your success in this unit, as these activities provide opportunities to deepen your understanding of the material, collaborate with peers, and receive valuable feedback from instructors, to assist in completing the unit assessments. Your active participation not only enhances your own learning experience but also contributes to a vibrant and dynamic learning environment for everyone.
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). 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 tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.
Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted.
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 35% | No | 14 January 2026 |
| Quantitative analysis task | 25% | No | 21 January 2026 |
| Final Exam | 40% | No | During University Examination Period |
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 14 January 2026
Weighting: 35%
An individual report where students use Excel to generate business insights, summarise and report the findings.
Assessment Type 1: Quantitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 21 January 2026
Weighting: 25%
A quantitative analysis task will be held during class time during the session.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: During University Examination Period
Weighting: 40%
Formal invigilated examination testing the learning outcomes of the unit. Students 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, i.e. the final day of the official examination period.
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
Students should enrol in the following classes each day:
The timetable for classes can be found on the University website at: https://publish.mq.edu.au
Enrolment can be managed using eStudent at: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/systems/estudent
We will communicate with you via your university email or through announcements on iLearn. Instructions for seeking assistance can be located on the STAT1250 iLearn page in a dedicated section: Unit information & resources.
The following is the set text for this unit and will be referred to in daily readings:
Business Analytics and Statistics, (Black et al., n.d.). (required)
Basic Business Statistics, (Berenson et al., n.d.). (optional)
All unit material is delivered through iLearn. The link may be found at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
| DAY | DATE | Topic |
| 1 |
Tues Dec 16 |
Introduction to data, analytics and Excel |
| 2 |
Wed Dec 17 |
Summarising data - Numerical and Graphical Summaries, including Charts in Excel |
| 3 | Thurs Dec 18 | Conditional Formatting, Sparklines and Custom Formats for Visualisations |
| SESSION BREAK | ||
| 4 |
Tues Jan 6 |
Named ranges, tables and slicers |
| 5 |
Wed Jan 7 |
Logic and Lookup Functions |
| 6 | Thurs Jan 8 | Hypothesis Tests I |
| 7 |
Tues Jan 13 |
PivotTables, PivotCharts and Data Cleaning |
| 8 |
Wed Jan 14 |
Hypothesis Tests II |
| 9 | Thurs Jan 15 | Specialised charts |
| 10 |
Tues Jan 20 |
Simple Linear Regression I |
| 11 |
Wed Jan 21 |
Simple Linear Regression II |
| 12 | Thurs Jan 22 | Multiple Linear Regression |
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 connect.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/
Academic Success 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 the Service Connect Portal, 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.
We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.
Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook