CQUniversity Unit Profile
BIOL12105 Scientific Analysis and Statistics
Scientific Analysis and Statistics
All details in this unit profile for BIOL12105 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

An understanding of experimental design, statistical methods, ethics and the ability to critically analyse scientific reports is essential for graduates in the biological sciences. In this unit, you will study experimental design, ethics and commonly used statistical procedures. You will be introduced to hypothesis testing and experimental design, parametric and non-parametric analyses, one, two and multi sample analyses (including one way, two way, nested and randomised block ANOVA designs), correlation and regression, and data transformation. The learning and teaching strategy uses a clear, conceptual approach, which assumes that you have little or no statistical background.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 2
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 7
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite: SCIE11024 Science Investigation

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 3 - 2019

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Residential Schools

This unit has a Optional Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment
Weighting: 25%
2. Practical Assessment
Weighting: 25%
3. Examination
Weighting: 50%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Moodle feedback

Feedback

One student commented that they needed explanation about how to use the computer program for the second assessment.

Recommendation

A thorough walk-through tutorial explaining how to use the computer program was developed and recorded, and placed prominently on Moodle. I am not sure whether the student had problems viewing the recording, but the tutorial will be reviewed and updated if necessary for subsequent offerings.

Feedback from Email request and Moodle feedback

Feedback

A comment was provided from a student asking for feedback on drafts of assessment pieces.

Recommendation

Due to the quantitative nature of the unit and the assessment pieces, formally evaluating drafts is essentially the same as marking them (either the student has done the calculation correct or they haven't) and thus could provide unfair advantages to some students over others. Instead, I offered (and will continue to offer) generic feedback to indicate whether the student is on the right track with their choices of statistical tests and calculations.

Feedback from Email and Moodle feedback

Feedback

Several students commented that the revised lectures and supporting resources better facilitated their grasp of what can be a conceptually and computationally difficult subject matter.

Recommendation

While such comments are pleasing, the unit content and delivery will continue to be revised and improved to maximise accessibility to students from diverse educational backgrounds.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Describe the uses, pitfalls and limitations of parametric and non-parametric statistical tests
  2. Choose an appropriate statistical test for a set of data
  3. Correctly use software programs for analysing scientific data
  4. Know when experiments require ethical clearance and explain the basic principles of ethical experimentation
  5. Critique scientific reports and research proposals in terms of the quality of their experimental design
  6. Design realistic experiments with appropriate control and replicates
  7. Explain the rationale behind statistical testing and probability levels.
Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Written Assessment - 25%
2 - Practical Assessment - 25%
3 - Examination - 50%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Written Assessment - 25%
2 - Practical Assessment - 25%
3 - Examination - 50%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Statistics explained

Edition: 2nd (2012)
Authors: McKillup, Steve C.
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge Cambridge , UK
ISBN: 978-0521183284
Binding: Paperback

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
  • IBM SPSS Statistics Graduate Pack edition. Version 19 or higher.
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Andrew Irving Unit Coordinator
a.irving@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 11 Nov 2019

Module/Topic

  • Unit introduction
  • What is science, logic, and reasoning?
  • The scientific method

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 1 & 2

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 18 Nov 2019

Module/Topic

  • Types of data
  • Fundamentals of sampling and experimental design

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 3 & 4

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 25 Nov 2019

Module/Topic

  • Making decisions from data
  • The normal distribution

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 6 - 8

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 02 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

  • One sample tests
  • Two sample tests
  • Decision errors

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 9 - 10

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 09 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 16 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

  • Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
  • Multiple comparisons

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 11 & 12

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 23 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

  • Assumptions and transformations for ANOVA
  • Two-Way ANOVA

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 13 & 14

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 06 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

  • Correlation
  • Regression

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 16 & 17

Events and Submissions/Topic

Critique of a research project Due: Week 7 Friday (10 Jan 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8 Begin Date: 13 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

  • Non-parametric tests
  • Chi-square and related tests

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 19 - 20

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 20 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

  • Non-parametric correlation

Chapter

McKillup Chapter 21

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 27 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

  • Introduction to multivariate statistics
  • Principal components analysis
  • Multi-dimensional scaling
  • Cluster analysis

Chapter

McKillup Chapter 22

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 03 Feb 2020

Module/Topic

  • Choosing the right test
  • Ethics in research

Chapter

McKillup Chapters 23 & 5

Events and Submissions/Topic

Practical analysis of research data Due: Week 11 Friday (7 Feb 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12 Begin Date: 10 Feb 2020

Module/Topic

  • Unit revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 17 Feb 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Term Specific Information

Please note that this unit is delivered entirely online, and as such, will require your dedication to keep up with the lecture and unit content throughout term. The Moodle page will be a central resource for accessing content, assignment instructions, as well as the teaching staff.

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Critique of a research project

Task Description

You are required to critique the summary of a research project, using the knowledge you have gained so far in the unit.  You will be provided with a summary description of a research project that will contain flaws in the approach, experimental design, logic of thought, analysis and/or conclusions for you to consider.

In your critique submission, you will need to:
· Identify the flaws in logic, methodology, analytical approach, etc., and describe why you consider it a flaw, and
· Present your solution to remedy the flaw, if possible (if not possible, explain why).

You may present your findings as either regular prose (i.e. akin to an essay or report), as an expanded list of dot points, or as a table. Please choose whichever written format you consider will be most suited to conveying your thoughts.

There is a limit of 2000 words for this assignment.


Assessment Due Date

Week 7 Friday (10 Jan 2020) 11:45 pm AEST

Submission via Moodle


Return Date to Students

Week 9 Friday (24 Jan 2020)

Return via Moodle


Weighting
25%

Minimum mark or grade
50 %

Assessment Criteria

This assessment is worth 25 % of your overall unit grade, and will be marked according to the following criteria:

  • Flaw identification and reasoning (40 %)
  • Solutions to flaws (40 %)
  • Spelling and grammar (20 %)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submit your assignment as a Word document in Moodle. No PDF files please.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe the uses, pitfalls and limitations of parametric and non-parametric statistical tests
  • Know when experiments require ethical clearance and explain the basic principles of ethical experimentation
  • Critique scientific reports and research proposals in terms of the quality of their experimental design


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Ethical practice

2 Practical Assessment

Assessment Title
Practical analysis of research data

Task Description

You are required to evaluate the data acquired from three different experiments, suggest an appropriate statistical test for each, do the tests using the IBM SPSS statistics computer program, and interpret your results. An assessment template with the data and questions to answer will be provided on the Moodle site. You will be able to type your answers directly into this template, and resubmit the file to Moodle for assessment.


Assessment Due Date

Week 11 Friday (7 Feb 2020) 11:45 pm AEST

Submission via Moodle


Return Date to Students

Week 12 Friday (14 Feb 2020)

Return via Moodle


Weighting
25%

Minimum mark or grade
50 %

Assessment Criteria

This assessment is worth 25 % of your overall unit grade, and will be marked based on the following criteria:

  • Appropriate choice of statistical test (25 %)
  • Correct use of statistical test (50 %)
  • Correct interpretation of the outcome(s) of statistical tests (25 %)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submit your assignment as a Word document in Moodle. No PDF files please.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Choose an appropriate statistical test for a set of data
  • Correctly use software programs for analysing scientific data


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Technology Competence

Examination

Outline
Complete an invigilated examination

Date
During the examination period at a CQUniversity examination centre

Weighting
50%

Length
180 minutes

Minimum mark or grade
50 %

Exam Conditions
Closed Book

Materials
Dictionary - non-electronic, concise, direct translation only (dictionary must not contain any notes or comments).
Calculator - non-programmable, no text retrieval, silent only
Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?