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GG3068: DATA ANALYSIS (2016-2017)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

This course is a mix of 1 hour lectures and 1 hour practical sessions using statistical analysis software (SPSS). It is very much a ‘hands-on’ course and a wide range of datasets are employed to give you confidence in the application of statistical techniques. The course is designed to give you the skills to undertake exploratory data analysis, test for relationships (using correlation and regression), and test for differences between sample data (from the Sciences and Social Sciences). Classical statistical analysis techniques are introduced and the value of multivariate statistics to detect patterns in complex data sets is also explored.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Session First Sub Session Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Dmitri Mauquoy

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either GG2507 Skills and Techniques in Geosciences (Passed) or GG2508 Skills and Techniques in Geosciences (Passed)
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

  • Topic 1: Introduction: sampling design, data types, descriptive statistics, use of data tables and charts, parametric vs. non-parametric statistics.
  • Topic 2: Testing for relationships: data inspection, assumptions and transformations, linear regression, multiple linear regression, correlation.
  • Topic 3: Testing for differences: 2 samples (t-test, Mann-Whitney and Kolmogorov-Smirnov); more than 2 samples (ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and multiple range tests).
  • Topic 4: Multivariate statistics: linear vs. unimodal ordination techniques; PCA and DCA; RDA and CCA.
  • Topic 5: Design and analysis of social surveys.
  • Topic 6: Synthesis: key do's and don'ts, presenting statistics, use of statistics in published work.

Further Information & Notes

Teaching on this course is progressive and practical. Therefore attendance at all classes is compulsory. Absence must be covered according to standard University procedures.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: 100% coursework - Students complete 3x short assignments (each worth 10%), plus one longer assignment (worth 70%).

Resit: Resubmission of failed project work, with the mark for those components to be capped at CAS 9

Formative Assessment

There is no stand-alone, formal formative assessment. However, feedback on summative assessments should help students to improve their subsequent performances within the course.

Feedback

Students receive individual, written feedback on their coursework using standard comment sheets. We also provide whole-class feedback in class meetings and via MyAberdeen, covering generic issues and running through model answers.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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