Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Introduction to Statistical Computing

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

MATH1322

City Campus

Postgraduate

145H Mathematical & Geospatial Sciences

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2014,
Sem 1 2015,
Sem 2 2015,
Sem 1 2016,
Sem 2 2016

MATH1322

City Campus

Postgraduate

171H School of Science

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2017,
Sem 2 2017,
Sem 2 2018,
Sem 1 2019,
Sem 2 2019,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 2 2020,
Sem 1 2021,
Sem 2 2021,
Sem 1 2022,
Sem 2 2022,
Sem 1 2023,
Sem 2 2023,
Sem 1 2024,
Sem 2 2024,
Sem 1 2025

Course Coordinator: Dr Alice Johnstone

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925

Course Coordinator Email: alice.johnstone@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

Introduction to Statistical Computing is ordinarily taken in the first postgraduate year in preparation for software usage demands in the workplace. Extensive use will be made of Microsoft Excel and SAS code (including SQL syntax) to explore applied statistical problems.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for MC004 Master of Statistics and Operations Research and MC242 Master of Analytics:

Personal and professional awareness

  • the ability to contextualise outputs where data are drawn from diverse and evolving social, political and cultural dimensions
  • the ability to reflect on experience and improve your own future practice
  • the ability to apply the principles of lifelong learning to any new challenge.

Knowledge and technical competence

  • an understanding of appropriate and relevant, fundamental and applied mathematical and statistical knowledge, methodologies and modern computational tools.

Problem-solving

  • the ability to bring together and flexibly apply knowledge to characterise, analyse and solve a wide range of problems
  • an understanding of the balance between the complexity / accuracy of the mathematical / statistical models used and the timeliness of the delivery of the solution.

Communication

  • the ability to effectively communicate both technical and non-technical material in a range of forms (written, electronic, graphic, oral), and to tailor the style and means of communication to different audiences.  Of particular interest is the ability to explain technical material, without unnecessary jargon, to lay persons such as the general public or line managers.

Information literacy

  • the ability to locate and use data and information and evaluate its quality with respect to its authority and relevance.


On completion of this course you should be able to:

  1. Construct and interpret visual presentations of data;
  2. Summarise data trends and anomalies using statistical software;
  3. Apply and interpret computational procedures for inference from univariate and bivariate data;
  4. Clearly and concisely communicate data analyses results, including in the format of a scientific report.


Overview of Learning Activities

The course is designed to help students explore data using different packages that they can use for data analysis tasks they will carry out in other courses in the program and in their working life. They will be able to transfer data easily between applications. They will also be able to communicate information from the data to colleagues in simple but meaningful ways. 

This course will use a range of learning activities including recorded lectures and flexible learning resources organised into learning modules to provide the knowledge for the successful completion of assessments. Throughout the course you will be able to work both independently and in groups to aid development of your computational skills and statistical knowledge to apply to real-world data.

You will be expected to participate in online classes and online discussions to contribute to the learning experiences of your student colleagues.

Self-Directed Learning: You are expected to undertake self-directed learning activities to develop and consolidate knowledge throughout this learning experience. The activities associated with this course are designed to enable you to better develop independent learning skills to support your commitment to lifelong learning as a professional and a university graduate. The self-directed learning activities will also support your knowledge of the material covered in the formal learning program and enhance the consolidation and application of that knowledge. 

 


Overview of Learning Resources

 

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course. 

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment Tasks 

Assessment Task 1: Practical Assessments 
Weighting 30% 
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, and 3. 

Assessment Task 2: Individual Analysis and Communication Tasks 
Weighting 20% 
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

Assessment Task 3: Group Analysis and Communication Tasks 
Weighting 40% 
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

Assessment Task 4:  Module Tasks 

Weighting 10%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.