ST344 Professional Practice of Data Analysis

Please note that all lectures for Statistics modules taught in the 2022-23 academic year will be delivered on campus, and that the information below relates only to the hybrid teaching methods utilised in 2021-22 as a response to Coronavirus. We will update the Additional Information (linked on the right side of this page) prior to the start of the 2022/23 academic year.

Throughout the 2021-22 academic year, we will be adapting the way we teach and assess your modules in line with government guidance on social distancing and other protective measures in response to Coronavirus. Teaching will vary between online and on-campus delivery through the year, and you should read the additional information linked on the right hand side of this page for details of how this will work for this module. The contact hours shown in the module information below are superseded by the additional information. You can find out more about the University’s overall response to Coronavirus at: https://warwick.ac.uk/coronavirus.

All dates for assessments for Statistics modules, including coursework and examinations, can be found in the Statistics Assessment Handbook at http://go.warwick.ac.uk/STassessmenthandbook

This module has a strict cap and is currently at capacity. If you add this module to your module registration without pre-registering you will be removed.
Please complete the form here if you would like to join the waiting list to see if a place becomes available.

ST344-15 Professional Practice of Data Analysis

Academic year: 21/22
Department: Statistics
Level: Undergraduate Level 3
Module leader: Jane Hutton
Credit value: 15
Module duration: 10 weeks
Assessment: Multiple
Study location: University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

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Introductory description

This module runs in Term 1 and is only available to students with their home department in Statistics.

The student numbers on this module are strictly limited to 50 and pre-registration will be required.

Please see http://go.warwick.ac.uk/ST344 for preregistration information and selection criteria.

Module web page

Module aims

The module will introduce students to statistical problem solving and the statistical investigative cycle from problem formulation to the communication of conclusions. Students will be trained in teamwork, leadership and communication/presentation skills.

Broadly speaking, the intention of this module is to complement the more specialized and/or technical modules that our students take, by emphasising the skills needed to translate technical knowhow into professional practice.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The statistical investigative cycle
Data collection and quality
Exploratory analysis of data
Data analysis and visualisations using R
Oral presentations and academic writing skills
Writing for a non-specialist audience
Teamwork, leadership and (multinational) communication

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

Understand the elements of a statistical investigative cycle
Perform a statistical investigation for a simple problem
Produce numerical and graphical output from R to support a statistical investigation
Communicate the results of a statistical analysis in a written report and online
Understand approaches to and issues in teamwork, leadership and communication
Work effectively in a collaborative team

Indicative reading list

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

TBC

Transferable skills

TBC

Study time

Type	Required
Lectures	5 sessions of 2 hours (7%)
Project supervision	4 sessions of 30 minutes (1%)
Supervised practical classes	6 sessions of 1 hour (4%)
Online learning (independent)	16 sessions of 1 hour (11%)
Private study	9 hours (6%)
Assessment	107 hours (71%)
Total	150 hours

Private study description

Weekly recommended and wider reading, data analysis, group meetings and preparation for group activities.

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A2

	Weighting	Study time
Reflective writing on teamwork experience	10%	5 hours
Due in Term 2 Week 10. A piece of reflective writing on your team work experience during the module. Describe, critically discuss and reflect on what you have learned from the experience. This should be a personal account that describes and reflects on how you felt. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 Reflective piece should not exceed 2 pages in length.
Laboratory Report 1	5%	5 hours
Due in Term 1 Week 2. You will use R to carry out a series of tasks on provided data sets and you will present, discuss and evaluate the results. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 Laboratory Report 1 should not exceed 2 pages in length.
Laboratory Report 2	5%	5 hours
Due in Term 1 Week 4. You will use R to carry out a series of tasks on provided data sets and you will present, discuss and evaluate the results. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 Laboratory Report 2 should not exceed 2 pages in length.
Laboratory Report 3	5%	5 hours
Due in Term 1 Week 6. You will use R to carry out a series of tasks on provided data sets and you will present, discuss and evaluate the results. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 Laboratory Report 3 should not exceed 2 page in length.
Group Project Plan	5%	4 hours
Due in Term 2 Week 1. Plan for group project setting out realistic timeline with appropriate work milestones and meeting dates and provisional allocation of tasks to group members. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 Group Project Plan should not exceed 1 page in length.
Group Project Report	30%	30 hours
Due in Term 2 Week 7. A formal report, to professional standards, presenting the analysis and findings of the group from the data analysis task set. This document should be written for intelligent readers who do not necessarily have advanced statistical training. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 Group Project Report should not exceed 8 pages in length.
Individual data analysis project	30%	50 hours
Due in Term 1 Week 9. An executive summary presenting a summary of the findings to an intelligent, but not statistically trained audience. A clear statement of objectives, that is, the research questions posed. A description and critical discussion of the analysis performed to answer the research questions. A presentation and critical discussion of the findings. A bibliography listing literature and other sources. A ‘technical appendix’ in the form of either a single, annotated .Rmd file giving the details of your analysis or, if other files are needed to allow the analysis to be reproduced, a .zip archive with the .Rmd file and all other relevant files. A self-contained HTML page containing a collection of 3-4 visualisations of the data. 500 words is equivalent to one page of text, diagrams, formula or equations; your ST344 project should not exceed 6 pages in length.
Group Oral Presentation	10%	3 hours
Due in Term 2 Week 8. A 12 minute professional oral presentation of the analysis and main findings, for an audience of fellow statisticians.

Assessment group R1

	Weighting	Study time
Reassessment as an individual project	100%
This is an individual project replacing any parts of the module that need to be reassessed.

Feedback on assessment

Grades and feedback will be returned online within 20 working days of the submission deadline.
Laboratory reports and the group project plan will normally be given feedback within 5 working days.

Courses

This module is Core for:

Year 3 of USTA-G304 Undergraduate Data Science (MSci)

This module is Optional for:

USTA-G300 Undergraduate Master of Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics
- Year 3 of G300 Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics
- Year 4 of G300 Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics
- Year 4 of G300 Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics

This module is Option list A for:

Year 4 of USTA-G303 Undergraduate Data Science (with Intercalated Year)
Year 3 of USTA-G1G3 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (BSc MMathStat)
Year 4 of USTA-G1G4 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (BSc MMathStat) (with Intercalated Year)
USTA-GG14 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (BSc)
- Year 3 of GG14 Mathematics and Statistics
- Year 3 of GG14 Mathematics and Statistics
Year 4 of USTA-GG17 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (with Intercalated Year)
USTA-Y602 Undergraduate Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics
- Year 3 of Y602 Mathematics,Operational Research,Stats,Economics
- Year 3 of Y602 Mathematics,Operational Research,Stats,Economics

This module is Option list B for:

USTA-G302 Undergraduate Data Science
- Year 3 of G302 Data Science
- Year 3 of G302 Data Science
Year 3 of USTA-G300 Undergraduate Master of Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics
Year 3 of USTA-G301 Undergraduate Master of Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics (with Intercalated

Catalogue

Pre-registration

Additional Information

Resources

Feedback and Evaluation

Grade Distribution

Timetable