ST130

Basic Statistics
COURSE OUTLINE

1. SEMESTER/YEAR OF STUDY: Semester 2, 2020

2. MODE OF DELIVERY/LOCATION: Face to Face (Laucala Only) and Online (all other campuses)

3. PRE-REQUISITES: Form 6 Mathematics

4. COURSE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr. Dinesh Rao

5. TEACHING TEAM

5.1 Lecturer:

Name: Dr. Dinesh Rao

Office: ICT Building A, Level 4, Room: A418
Phone: 3232603/8036181
Email: dinesh.rao@usp.ac.fj
Consultation Hours: TBA

5.2 Teaching Assistants:

Name: Name:
Office: Office:
Phone: Phone:
Email: Email:
Consultation hours: Consultation hours:

6. LECTURE TIMES & VENUE:

Face to face students:

The following are the two lectures for the face to face students:

Monday 2 pm 092-001
Monday 3 pm 092-001

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 Online students:

There will be no face to face lectures, however the recorded videos of lectures will be available
on Moodle. You are advised to watch these lecture videos and strictly follow the weekly
schedule so that you don’t get behind in your work. For each week, you have to read the
learning outcomes, the textbook notes, lecture slides and watch the lecture video available on
moodle. Later you can do the activities (Tutorial, lab, quiz and discussion forum) of the week.

7. EMERGENCY CONTACTS:
Name: Dr. MGM Khan
Phone: 3232507
Email: khan_mg@usp.ac.fj

8. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Cannot be credited with ST131 or EC203. This is a service course designed to introduce students
to statistics as a methodology for the collection, summarisation and interpretation of data. It is
aimed at students from science or social science who are not majoring in Mathematics with
Statistics Emphasis. Topics covered include descriptive statistics, measures of location and
dispersion, an introduction to probability concepts, the binomial and normal distributions,
sampling distributions, parameter estimation and hypothesis testing, simple and multiple linear
regression, design and analysis of experiments, elements of sampling. The course includes the
use of a statistical software package.

9. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explain terms and concepts in basic statistics.

2. Apply basic statistical techniques to organize, describe and analyze data.
3. Solve real life problems using probability and basic probability distributions.
4. Test mean and proportion of the population using one or more samples.
5. Measure and describe the relationship between two or more variables.
6. Analyze categorical data.

10. PROGRAM GRADUATE OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this programme, graduates should be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to use symbolic, graphical, numerical, and written representations of
mathematical ideas;
2. Use classical experimental techniques and modern measurement technology, including
analogue electronics, computer data acquisition, laboratory test equipment, optics, lasers,
and detectors to design experiment, and to properly communicate the results of their
experiment;

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 3. Communicate verbally, graphically, and/or in writing the results of theoretical calculations
and laboratory experiments in a clear and concise manner that incorporates the stylistic
conventions used by physicists worldwide;
4. Use mathematical reasoning to solve problems and a generalized problem solving process to
work word problems.

11. USP GRADUATE OUTCOMES

The USP graduate outcomes are as follows:

1. Communication: Graduates will be able to communicate ideas clearly and persuasively in

structured formats using language and other modes of communication that are appropriate
for context, audience and specific disciplinary conventions.
2. Creativity: Graduates will extend boundaries of current knowledge in a particular discipline or
profession.
3. Critical thinking and quantitative reasoning: Graduates will be able to evaluate multiple
perspectives and arrive at a reasonable independent judgement based on evidence.
4. Ethics: Graduates will demonstrate a commitment to high ethical standards in scholarly,
professional and socio-cultural practices.
5. Pacific consciousness: Graduates will recognize the cultural heritage and diversity of Pacific
societies for sustainable development in a contemporary environment.
6. Professionalism: Graduates will demonstrate the ability to carry out tasks to acceptable
standards within their profession and occupations.
7. Teamwork: Graduates will work together in a respectful and collaborative manner to
complete tasks within teams to achieve an outcome.

12. COURSE CONTENT

Focus for each week

1 1 The Nature of Probability and Statistics
1.1 Descriptive and inferential statistics
1.2 Variables and data types
1.3 Data collection and sampling techniques
2 2 Frequency Distributions and Graphs
2.1 Organizing data
2.2 Graphical presentation of data
2.3 Distribution shapes
2.4 Stem and leaf plots
3 3 Data Description
3.1 Measure of central tendency
3.2 Measure of variation
3.3 Measure of position
3.4 Exploratory data analysis
4 4 Probability I
4.1 Concepts of Probability
4.2 Addition rules of probability
5 5 Probability II
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 5.1 Conditional probability and independent events
5.2 Counting rules
5.3 Probability and counting rules
6 6 Discrete Probability Distributions
6.1 Random variables and probability distributions
6.2 Mean, variance, standard deviation and expectation
6.3 The Binomial distribution
7 7 The Normal Distribution
7.1 The Normal distribution
7.2 The Standard Normal Distribution
7.3 Applications of the normal distribution
7.4 Central limit theorem
8 8 Confidence Intervals and Sample Size
8.1 Confidence Intervals for Mean when  is known
8.2 Confidence Intervals for Mean when  is unknown
8.3 Confidence Intervals and sample size for Proportion
9 9 Hypothesis Testing I
9.1 Concepts of Hypothesis Testing
9.2 z- Test for Mean
10 10 Hypothesis Testing II
10.1 t- Test for Mean
10.2 z- Test for Proportion
11 11 Testing the difference between two Means.
11.1 z-test for two means.
11.2 t-test for two means (independent samples)
12 12 Correlation and Regression
12.1 Scatter plots and Correlation
12.2 Hypothesis testing of correlation coefficient.
12.3 Simple Linear regression
12.4 Multiple regression
13 13. The Chi-square Tests
13.1 The Chi-square Distribution
13.2 Test for goodness of fit
13.3 Test for Independence
14 14. Analysis of Variance
14.1 One-way analysis of variance
14.2 Two-way analysis of variance

13. PRESCRIBED TEXT AND OTHER RESOURCES

Students should have access to the following learning materials:

1. Prescribed Textbook: Basic Statistics: A step by step approach by Dinesh K. Rao.
(available on Moodle)
2. Reference textbook:
i. Elementary Statistics (8th ed.) by A. G. Bluman. (available in the USP Library)
ii. Introductory statistics (8th Edn) by Prem S. Mann. (available in the USP Library)
iii. Collaborative Statistics (2nd ed.) by Illowsky and S. Dean. (available on moodle)
iv. Introductory Statistics by Illowsky and S. Dean. (available on moodle)

3. Lecture notes- Recorded lectures and the lecture slides will be available on Moodle.

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 4. Online Videos- The online videos are available on Moodle for students to view and learn
more.
5. Eton Statistical table- available at the USP Book Centre.
6. FX82MS calculator- available at the USP Book Centre.

14. ALIGNMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES, ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENT

The following table demonstrates the alignment of the course learning outcomes to appropriate
activities and assessments and the links to programme and USP graduate outcomes.
Course Associated teaching and learning Assessment Programme USP
Learning Activities Outcomes Graduate
Outcome Outcome
s

1-6 Watch recorded lectures, go Test, quiz, 1-4 1,3

through the readings. Solve assignment and
problems given on tutorial/lab final exam.
sheet and participate in the
activities for the week.

15. ASSESSMENT

15.1 ASSESSMENT PORTFOLIO

TYPE OF WEIGHT Comments/Rationale LEARNING

ASSESSMENT % OUTCOMES
2 short tests, written, unrehearsed, performed under strict
supervision, with an allocated time of 50 min to respond. The
short test can comprise of multiple choices and short answer
questions

Short tests 24 1-4(L,M, H)

Rationale
- To provide feedback to students and the lecturer.
- To test students ability to solve problems individually.
- To gauge how students perform in a written test.
Assignment 10 One assignment to be submitted during the course which will 2-4(M, H)
be mostly based on the concepts taught during the lectures,

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 tutorials and labs. The assignment will comprise of short
answer questions and skills required will be to solve
problems. The assignment should be neatly typed, the soft
copy be posted on Moodle and the hard copy to be dropped
in the ST130 assignment drop box.
Rationale
- To provide feedback to students and the lecturer.
- To provide students flexibility to work on their own.
- To test students ability to solve problems.
There will be 6 sets of online quiz available on moodle for
students to complete. Attempt all the questions and submit
the quiz for marks. This will be mainly multiple-choice,
true/false, matching type questions and skills required are
defining concepts and solving problems.
Online quiz 12 1-4(L, M)
Rationale
- To provide early feedback to the students.
- To test students knowledge of theoretical concepts in
the course.
Marks will be given for participating in the Discussion Forum.
To gain this mark the student has to participate in all the
discussion forum by posting a question, or answering a
Discussion question posted by other students or just give a summary and
4 1-6(L)
Forum experience for the week’s topic.
Rationale
- To help students grasp the content.
- To create discussion amongst students

A summative assessment mostly on application of concepts

taught during the semester. This will comprise of multiple
choice, true/false, matching and short answer type questions
and will mainly require problem solving skills. The final exam
format will be provided before final exam. This will not be
Final Exam 50 1-6(L, M, H)
supervised exam and you have to complete your exam (time
limit will be there) and then upload on moodle for marking.
A MINIMUM of 40% is required for an overall pass.
Rationale
- To test students knowledge of the entire course

15.2 PASSING THE UNIT

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 In order to be awarded a pass in this unit, students must:
 Attend at least 60% of the labs (Only applicable to Face to face students).
 Attend at least 60% of tutorials (Only applicable to Face to face students).
 Attend at least 60% of the remedial tutorials (Only applicable to Face to face
students).
 Achieve an overall mark of at least 50% in the course.
 Achieve at least 40% in the final exam.

If you DO NOT comply with these criteria you are automatically deemed to have failed the
course although you will be allowed to attempt all assessments.

15.3 GRADE DISTRIBUTION

A+ A B+ B C+ C D E
85-100 78-84 71-77 64-70 57-63 50-56 40-49 0-39

15.4 ASSESSMENT POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

For detailed regulations, please refer to the USP Handbook and Calendar.

Plagiarism, copying materials from other sources without proper referencing and
acknowledge of the source is a serious offence and will be dealt with severely. In the
Regulations Governing Academic Misconduct section of the USP Handbook & Calendar
plagiarism is defined as “the copying of another person’s creative work and using it as one’s
own – without explicitly giving credit to the original creator. Work copied without
acknowledgement from a book, from another student’s work, from the internet or from any
other source”. If lecturer is satisfied that plagiarism has occurred, they will report the matter
to the Head of School. They can reduce marks appropriately. If the matter is seen as serious
enough it can be taken to the Student Disciplinary Committee by the Head of School.

16. IMPORTANT DATES

Activity Date Time Coverage Weighting (%)

Test 1 7/9/20 3pm Weeks 1-4 12
Test 2 2/11/20 3pm Weeks 8-11 12
Assignment 23/10/20 5pm Weeks 1-10 10

17. ADDITIONAL COURSE ATTENDANCE

17.1 TUTORIAL SESSIONS

Face to face students:

Sign up on Moodle for ONE tutorial session per week. Note that you must attend at least 60% of
the tutorials in order to be considered for a clear pass in this course. Tutorials start on Week 2.
The following are the tutorial times:

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 Group Day Time Room Tutor

1 Mon 11 am 014-014B
2 Mon 1 pm 093-001
3 Tue 10 am 093-001
4 Tue 2 pm 014-113
5 Wed 12 pm 093-002
6 Thu 11 am 093-201
7 Fri 11 am 003-002
8 Fri 12 pm 093-203
9 Fri 2 pm 093-207
10 Thu 8 am 014-113
11 Mon 8 am 003-002
Online students:

You will be given tutorial problems every week to complete and you are required to do these
exercises on your own. There will be no face to face tutorial sessions, however recorded videos of
tutorial solutions will be available on moodle. Please do the tutorial problems on your own and if you
face difficulties then you can watch the tutorial video solutions. (Please do not submit your answers
for marking).

Further to help the remote/online students with the tutorials in the course, we will organize for
online sessions using BIG BLUE BUTTON (BBB).

Group Day Time Room Tutor

1 Wed 9 am TL1B Dinesh

17.2 LAB SESSIONS

Face to face students:

Sign up on Moodle for one lab session per week. Note that you must attend at least 60% of the labs
in order to be considered for a clear pass in this course. Labs start on Week 2. Weekly set of exercises
will be given and students are strongly advised to work on these before attending the lab. We will
use Microsoft Excel Software to perform data analysis in the lab sessions.

The following are the lab times:

Group Day Time Lab Tutor

1 Mon 11am TL1A
2 Mon 12pm TL1A
3 Tue 11am TL1A

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 4 Tue 12pm TL1A
5 Wed 11am TL1A
6 Wed 12pm TL1A
7 Fri 1pm TL4
8 Fri 2pm TL4

Online students:

There will be no face to face lab sessions, hence no tutor to help you in the labs. You will be given
lab work every week to complete and you are required to do these on your own and if you need help
you can use the weekly discussion forum to ask questions. (Please do not submit your answers for
marking).

Further to help the remote/online students with the labs in the course, we will organize for online
sessions using BIG BLUE BUTTON (BBB).

Group Day Time Room Tutor

1 Wed 10 am TL1B Dinesh

17.3 REMEDIAL SESSIONS

This session will be compulsory for those students who are classified as at-risk students in the
course.

Extra Help (Remedial) Sessions are compulsory for students who have demonstrated prior
weak performance. Extra Help Sessions must be taken in addition to regular tutorials, and a
minimum attendance of 60% in these sessions is required to past the course. Students who
qualify for Extra Help Sessions will be notified by the Course Coordinator prior to the 3rd
week of the semester. The purpose of these sessions is to provide students who have
struggled in the past (“C“ grade or less in prerequisite courses) by providing additional contact
with teaching staff to help them succeed in the course. The type of extra help offered in these
sessions is determined by the Course Coordinator. Qualifying students will be identified by
the Faculty. Based on student marks at mid-semester, the Course Coordinator may require
struggling students to attend Extra Help Sessions during the second half of the semester.
These sessions can include extra tutorials, workshops, peer mentoring, etc.

Day Time Room Tutor

Friday 3 pm 014-014

17.4 PASS Sessions

There are no remedial sessions active in the course at the moment.

18. STUDENT SUPPORT

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18.1 ONLINE HELP & e-Learning INFORMATION

e-Learning

All course materials that will be made available on Moodle, students are encouraged to print
out notes well before time and read through it at least once so that it makes sense once
lectures a delivered.
All information and material will be provided on Moodle share for ST130 Course in the
website: http://elearn.usp.ac.fj. You may login using your SOLS username and password.
Students may either call in personally or seek help via email. Any student seeking help
relating to the course via email should include the following:

EMAIL HELP

From: <a valid student ID to be used> (Reason: When we send it to outside mail, spammers can
get hold of our address to send us junk mail and it is very time involving to scan through all
emails)
Subject: <ST130 – xxxxxxx> (This is to ensure that mail filters in my mail client is able to filter it
to the ST130 folder & I can give priority to your mail. Note we receive almost 20+ USP related
emails apart from student & personal emails!!)

18.2 FACULTY STUDENT LEARNING SUPPORT (SLS) SERVICES

FSTE Student Learning Specialists provide you with professional assistance for successful study
and help you develop as an independent active learner. Student Learning Support services are
provided at the Hub. The student support staff will:

 respond to your email requests through fstetutorsupport@usp.ac.fj.

 help you to adapt to the new environment and expectations of students at the USP.
 have one-to-one consultations with you to discuss any challenges that you may be facing in
your studies.
 connect you to mentors (study buddies) who will guide you and facilitate group discussions
with other students in your courses.
 conduct special workshops to upskill and equip you for your assessments and
examinations.( e.g. Literature Review, Report Writing, Presentation Skills, etc.) NB Check
your student webmail for advertisements.
 help you unpack and understand your assignments and tutorial questions.
 assist you with English language and mathematics basic skills.
 provide specific assistance for students with disability.
 assist students who have left school for some years (mature students).
 assist students who are not performing up to par.

ALL FSTE SLS SERVICES ARE FREE OF CHARGE

More details about the FSTE Student Learning Support can be found at:

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 Website: http://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=10950
Moodle: FSTE Student Learning Support

FSTE Student Learning Support contact information as follows:

Name Phone Email Office Location

Contact
Ms Jane Kanas (679) 323 1910 jane.kanas@usp.ac.fj SLS Hub, Laucala Campus
Ms Aluwesi (679) 323 1729 aluwesi.fonolahi@usp.ac.fj SLS Hub, Laucala Campus
Fonolahi
Ms Afshana Anzeg (679) 323 2264 afshana.anzeg@usp.ac.fj SLS Hub, Laucala Campus
Ms Prianshika Sen (679) 323 2905 prianshika.sen@usp.ac.fj SLS Hub, Laucala Campus
Mr Atishnal Chand +678 22748 atishnal.chand@usp.ac.fj DFL Office Room 8,
Emalus Campus

19 EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS

19.1 STUDENT RESPONSIBILITES

Students are expected to:

 Spend enough time on Moodle and other activities required in the course
 Print and READ the course notes from Moodle shell.
 Watch lectures and tutorial videos, and complete the activities given for each week.
 Carry out course assessment.
 Facilitate the course coordinator with any proof that he/she was sick and unable to attend
classes or assessment at the earliest possible time to avoid getting a zero mark for the
missed assessment.
 Be responsible for any damages of USP property due to negligence. (Negligence will be
assessed by the Chief Technician(s) and the Division Coordinator(s).
 Follow all guidelines stipulated in the School’s OHS regulations. (Guidelines will be provided
during the first lab session.

19.2 STUDENTS CONCERN AND REPORTING CHANNEL

The students should follow a proper channel if they have any concern in regards to this course. The
channel is:
Course Coordinator → HOS/DHOS → Staff-Student Liaison Committee → Dean/Associate Dean
If you are still not satisfied then report to your Association. But the Facebook is not an acceptable
channel.

19.3 CLASSROOM RULES

19.4 EXPECTED STUDENT WORKLOAD

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 Type
Watch Lecture videos/own
reading
Online participation
Tutorial preparation and
participation
Lab preparation/participation
Quiz participation/preparation
Attempt Assignment
Test preparation &
participation
Final exam preparation &
participation
Total
Hours Comments
4 hours to be spent on understanding the weekly concept by
56 either reading notes, attending lectures, watching lecture
videos and extra videos or materials on Moodle per week.
14 1 hours to be spent for online discussion forum per week.
2 hours to be spent every week to attempt the tutorial
39
exercises and 1 hour for participation.
1 hour to be spent every week to attempt the lab exercises
20
and 1 hour for participation.
20 1 hours for preparation and 1 hour to participate.
10 10 hours to be spent to complete the Assignment.
12 hours to be spent preparing for each test with two 50 min
26
tests.
23 The student is expected to spent about 20hrs preparing for
the final exams with a 3 hour examination at the end of the
semester.
208

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