Module Identifier RS21810  
Module Title STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR RURAL STUDIES  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Dr Malcolm H Leitch  
Semester Semester 1  
Course delivery Lecture   44 Hours 22 x 2 hour combined lecture and practical sessions  
Assessment Semester Exam   3 Hours 3-hour written examination Outcomes assessed: 1, 2, 3   40%  
  Semester Assessment   Assignment Outcomes assessed: 1, 2, 3   60%  
  Supplementary Exam   3 Hours   100%  

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module students will be able to:

i) identify appropriate methods of analysis for different types of data.

ii) demonstrate competence in data analysis using a range of statistical methods.

iii) draw suitable conclusions based on the results of data analysis.

Aims

To develop an appreciation of the role of statistical analysis in the interpretation of experimental data.
To develop skills in the use of a range of commonly used statistical techniques.

Content

A practical course with short explanatory lectures. Content will vary to some extent in response to the specific needs of individual courses. Content includes probability, a description of the normal distribution, parametric tests based on samples drawn from normally distributed populations including t-test and one-way and multi-way ANOVA. Correlation and regression. Non-parametric methods will include chi-square analysis of frequencies, contingency tables, Mann-Whitney and Spearman Rank correlation.

Transferable skills

.3 Use and analysis of numerical information
   Data analysis using a range of statistical methods represents the module content.

.7 Self management
   Students are responsible for meeting deadlines in presentation of practical exercises.

Reading Lists

Books
Fowler, J. (1998) Practical statistics for field biology. 2nd. Wiley