Computer Science, Prifysgol Cymru Aberystwyth University of Wales

CS10510 (1995-96 session)
Computer Packages for Analysing and Presenting Data

Brief Description

This module is designed primarily for students in the Faculty of Science, but is also suitable for students studying Accounting or Economics.

Throughout, the emphasis is on the use of the computer system as a tool to facilitate the presentation and analysis of data gained, perhaps, by experiment or field-work.

On successful completion of the module students will be able to use a spreadsheet, a simple statistical package, and a graphics package.

Aims, Objectives, Syllabus, Booklist

Further Details

Number of lectures

24

Number of seminars/tutorials

0

Number of practicals

10 x 2 hours

Coordinator

Dr. John Hunt

Other staff involved

Not yet known

Pre-requisites

A grade C or better in GCSE Mathematics (or equivalent). CS10010 or equivalent knowledge and experience.

Co-requisites

None

Incompatibilities

Not available to students who have studied A-level Computing (or equivalent). CS11010

Assessment

Assessed coursework - 50%
Written exam - 50%
To pass the module, both components must be passed.
There will be three practical assignments (one on each package), and students will be required to keep a practical file. The best three of these four pieces of work will provide the coursework assessment.

Timing

This module is offered only in Semester 2

This module provides an introduction to three very different packages:

• a microcomputer spreadsheet package (Excel)
• a statistics package (Minitab on a mainframe)
• a mainframe graphics suite (Uniras)

Minitab is command driven, while the other two are menu driven, with a graphical user interface.

The philosophy of the course will be to provide students with tools that they can use elsewhere in their studies.

Objectives

On successful completion of this module, students should:

• be familiar with the way a variety of packages and their online help systems work, which should enable them to come to terms with a different package more easily;
• be aware of the capabilities of each of the packages taught.

With their own material, students should be able to:

• use Excel to set up (or modify) a spreadsheet to do totalling and other calculations; produce summaries and charts from the figures involved;
• explore a data set and use simple methods to analyse and present the information it contains using Minitab;
• use Uniras to produce and manipulate maps and graphs from data.

Excel - 8 Lectures, 4 Practicals

overview of spreadsheets; entering and formatting information; formulae and functions; copying cell contents; manipulating a (large) spreadsheet; why spreadsheets?

Minitab - 8 Lectures, 3 Practicals

overview of the package; some MINITAB commands; use of HELP facility; input of data files; data manipulation and correction; exploratory data analysis.

Uniras - 8 Lectures, 3 Practicals

introduction to the suite; archiving and printing; Unigraph: data organisation and input; data operators (including slice and reshape ); graphs and groups; Unimap: interpolation; types of map; viewpoint.

Debriefing -

Some lecture time each week will be devoted to a debriefing on the previous practical.

Version 1.5

John Hunt Departmental Advisor