STATS 4014 - Statistics Topic B - Honours

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

Please contact the School of Mathematical Sciences for further details, or view course information on the School of Mathematical Sciences web site at http://www.maths.adelaide.edu.au

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code STATS 4014
    Course Statistics Topic B - Honours
    Coordinating Unit Mathematical Sciences
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assessment Ongoing assessment 30%, exam 70%
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Patricia Solomon

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    In 2016, the topic of this course is Advanced Statistical Inference.

    Syllabus:

    This course is about modern statistical theory and practice. 1. Statistical inference: cumulants, the cumulant generating function, natural exponential family models, minimal sufficient statistics, completeness, the multi-parameter profile likelihood. 2. Model choice: principles of model selection, cross-validation (CV), model misspecification and the Kullback-Leibler criterion, Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC).
    3. Bootstrap methods: the non-parametric bootstrap for estimating sampling distributions, other types of bootstrap, bootstrap confidence intervals. 4. Missing data: types of missingness, publication bias, the Expectation-Maximisation (EM) algorithm. 5. Generalised linear models: density and link functions, estimation and inference, the analysis of deviance. Applications: throughout the course, applications will be made to a range of subject areas using the statistical package R.

    Pre-requisites: Mathematical Statistics III (STATS 3006) and Statistical Modelling III (STATS 3001), or equivalent knowledge.

    Learning Outcomes:

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

    1. demonstrate their understanding of advanced principles of mathematical statistical inference;
    2. understand the principles of model selection and conduct model selection methods such as cross-valudation using R;
    3. demonstrate their understanding of bootstrap inference and apply bootstrap methods of estimation in practice;
    4. recognise the different types of missing data, conduct inference for missing data and apply the EM algorithm; and
    5. demonstrate understanding of the theory generalised linear models and fit GLMs to data.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    All
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    All
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    All
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    2,3,4,5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    All
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    There are no required resources for this course.
    Recommended Resources
    The main reference text for the course is the following book by Anthony Davison. The other texts provide more detail on each topic and all these books are in the Barr Smith library:

    1. Statistical models. A.C. Davison. CUP, 2008.

    2. The elements of statistical learning, Second edition. T. Hastie, R. Tibshirani and J. Friedman, Springer, 2009.

    3. Model selection and multimodel inference, Second edition. K.P. Burnham and D. Anderson, Springer, 2010.

    4. Bootstrap methods and their application. A.C. Davison and D. Hinkley, CUP, 1997.

    5. Generalized linear models, Second edition. P. McCullagh and J. Nelder, Chapman and Hall/CRC, 1989.

    6. Modern applied statistics with S, Fourth edition. W. Venables and B. Ripley, Springer. 2002.
    Online Learning
    The course will have an active MyUni website.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The lecturer guides the students through the course material in 30 lectures. Students are expected to engage with the material in the lectures. Interaction with the lecturer and discussion of any difficulties that arise during the lecture is encouraged. Fortnightly assignments help students strengthen their understanding of the theory and practical work, and to help them gauge their progress.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.



    Activity
    Quantity Workload hours
    Lectures 30 90
    Assignments 5 50
    Test 1 16
    Total 156
    Learning Activities Summary
    Lecture Outline

    1. Modern statistical inference (lectures 1-8)
    2. Model choice (lectures 9-15)
    3. Bootstrap methods (lecture 16-20)
    4. Missing data (lectures 21-25)
    5. Generalised linear models (lectures 26-30)
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment task Task type     Due Weighting Objective Assessed
    Assignments Formative and summative Weeks
    3,5,7,8,12
    20% all
    Test Summative Midsemester 10% 1,2
    Examination Summative Examination
    period
    70% all
    Assessment Related Requirements
    An aggregate mark of at least 50% is required to pass the course.
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment Task Distributed Due Weighting
    Assignment 1 Week 1 Week 3 4%
    Assignment 2 Week 3 Week 5 4%
    Assignment 3 Week 5 Week 7 4%
    Assignment 4 Week 7 Week 9 4%
    Assignment 5 Week 9 Week 11 4%
    Test Midsemester 10%
    Final exam Examination period 70%
    Submission
    1. All written assignments are to be submitted to the designated hand-in boxes within the School of Mathematical Sciences, or to the lecturer, with a signed cover sheet attached.
    2. Late assignments will not be accepted unless with by prior agreement with the lecturer. Please discuss delays owing to medical or compassionate reasons with the lecturer.
    3. Marked assignments will usually be returned to students within two weeks of submission.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M11 (Honours Mark Scheme)
    GradeGrade reflects following criteria for allocation of gradeReported on Official Transcript
    Fail A mark between 1-49 F
    Third Class A mark between 50-59 3
    Second Class Div B A mark between 60-69 2B
    Second Class Div A A mark between 70-79 2A
    First Class A mark between 80-100 1
    Result Pending An interim result RP
    Continuing Continuing CN

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.