GG3068: DATA ANALYSIS (2021-2022)

Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:05

Course Overview

This course is a mix of 1 hour lectures and 1 hour practical sessions using statistical analysis software (SPSS). It is very much a 'hands-on' course and a wide range of datasets are employed to give you confidence in the application of statistical techniques. The course is designed to give you the skills to undertake exploratory data analysis, test for relationships (using correlation and regression), and test for differences between sample data (from the Sciences and Social Sciences). Classical statistical analysis techniques are introduced and the value of multivariate statistics to detect patterns in complex data sets is also explored.

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	3
Term	First Term	Credit Points	15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus	Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Rachel Oien

Qualification Prerequisites

Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

Either GG2507 Skills and Techniques in Geosciences (Passed) or GG2508 Skills and Techniques in Geosciences (Passed)
Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

Topic 1: Introduction: sampling design, data types, descriptive statistics, use of data tables and charts, parametric vs. non-parametric statistics.
Topic 2: Testing for relationships: data inspection, assumptions and transformations, linear regression, multiple linear regression, correlation.
Topic 3: Testing for differences: 2 samples (t-test, Mann-Whitney and Kolmogorov-Smirnov); more than 2 samples (ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and multiple range tests).
Topic 4: Multivariate statistics: linear vs. unimodal ordination techniques; PCA and DCA; RDA and CCA.
Topic 5: Design and analysis of social surveys.
Topic 6: Synthesis: key do's and don'ts, presenting statistics, use of statistics in published work.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Alternative Assessment

2x Short Training Exercise (15% each)

Final Project Report (70%)

Alternative Resit Assessment

As for first attempt. Contact course coordinator.

Formative Assessment

Weekly practical classes supported by short training exercises and online quizzes

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Factual	Remember	ILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.