- An undergraduate course
in
Mathematics and Statistics.
Practical modern statistics
- On this page
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | M249 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 9 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| No residential school | |
The course provides an introduction to four major topics of modern applied statistics: medical statistics, time series, multivariate analysis, and Bayesian statistics. It’s ideal if you’ve already studied a general introductory statistics course and wish to broaden your knowledge of the field. The course emphasises underlying principles and practical applications rather than technical details. Use of the computer is an essential component – the course includes SPSS and WinBUGS software, which you’ll use to analyse data and develop your understanding of statistics. To study this course you should have a sound knowledge of basic mathematics as provided by the appropriate Level 1 module, and statistical competence at the level developed by the appropriate Level 2 study.
Modules at Level 2 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
Register for the course
What you will study
The course begins with an Introduction to statistical modelling in which the statistical prerequisites are reviewed and the statistical software package SPSS is introduced (you can view or download this unit) . Then the four topics of the course are introduced in successive books, each with associated computer material.
Book 1 Medical statistics describes how to identify factors associated with disease, and includes topics such as cohort and case-control studies; investigating sources of bias; randomised trials; and meta-analysis.
Book 2 Time series covers methods for analysing data collected over time, and forecasting future values using exponential smoothing and ARIMA models.
Book 3 Multivariate analysis discusses statistical methods for presenting and analysing data on several variables, with sections on principal component analysis and discrimination.
Book 4 Bayesian statistics introduces the Bayesian approach to statistics, in which expert knowledge can be incorporated into statistical models. This approach has become very popular in recent years, in part owing to the availability of special statistical software such as WinBUGS, which is used in this course.
Finally, a Review unit takes a look back at the course as a whole.
The course is illustrated with practical examples and real data sets from a range of subject areas, including epidemiology, economics, education, genetics, and environmental science. Numerous activities and exercises, also based on real data, are used to illustrate the methods and develop statistical modelling and critical assessment skills.
You will learn
Successful study of this course should improve your skills in analysing and interpreting data, communicating statistical ideas clearly and succinctly, and in using professional software.
Entry
This is a Level 2 statistics course and you need to have a good knowledge of the subject area obtained either through Level 1 study with the OU or equivalent work at another university.
You require a good knowledge of statistical ideas and methods at an introductory level. The statistical prerequisites are revised in the Introduction to statistical modelling. They include: graphical and numerical data summaries; the basic statistical distributions including the normal, exponential, uniform, binomial and Poisson distributions; confidence intervals and significance tests, correlations and contingency tables. No knowledge of regression is required. If you have taken Analysing data (M248) you should have the required statistical background.
The course also requires a mathematical knowledge similar to that expected in an introductory statistical course such as Analysing data (M248). If you have passed M248, or Using mathematics (MST121) or, from February 2014, Essential mathematics 1 (MST124), your mathematical knowledge should be ample. You are expected to be familiar with mathematical notation, to be able to follow short algebraic arguments, to handle the logarithm and exponential functions, and to use formulae. No knowledge of calculus, differentiation or integration is required.
Please note that it is our experience that you are more likely to complete this Level 2 course successfully if you have acquired your prerequisite knowledge through passing these Level 1 and 2 courses.
You are assumed to have some experience of using a computer.
If you would like more information about this course, you can view or download the first unit Introduction to statistical modelling here. A diagnostic quiz that will enable you to determine whether you are adequately prepared for this course can also be found on the Stats Choices website. This website also contains more information about the statistics courses available to you.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer. If you are sight-impaired, you may need assistance from a sighted helper for working with SPSS and WinBUGS. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Services for disabled students website for more information, including:
- help to determine your study requirements and how to request the support that you need
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
- using a computer for OU study
- equipment and other support services that we offer
- examination arrangements
- how to contact us for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Course books, DVD, website, and online forums.
You will need
A calculator.
You require access to the internet at least once a week during the course to download some essential course resources and to keep up to date with course news.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course. It includes online activities – you can access using a web browser – and some course software provided on disk.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer running Windows since 2007 you should have no problems completing the computer-based activities.
- A netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device is not suitable for this course – check our Technical requirements section.
- If you have an Apple Mac or Linux computer – please note that you can only use it for this course by running Windows on it using Boot Camp or a similar dual-boot system.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you are expected to complete it all. But if you unavoidably miss or do badly in an assignment, some courses allow you a ‘substitution score’ for this assignment. In M249, this rule can apply to one tutor-marked assignment only. You will be given more detailed information when you begin the course.
Please note that TMAs for all undergraduate mathematics and statistics courses must be submitted on paper as – due to technical reasons – we are unable to accept TMAs via our eTMA system.
Professional recognition
This course may help you to gain recognition from a professional body. You can view or download our Recognition leaflets 3.6 Institute of Mathematics and its Application and 3.11 Other organisations for further information.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Student Reviews
“Course material - at the time that I took this course, it was separated into 4 blocks: Medical Statistics, Time ...”
Read more
“A highly enjoyable course - and I'm a professional statistician who took this course only for the Bayesian inference module. ...”
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information read Distance learning explained.
Undergraduate
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | M249 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 9 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| No residential school | |
Course satisfaction survey
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