ECON1005 - INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS
Introduction to
the Course
Welcome to Introductory Statistics ECON1005. You may be
mathematically inclined or you may not. Even if you are
not generally very comfortable with mathematics, you
need not feel apprehensive about this course. As the
title of the course suggests, this course introduces you
to the field of Statistics, and so, only a suitably
limited level of mathematics is used. Of course, without
mathematics we cannot study Statistics.
Course Overview
Introductory Statistics (ECON1005) is a thirteen-week,
3-credit first year course. There are no formal
prerequisites for this course. However, it is assumed
that students:
·
Are
proficient in basic arithmetic and algebra as taught in
the secondary school system.
·
Had hands
on experience with a computer.
The course is also appropriate for students who need
to:
·
Become
familiar with the language of statistics and its basic
concepts.
·
Be
comfortable in making generalizations about random
events that occur in their daily activities.
·
Develop
an increased awareness of the critical role that
statistics play in the scientific method.
The course provides you with an introduction to the
MINITAB software package which relieves you of the
burden of laborious computations and is a powerful and
versatile tool for enhancing your learning experience.
Given that MINITAB relieves the burden of performing
laborious computations, your approach must give emphasis
to the:
·
understanding of fundamental statistical concepts and
methods;
·
description of data;
·
interpretation of data;
·
displaying of data;
and not to the sterile learning and application
of complicated formulae.
Course Objectives
This course aims to provide you with a sound
introduction to the art and science of:
·
Data
collection.
·
Extraction of useful information from such data.
·
Reporting
of such information.
The course will introduce you to statistical techniques
in the core social sciences, business and the physical
sciences.
Course Content
The course is divided into three (3) parts:
Part 1: Descriptive Statistics
Unit 1: Explaining Statistics
Unit 2: Data Collection: Sampling
Unit 3: Data Presentation: Tables and Charts
Unit 4: Summarising Data: Measures of Central Tendency
and Dispersion
Part 2: Probability
Unit 5: Probability: An Exposition
Unit 6: Probability Distributions and Variance
Part 3: Inferential Statistics
Unit 7: Estimation
Unit 8: Hypothesis Testing
Unit 9: Regression and Correlation Analysis
You must always bear in mind that Statistics has a
jargon of its own, and you will not be able to
demonstrate in your examination the expected level of
familiarity with the jargon of the subject if you are
not comfortable in conversing in that jargon. Hence the
recommendation that you not only read the material but
also get into study groups to rigorously review and talk
through the material.
All the best !!
