This course aims to facilitate an understanding of basic statistical techniques used for the analysis of financial and investment data.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Explain and use basic financial statistical techniques and concepts to analyse financial and investment data;
2. Solve problems using the principles of probability;
3. Recognise and use different statistical distributions;
4. Perform calculations and interpret results of a variety of estimation techniques;
5. Conduct and explain the results of a hypothesis test;
6. Carry out and interpret an analysis of variance test and compare the difference between two or more sets of data; and,
7. Apply and interpret regression models.

Research-Led Teaching

Statistics provides a way of analysing and understanding data and the variability present in data. Hence statistics is a necessary backbone for almost every area of research. This course will take examples from business, finance and science to introduce fundamental statistical concepts to prepare students for future courses and research projects.

Examination Material or equipment

Access to a computer & scanner.

Required Resources

No compulsory textbooks. You can choose your preferred introductory to statistics books as an additional resource if you wish.

Recommended Resources

Statistics for Management & Economics by Gerald Keller is available as an ebook via ANU library and can be found via this link https://library.anu.edu.au/record=b6752644.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Assessment Requirements

1. As a further academic integrity control, students may be selected for a 15 minute individual oral examination of their written assessment submissions.
2. Any student identified, either during the current semester or in retrospect, as having used ghostwriting services will be investigated under the University’s Academic Misconduct Rule.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Pre-intensive Oct 4 - Oct 31 Topics: Descriptive statistics. Probability. Discrete random variables. Continuous random variables. Sampling distributions. Designed for self-study. Read lecture materials and view videos on each topic. Follow by completing Tutorial questions on your own or in a study group.	Wattle Quizzes 1 and 2
2	Intensive Nov 01 - Nov 05 Topics: 6. Estimation. 7. Hypothesis testing. 8. Comparing two populations. 9. Simple linear regression 10. Multiple linear regression
3	Post-intensive Nov 8 - Dec 3 Self-study. Review materials and prepare for your Assessment items.	Problem set Final exam

Tutorial Registration

No tutorial registration is needed for the course.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Wattle Quiz 1	15 %	18/10/2021	25/10/2021	1, 2, 3, 4
Wattle Quiz 2	15 %	31/10/2021	07/11/2021	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Problem Set	30 %	22/11/2021	29/11/2021	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Final Exam	40 %	06/12/2021	20/12/2021	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students are recommended to be available to join the online live Zoom sessions during the one-week intensive period but this will not be mandatory. Outside of the one-week intensive period, students are expected to use the materials available on Wattle to learn on their own. It is advised to regularly check Wattle for updated information. The teaching format will be online live lectures during the intensive period (recorded) via Zoom and pre-recorded recordings outside of the intensive period (available on Wattle).

Examination(s)

See above for examination details.

Assessment Task 1

Wattle Quiz 1

This quiz will cover topics 1 and 2 of the course. The quiz will be released no later than two weeks before the due date, is completed individually, and is not redeemable. It will be conducted using the Wattle quiz tool. Each student will have only one attempt (before the deadline), but the attempt is not timed (i.e student can take as much time as needed), so students are strongly encouraged to do the quiz while studying the materials.

Assessment Task 2

Wattle Quiz 2

This quiz will cover topics 3, 4 and 5 of the course. The quiz will be released no later than two weeks before the due date, is completed individually, and is not redeemable. It will be conducted using the Wattle quiz tool. Each student will have only one attempt (before the deadline), but the attempt is not timed (i.e students can take as much time as needed), so students are strongly encouraged to do the quiz while studying the materials.

Assessment Task 3

Problem Set

The problem set will cover topics discussed in the intensive week of the class. The problem set will be released no later than two weeks before the due date, is completed individually, and is not redeemable. Students will upload the work via TurnItIn.

Assessment Task 4

Final Exam

A take-home final exam will be held at the end of the course. The exam will be open from 1PM (Canberra time) Friday 3 Dec and close at 5PM Monday 6 Dec. Each student can attempt at any time in this period but once starting the exam, a student only has 24-hour to upload the solution to Wattle. The final exam can potentially cover every topic of the course. Students are not allowed to discuss the final exam with anyone except with the lecturer via email.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity.

Hardcopy Submission

Online submissions via Turnitin only.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned to students via Wattle.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Once submitted, any part of the assessments may not be resubmitted.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students