HSH746 - Biostatistics 1

Unit details

Year

2026 unit information

Enrolment modes:

Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Community Based Delivery (CBD)*, Online
Trimester 3: Burwood (Melbourne), Online

Credit point(s):1
EFTSL value:0.125
Unit Chair:Trimester 1: Julie Abimanyi-Ochom & Raymond Siew
Trimester 3: Tanita Botha
Prerequisite:

Nil

Corequisite:Nil
Incompatible with: HSH946
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment:

Online independent and collaborative learning including 1 x 2 hours on-campus or online practical experience (computer practical) each week

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment:

Online independent and collaborative learning including 1 x 2 hour online practical experience (computer practical) each week

Typical study commitment:

Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Note:

*National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute students only.

Content

In this introductory unit on biostatistics, students will explore the philosophical basis of statistical thought, examine fundamental statistical concepts and methods and explore their application in a variety of health settings. The delivery of the Unit is designed to facilitate the syntheses of the basic components of learning through practical exercises, statistical computing labs and the application of biostatistical techniques to realistic health-related data. The main topic areas covered will include: descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, comparison of means, inference on proportions, contingency tables, correlation and basic regression concepts.

Learning outcomes

ULO These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:

Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)

ULO1

Identify the basic data types and summarise them.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

ULO2

Critique basic sample designs.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

ULO3

Apply basic statistical analysis techniques using statistical software and interpret the results.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO3: Digital literacy

ULO4

Calculate and interpret confidence intervals.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO3: Digital literacy

ULO5

Apply regression techniques to study the association between variables.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO3: Digital literacy

ULO6

Conduct a statistical analysis which integrates different statistical techniques and interpret the results.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO2: Communication
GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO6: Self-management

Assessment

Assessment description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week
Assessment 1: Data manipulation and analysis Equivalent to 1000 words 20%
  • Week 5
Assessment 2: Data manipulation, analysis and interpretation Equivalent to 1500 words 30%
  • Week 9
Assessment 3: Examination 2 hours 50%
  • End-of-unit assessment period

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning resource

There is no prescribed text. Unit materials are provided via the unit site. This includes unit topic readings and references to further information.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.

To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.

Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.

Unit Fee Information

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

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