ST2137 review (NUS)

DISCLAIMER: firstly, i am not a professional writer, so if there are mistakes in my language, move on. secondly, the review is mostly based on opinions, so i would advise you to google for more reviews to get a diverse take on the modules you are interested in. thirdly, module details change every semester, so do not expect every assessment will stick. last but not the least, i will not talk about grades. hope this is useful for you, cheers.

ST2137: Computer Aided Data Analysis

what do you learn?

while this is a statistics module, i know there are numerous non-statistics students who took this module and found this very useful to them. this module basically teaches you to handle data by using programs such as SAS, R, SPSS. these programs are useful in more than just the statistics course of study. concepts taught and used include one-way analysis of variance, non-parametric tests, resampling, simple simulations and others. 

how are you being graded?

this module grades you on tutorial attendance, group project, midterms and finals. i can understand the need to “force” students to go for tutorial because after all the main takeaways from this module are from the tutorial classes. the group project is used as a gauge to see how you could use the three programs taught to make data analysis. ohh, a bonus grading will be participation in forum. bonus.. so even if you don’t write anything and be active on the IVLE forum, you will be fine.

my take on this module?

this module isn’t exactly difficult but i wouldn’t say it is easy as well. firstly, you are learning 3 programs. this takes time to get used to unless you have prior knowledge on how to use them. the tutorial practices are very useful in assisting you with the understanding and using of the programs. as for the project, just appreciate the thought process and what not when doing it, don’t sweat too much over it.

advices?

consistent work is needed for once you lag, the amount of doubts will definitely snowball almost instantly. it is sort of programming after all. try the tutorials before hand though i understand certain programs cannot be obtain free from the internet via legal means. the R program is free though. so at least try a little before heading for the tutorial class itself. as for the exam papers, know the basics of the program and those of the statistical concepts taught. these will help you in the true/false questions of the exams. make use of your cheatsheet and write down examples from your tutorials as subsequent questions of the papers might need them.

click here to see the modules i have read and their respective reviews. do feel free to contact me via Telegram @alvinngjh for any questions or what not.