Course content

Population and sample, descriptive statistics, probability, discrete random variables, probability mass functions, continuous random variables, probability densities, estimation, parametric hypothesis testing, non-parametric hypothesis testing

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

After successful completion of this course the student should understand the concepts of

• population and sample.
• descriptive statistics, probability and probability distributions.
• point estimation and confidence interval estimation.
• hypothesis testing, null and alternative hypotheses, critical values, p-values, type I and type II errors.
• parametric and non-parametric tests.

Skills:

After successful completion of this course the student should be able to

• compute and interpret measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode).
• calculate and understand measures of dispersion (variance, standard deviation, range).
• solve problems involving basic probability concepts and rules.
• use probability distributions to compute probabilities for ranges of outcomes.
• construct and interpret confidence intervals for proportions, rates and means.
• conduct hypothesis tests for proportions, rates and means.
• conduct non-parametric tests of hypotheses.
• interpret p-values and make decisions based on them.
• construct and interpret confidence intervals involving two populations.
• conduct hypothesis tests for the comparison of two populations.

General competence:

After successful completion of this course the student should have

• familiarity with the use of statistical software to perform analyses and generate results.
• understanding of the limitations and assumptions of statistical methods.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercises. Approved exercises from the same or previous year are required to sit for the exam.

Compulsory assignments

• Approved exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

High School Degree in Mathematics.

Required previous knowledge

Master's degree or similar. The course is also open for medical and master's students at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Candidates with a lower degree will be assessed individually.

Course materials

Rosner, B: "Fundamentals of Biostatistics", 8th ed. 2015