Instructions

  • Submission requirements: You must submit an HTML or PDF with your answers. You help sheet can be included as good quality, legible images in your submission, or scanned as a separate PDF.
    • Marks will be lost for poorly organised submissions — see Penalties to avoid. Use headings for each task.
  • Late submissions: Late submissions are accepted for up to three days with a 10 percentage point-per-day penalty (pro-rated to an hourly penalty of 0.42 percentage points per hour). Make sure you submit BEFORE 15:30. A 1 hour late penalty may apply to submissions that are processed by Canvas at exactly the deadline.
    • Note: You can submit as many times as you like before the deadline.
  • Use a referencing style of your choice to reference any relevant resources used as you work on your assignment. Class slides do not need to be referenced. There should be paired in-text citations and a references section at the end. For use of AI, a short “AI usage” section may be a helpful way to have an in-text citation part to pair with the reference in the reference section.

Task 1: Prepare your help sheet [1 mark]

The test and exam for STATS 330 this semester are in-person and invigilated. They are Exam Mode C, Restricted Book. Specifically, for this course, you can prepare and bring in one sheet of A4 paper (double-sided). As stated in the regulations (University of Auckland, n.d.), “material may be written or an/or marked in a relevant or contextual manner, but no prepared material may be attached to the examination script and submitted for marking as part of that examination”.

The mid semester test will take place in-class on September 13 (4:05 PM to 4:55 PM) and cover Handouts 1–8.

Prepare an A4 help sheet for this test. It can be computer generated, handwritten or any combination thereof. Include good quality images of both sides of your sheet in your submission OR attach a scan or PDF of your help sheet in an additional file. Make sure your file names are helpful and clear for the markers.

Rubric

Insufficient (0 marks) Sufficient (1 mark)

  • File or photos not included OR

  • Lots of irrelevant content / help sheet not specific to STATS 330 2024
  • A reasonably legible help sheet appropriate for the STATS 330 2024 midterm has been submitted.

Task 2: Explain your help sheet and preparation [9 marks]

Suggestion: Aim to complete this task before the test on Wednesday, September 13. Keep notes as you develop your help sheet and the work them into your answer here.

Provide an one-page ‘tour’ of your help sheet. It should be no longer than one page, and not much shorter, but no specific word count is required. Be sensible about font size.

  • Briefly introduce the context of developing this help sheet, i.e., what is STATS 330 about and what is the test covering. Aim to write this like it is for a manager of a stats or data science team in a big company who has asked you for some background. You can use technical language but you should not assume familiarity with the course.
    • ⚠️ You can’t get above 6/9 if you neglect this part!
  • Explain what you’ve chosen to include on your help sheet and why, expanding on the concepts to explain them to someone with statistics knowledge, but who isn’t familiar with STATS 330.
    • As part of this, discuss any concepts you find particularly challenging and highlight how you’re using your help sheet to help you.
Insufficient (0 to 4 marks) Satisfactory (5 to 6 marks) Good (7 to 8 marks) Excellent (9 marks)

  • Much too short OR much too long, and/or

  • Not specific to help sheet included / STATS 330 S2 2024, and/or

  • Extreme difficulty understanding the answer.

  • Some length issues, and/or

  • Shows only limited engagement with the content, and/or

  • Does not introduce the context of the course, and/or

  • Basic/limited explanation of the concepts, difficulties, and associated strategies.

  • Appropriate length, and

  • Reasonable engagement with the content, and

  • Introduced course context/test coverage (though some clarity issues allowable), and

  • Most concepts/difficulties explained reasonably clearly.
  • Appropriate length.
  • Excellent engagement with the content.
  • Clear introduction to the course content and test coverage.
  • All concepts/difficulties clearly explained.

Task 3: Post-test reflection [10 marks]

Suggestion: Aim to complete this after the test on September 13, that is between September 16 and September 20.

Write an academic reflection on your experience with the test. Your answer should be clearly specific to the STATS 330 Semester 2, 2024 test. You answer should be at least two to three paragraphs and cover the following points:

  • What worked well about your preparation for the test?

  • What were one or two main challenges you faced in your preparation or during sitting the test?

  • What, if anything, will you do differently in the lead up to the exam?

  • What is something you’re proud of in your preparation / sitting of the test?

Bullet points are fine to include, but your writing should predominantly be in full sentences, whether in points or paragraphs.

Length: It should be no longer than one page, and not much shorter, but no specific word count is required. Be sensible about font size.

This resource might be helpful to give you some more information on how to approach academic reflection and the value of this kind of task. That said, we’re tackling this at a fairly basic level.

Your technical writing skills (grammar, etc.) aren’t being marked in the assessment. Please just try to express your ideas clearly and make sure you proofread your submission. If you would like additional support with your academic English, please make sure of the English Language Enrichment resources available, including the FREE one-to-one consultations that you can bring your assessment to.

Insufficient (0 to 4 marks) Satisfactory (5 to 6 marks) Good (7 to 8 marks) Excellent (9 to 10 marks)

  • Much too short OR much too long and/or

  • Not specific to STATS 330 S2 2024 and/or

  • Extreme difficulty understanding the answer.

  • Some length issues and/or

  • Shows only limited engagement with prompts and/or

  • Basic/limited explanations.

  • Reflection has minimal personal insight.

  • Appropriate length, and

  • Reasonable engagement with the prompts, and

  • Most strategies/challenges explained reasonably clearly.

  • Reflection shows some personal insight.
  • Appropriate length and
  • Excellent engagement with the prompts.
  • All strategies/difficulties clearly explained.
  • Reflfection thoughtful and perosnal insights.

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Penalties to avoid ⚠️⚠️⚠️

  • -1 mark for missing/incomplete references. Make sure you have both an in-text citation and then also the associated full reference in your references section. UoA/WTR has a resource called QuickCite to help you.
  • Up to -2 marks for poor formatting (unless extreme issues).

AI usage

Generative AI (Google, 2024) was used to assist with formatting references in APA style.

References

The University of Auckland. (n.d.). Book designations for examinations. Retrieved from https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/staff/education-office/learning-teaching-policies/guidelines-assessments/book-designations-exams.html