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Bespoke Training: Understanding Statistical Analysis

Statistics for Non-Statisticians

Overview

Increasingly, public sector organisations are turning to statistics to help drive performance, improve decision making and deliver better services. Within this growing dependency on statistics, there is an increasing need for more professionals to be able to think in a more statistical way.

By booking this Understanding Statistical Analysis course for your teams In-House, you will gain the skills to mitigate risk when making decisions, confidently analyse data reports and develop effective forecasting strategies.

This course gives professionals with a limited understanding of statistics the confidence to make more effective decisions based on statistical reports produced by analysts and researchers.

Learning Outcomes

  • Ensure full compliance with the latest GDPR regulations

  • Learn how to share information whilst ensuring the highest standards of data protection

  • Understand and overcome the legal risks associated with data protection law

  • Create an action plan to effectively comply with highest standards of information governance



All the Understanding ModernGov courses are Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certified,
with signed certificates available upon request for event.


Enquire About In-House Training

To speak to someone about a bespoke training programme, please contact us:

0800 542 9414
InHouse@moderngov.com



Agenda

09:15 - 09:45 Registration

09:45 - 10:00 Trainer's Welcome & Clarification of Learning Objectives

The Trainer will introduce the main concepts to be covered during the course, including:

  • Types of data and common distributions

  • Measuring and understanding variation

  • Trends and prediction

10:00 - 10:45 First Steps: Some Basic Statistical Terms

  • What is statistical thinking and why does it matter?

  • Types and examples of quantitative data: continuous, categorical, count

  • Some common distributions in the real world, e.g., normal, bimodal, uniform, skewed

  • When averages are misleading

  • Key terms such as mean, mode, median, percentile, standard deviation, range, ratio, probability and risk, odds, accuracy vs precision

10:45 - 11:00 Morning Break

11:00 - 12:00 Understanding Variation 1: Describing Variation and Randomness

  • Quantifying variation

  • What is randomness? Why and when is it a problem

  • Exercise: quick demo of randomness in action

  • The role of chance and how to assess it (hypothesis testing)

  • Exercise on assessing how much variation exists between units

12:00 - 13:00 Understanding Variation 2: Sampling Strategies and Bias

  • Options for surveying customers and staff: sampling strategies

  • Measurement error and precarious data

  • Exercise: how satisfied are my customers?

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch

14:00 - 14:45 Associations and Trends

  • Correlation vs causation

  • The linear trend: concept of least squares and choosing line of best fit

  • Types of trends: linear, exponential rise or fall, step change, seasonal, other non-linear

  • Exercise: what’s the trend here?

14:45 - 15:00 Afternoon Break

15:00 - 16:00 Forecasting and Getting it Wrong

The Chair will facilitate a group discussion around the ways in which forecasts can go wrong, and the ways to reduce the risk of this happening

  • Extrapolating from a linear trend

  • Measures of prediction uncertainty

  • Group discussion: why do forecasts go wrong? How can we reduce the risk of this happening?

  • Overcome common cognitive biases

  • Exercise on putting it all together: which team deserves a bonus?

16:00 - 16:15 Feedback, Evaluation & Close

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