Course Descriptions

HSC 534: Biostatistics II

Biostatistics II is designed to teach the basic principles of biostatistics with applications in public health. This is the 2nd course in biostatistics for students who will use the knowledge they acquire to enable them to continue learning more advanced techniques in future statistical and biostatistical course work. The course can also be served as base course in biostatistics for students who will use the knowledge they acquire to understand the biostatistical methods used in journal articles, interact effectively with professional biostatisticians in collaborative endeavors. The course will cover statistical distributions, estimation and hypothesis testing, bivariate analysis. The students will learn the statistical theory and how to apply the theory for solving problems in public health. A central objective is to provide students with hands on experience in using the software programme Stata to perform the various statistical analyses and to interpret results.
Student who successfully complete this course will be able to
  • discuss and explain what biostatistics is and how it is used in the field of public health
  • Use statistical reasoning to formulate public health questions in quantitative forms
  • formulate research hypothesis and perform the test to provide answer of the many research questions
  • Grasp and utilize basics aspects of Stata techniques; understand and apply (using Stata) basic statistical tests in order to make valid conclusion
  • understand the common statistical techniques and terminology used in studies that are presented in the health related journals
  • participate in on line discussions about any topic or subject using skills developed in this course
Biostatistics I.
  1. It is the student’s responsibility to attend the class. Regular class attendance is mandatory. Grades allocated for class attendance and participation will be proportionately taken off due to missed classes. According to IUB policy, students must enter the classroom within the first 15 minutes of the class to get the attendance submitted.
  2. The date and syllabus of class assignment, midterm and final exam is already given here, however, announcements will bemade ahead of time. There is NO provision for make-up exams except emergency.
  3. The class materials for each class will be given prior to that class so that student may have a cursory look into the materials. Course will be uploaded in the IUB Course Management and Operating System (CMOS) website ahead of the class.
  4. Students may take tutorials with the instructor during the office hours. Prior appointment is required.
  5. Students must maintain the IUB code of conduct and ethical guidelines offered by the school of Public Health.
  1. Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences, 10th Edition- by Wayne W. Daniel, Chad L. Cross
  2. Additional reading materials will be distributed in class
Students will be assessed on the basis of their overall performance in all the exams, in-class assignment and class participation. Final grade will be rewarded based on the following:
• Class attendance and participation : 10%
• Class assignment performance : 10%
• Midterm exam: 40%
• Final exam : 40%
The following chart will be followed for grading. However, the course instructor may use overall distribution of the cumulative marks and define appropriate cut-offs for final letter grade.
A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F
90-100 85-89 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 0-44
Plagiarism – that is, the presentation of another person’s thoughts or words as student’s own without appropriate acknowledgement–must be strictly avoided. Cheating and plagiarism on exam and assignments are unacceptable.
Please see the Green Bookfor further information about academic regulation and policies, including withdrawal and grading, appeals and penalties for plagiarism and academic misconduct.
Students with disabilities are required to inform the MPH program manager for any specific requirement for classes or examination as soon as possible.
Awarding of Incomplete or ‘I’ grades should be strongly discouraged. ‘I’ will only be allowed for students who have a valid reason (ascertained by the senior management). In situations where the student is unable to complete the course due to unanticipated illness or family emergency and has not attended at least 75% of the classes held, he/she will be asked to withdraw from that course and repeat it. In unavoidable circumstances where students have completed 75% of the classes but are unable to continue (due to illness or family emergency), incomplete grade of ‘I’ may be granted. Incomplete course has to be completed by the end of the next semester, otherwise grade ‘I’ automatically becomes grade ‘F’. The student is not required to register for the course in the next semester.
A ‘W’ grade means withdrawal. A student may decide to withdraw from a course by the University wide deadline. Students must apply to the Program Office for withdrawal from a course with the permission of the concerned course instructor, Academic Advisor, and the Dean. Withdrawal from only one course in a semester is allowed but the students should provide valid reason along with documents while applying for the withdrawal.
A student can misses a maximum of 8 classes for a particular course. After that the course will be automatically withdrawn. A student automatically withdrawn from a course will NOT be allowed to UNDO it under any circumstances.
Change of grade is strongly discouraged. However, an instructor may request a change of grade when a computational or procedural error occurred in the original assignment of a grade. Instructor must submit the ‘Grade Change Form’ to the respective program office within one month of submitting the final grade rolls. A Grade change has to be requested within 1 month of the day of publishing the grades.