• Logo

Introduction to Statistics without Maths: Descriptive Statistics

Break down complex datasets into easy-to-understand insights with this online course from the University of Lincoln.

Bar Chart

Introduction to Statistics without Maths: Descriptive Statistics

  • 2 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Dive into the dynamic world of data science

In today’s world, data is everywhere and holds tremendous power. Knowing how to make sense of data can feel overwhelming, particularly if you don’t have a maths background.

By taking this two-week, online course from the University of Lincoln, you’ll gain the necessary foundational skills to analyse and interpret complex datasets effectively in real-world settings.

Upon finishing this course, you can take other statistics courses from the University of Lincoln, including Learn Descriptive Statistics without Maths: Basic Inferential Statistics.

Get to know the basics of descriptive statistics and data structures

At the beginning of this course, you’ll delve into the fundamentals of descriptive statistics, learning key statistical concepts, such as central tendency and dispersion.

To effectively interpret and describe data, you’ll grasp how to understand variables, basic types of data and data structures, and how these datasets are stored.

Explore measures of dispersion to advance your understanding of data visualisation

You’ll explore the basic measures of dispersion, including range, maximum and minimum, and variance, to make informed decisions and draw reliable conclusions from your datasets.

By learning these concepts, you’ll feel confident in your ability to dissect data effectively and make actionable decisions.

Learn from the University of Lincoln’s Experts on Statistics

The University of Lincoln’s experts on Statistics has developed innovative approaches to teaching statistical concepts. They will be there to guide you throughout this course.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a fundamental understanding of statistics without maths which will aid in your interpretation of data analytics.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 2 seconds Welcome to the Statistics without Maths courses. These are four courses where we’ll teach you fundamental statistic concepts and techniques to bring data to life so that you can make sense of it and that you can explain the findings to others in an easy way. For this course you won’t need any maths. To introduce myself, I’m Doctor Joshua Skoczylis. I’m a senior lecturer in criminology and counter terrorism and I’ve been teaching statistics and quantitative methods for over a decade now. My name’s Scott Kidd and I’m an Associate Lecturer and Researcher in criminology and psychology. My name is John Abiodun Babalola. I’m a PhD student of University of Lincoln, Associate Lecturer in the department of Criminology.

Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds I’m teaching quantitative analysis because of the fact that I see it as different to other model of analysis and I see it as very, very interesting and because of the fact that you learn this with little mathematics. Through these courses, we will guide you through the fundamentals of statistics, breaking down complex concepts into easy to understand lessons. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to brush up on your skills, you’ll find practical and valuable insights and that you can apply to help you in your studies and your career going forward. Data is all around us. We use it every day. It allows us to carry out research and understand complex and big data sets.

Skip to 1 minute and 18 seconds You need the skills and employment and at university. They’re very transferable skills. For breakdown of the details of the course and the syllabus, just scroll down and you’ll see what each of the four courses covers. We’re looking forward to seeing you on this journey to learning statistics without maths. Thank you very much.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Describing Data & Measures of Central Tendency

    • Big Data

      Welcome & Course Overview

      This activity provides you an overview of the course as well as wider information about the content learned in week 1.

    • Big Data

      The Basics: Datasets and Variables

      Here you will learn about dataset structure and about Independent, dependent, control variables

    • Big Data

      Types of Data

      Here you will learn about the different data types we use in data science

    • Big Data

      Measures of Central Tendency

      Measures of Central Tendency describe the centre of the data. Here you will learn more about how we measure the centre.

    • Image of the word Summary

      Week Summary

      You have now completed week one. Here you will find a summary of what you have learned.

  • Week 2

    Measures of Dispersion

    • Dispersed Lights

      Week 2 Overview

      In this step you will gain an overview of the learning content for week 2

    • Dispersed Lights

      Measures of Dispersion: Range, Max, Min, Quartiles and Variance

      Here we cover some basic measures of dispersion.

    • Dispersed Lights

      Variance and Standard Deviation

      Here you will learn about more advanced measures of dispersion.

    • Dispersed Lights

      Week Summary

      Summary of weeks learning.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Demonstrate how data and dataset are organised.
  • Describe the different types of variables and data types.
  • Demonstrate your understanding of Measures of Central Tendency.
  • Demonstrate your understanding of Measures of Dispersion.
  • Apply your knowledge of Descriptive Statistics to datasets.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone interested in statistics and data analysis. It may also be useful for social science enthusiasts and anyone required to make data-driven decisions in their jobs. You do not need a maths background for this course.

What software or tools do you need?

To really understand data analysis, you will need to also spend some time to learn using the techniques taught on the course. There are lots of different programmes that you can use - please choose the one you are comfortable with. Jamovi is one such option and the one we use within the course:

  • Jamovi. This is a free software that you can download onto your computer. A cloud version is available but requires you to create an account and has some limitations in functionality. You can download this at https://jamovi.org/.
  • Alongside this, we recommend you work through the step-by-step Jamovi guides available on the StatsMadeEasy Website - link.

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

Logo

University of Lincoln

The University of Lincoln is proud to be ranked as a Top 3 University in the WhatUni University of the Year 2024 awards, as well as a triple-gold institution in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023.

  • Established

    1996
  • Location

    Lincoln, Lincolnshire, UK

Ways to learn

Buy this course

Subscribe & save

Limited access

Choose the best way to learn for you!

$54/one-off payment

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Free

Fulfill your current learning needDevelop skills to further your careerSample the course materials
Access to this courseticktick

Access expires 26 Feb 2025

Access to 1,000+ coursescrosstickcross
Learn at your own paceticktickcross
Discuss your learning in commentstickticktick
Certificate when you're eligiblePrinted and digitalDigital onlycross
Continue & Upgrade

Cancel for free anytime

Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$54/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 26 Feb 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...