About the Courses
The courses are an addition to sustained personal study. They are not a substitute for reading textbooks, making notes and solving problems.
Each course is a distance learning package designed to enable you to:
- make effective use of your study time by providing learning material with reference to text books.
- test your knowledge by solving graded problems and receiving feedback with your corrected solutions.
- have your misunderstandings and queries resolved by a tutor.
Above all we aim to maintain your enthusiasm for statistical study and enhance your enjoyment of learning.
Our courses cover the material for the Ordinary Certificate and Higher Certificate examinations.
How it Works
You tell us about your previous studies, your work experience and what examinations you would like to sit. We agree a study plan between us. This is a realistic programme designed around the study time you have available and reflects the competing demands of your home, work and hobbies. Once agreed, we expect you to stick to the plan.
You will receive a series of study guides to direct your reading and note taking. Each guide will contain problems to be solved. Your efforts in solving the problems are a vital part of the learning process. A tutor will correct your solutions and provide outline solutions to all the exercises and guidance on the tutorial questions where necessary. Your tutor will answer queries arising from your reading and problem solving. Interaction with your tutor is the key ingredient for success and enjoyment. The majority of communication will be by email wherever possible, but other methods (such as air-mail, first class post, fax or telephone) will be used when the need arises.
About the Tutors
The Senior Tutor, Barbara Smith, has over fifteen years experience of delivering distance learning for these examinations. She is supported by Aparna Sau in S3RI at the University of Southampton.
What kind of people apply for this programme?
In the main, those who wish to take appropriate Royal Statistical Society examinations and who need help and guidance in their studies.
Students are of all ages and from many countries. They have numerous reasons for wanting to study. Some wish to improve their skills within their current employment with a view to promotion or moving into a new area. Some wish to start a new career or to return to work after a career break.
Here are some 'pen portraits' of two previous students. They both work for Customs and Excise. Other students have been employed by hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and national and local government departments.
I work for HM Customs and Excise as manager of the Enquiries and Admin team in the Norwich VAT office, I am 43 years of age. About a year ago I saw an item in our staff Bulletin inviting people who were interested in finding out about statistics and maybe even gaining a qualification to get in touch. As I use Maths in my job and have always enjoyed playing with figures I decided to take the plunge. My employer agreed to fund the course, so I embarked on the Ordinary Certificate course.
When the first guided learning packs arrived my heart sank as I flipped through and saw all sorts of unfamiliar terms and expressions. Nevertheless, I have committed myself and I am not one to give up easily. I had some trouble obtaining books from the reading list, particularly as Norwich Central Library had recently burned down, plus some books on the list were no longer in print, but I eventually acquired a good range. I had planned to study one or two evenings a week, plus time at the weekend, but I found in the end it was better to have a longer period of uninterrupted time (when my husband and son weren't there!) so I resorted to using annual leave and flexi-time. From experience, I would suggest a quiet room with no distractions as working by correspondence there is no-one to turn to for help and you need to work it out for yourself.
Some modules seemed very easy, especially where they were relevant to my job, and I dashed through them. Others were completely new to me and sometimes I found it better to put the problem down and come back to it later, hoping for inspiration! My tutor was very helpful because, when I sent in my answers to set questions I would sometimes ask for clarification of certain points or help with problems and I always received clear explanations and helpful feedback.
Revising for the exam proved nerve-wracking, not having done anything like this since I was 18! My employer allowed me five days special leave, which I used for revision over the last month. My tutor sent me lots of exam questions to try and answer without referring to the books and I think this helped a lot. I wrote out all the main formulae and expressions on cards so I could test myself and be tested, and by the time of the exam I felt I had gone over everything. I am happy to say that all this work proved worthwhile, as I managed to pass the exam with credit!
I am 44 years old and live with my wife and two children in Norfolk. My interests include DIY, swimming, cycling and campaigning for road safety through membership of The Pedestrians Association. Prior to my present study of statistics, my last academic work was in 1970 when I passed my A'levels in Physics and Mathematics. For the past 23 years I have worked for HM Customs & Excise at various locations around the country and in a variety of work areas. I currently work in VAT Assurance - checking that the trader population declares the correct amount of tax to the Government. The Department is undergoing a period of great change and contraction and in VAT this involves moving away from routine examinations of traders accounts towards risk assessment and targeting of high risk areas. About three years ago, remembering a brief introduction to statistics that I had received at school, I picked up a book on the subject to see if it had any relevance to my work. It did and I immediately became fascinated by the subject and started formal study, first for A'level, then the RSS Higher Certificate and now Graduate Diploma. The courses have been funded by the Department and in my day to day work I am able to utilise the statistical skills that I am acquiring.