Analysing Transport Data

Program Overview

This program provides transport planners and managers with a foundational understanding of statistics and social research methods, equipping them to analyze and interpret real-life transport datasets using MS Excel and SPSS. Through online lectures and assessments, students learn about data sources, chart types, advanced data analysis techniques, and regression modeling, enhancing their skills for evidence-based decision-making in the transport sector.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This module is designed to equip transport planners and managers with the basic concepts used in statistics and social research methods, and their application in the transport context, illustrated by suitable examples.

Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will typically be able to:

• Understand different sources of secondary data, their strengths and limitations compared to each other and to collecting primary data
• Analyse and present different types of quantitative data, including in Excel and in SPSS
• Be able to write reports based on this data analysis, critically commenting on their data analysis

Outline:

Course Structure:

On this course, delegates will:

• Review different chart types and when each might be appropriate
• Advanced chart making in Excel - pivot tables, combining different data sources
• Understand basic SPSS functionality, e.g.
• Use chi-square tests with categorical data
• Gain knowledge about using regression modelling
• Labelling data, creating missing values, etc.
and also cover merging datasets; moving between SPSS and Excel to analyse and present data
• Discover ways of making analysis more meaningful by making use of other datasets (here population, travel datasets)

Modules:

The course consists of a series of online lectures that will be delivered via our BlackBoard virtual learning environment. Our interactive online courses provide real-time lessons with an expert tutor where key course themes will be introduced and discussed.

Assessment:

There are two assessed pieces of work; coursework and an in-class test (which is timed and can be sat remotely).

Teaching:

Tutor:

The course is led by Professor Rachel Aldred, Director of the Active Travel Academy, who has published more than fifty peer-reviewed journal articles using methods including statistical analysis of survey data.

Teaching Methods:

The course consists of a series of online lectures that will be delivered via our BlackBoard virtual learning environment. Our interactive online courses provide real-time lessons with an expert tutor where key course themes will be introduced and discussed.

Careers:

Accreditation:

This course is part of University of Westminster's MSc in Transport Planning and Management. Those who successfully complete it can use the credits towards a full MSc, a Postgraduate Diploma or a Postgraduate Certificate.

Other:

Entry Requirements:

You will normally have a first degree in a relevant subject, though this is not essential. A basic understanding of Excel will be expected. No prior knowledge of SPSS or statistics is assumed. However, we strongly advise you to have some knowledge of GCSE-level maths concepts that will help you with basic data analysis, particularly percentages, fractions, and averages.