An introduction to some of the mathematical and statistical methods used in the analysis of social and natural scientific phenomena with an emphasis on the interpretation of experimental and survey data. Topics include elementary and combinatorial designs, basic statistical methods, correlation and inference, and regression analysis. Applications to the students’ major disciplines are included throughout the course as well as in one or more substantial projects.
By the end of this course, students will
- summarize data using exploratory data analysis techniques
- identify sampling methods used to produce data.
- determine how samples differ from populations using probability
- create and analyze distributions of variables.
- use a sample to infer (or draw conclusions) about the population from which it was drawn.
- gain an appreciation for the diverse applications of statistics and its relevance to their lives and fields of study
We will be using the Statistical Reasoning textbook from the Open Learning Initiative. You will need to purchase ($25) access to this text, using the “Course Key” MATH215. You will use this website to submit your Checkpoints and various exercises to help me track your progress and provide targeted feedback to improve your understanding.
You will also need to make a free account on the Kaggle website linked below. This is where you be working through examples and exercises, creating your Lab notebooks, and writing your final Project.
Each week there will be assigned readings from the textbook. It is expected that you will have read through the material before our Tuesday class times and worked through the in-text exercises to check your understanding along the way.
For our statistical software, we will be using R for this course, but we will not following the R instructions in the textbook. Instead we will use the tidyverse version of R, which is specifically designed for easy analysis and plotting.
These are some other online resources for learning statistics. You are not required to read them, but can use them for additional and diverse perspectives on the course topics.
Laptop Policy
Since the majority of our class sessions will be spent “doing statistics,” you will need to bring your laptop to every session. We will be working with our online courseware and software all the time. If you do not have access to a laptop, let me know and we will facilitate one. If you lack proficiency with computers, please let me know and I will work with you.
When you encounter a section of the text that uses R, follow the instructions on the Kaggle documents below. These documents will be great resources for working through the labs. It is critical that you not just read the documents, but run the code and modify it to test your understanding.
Coursework
[Adapted from Spencer Bagley and David Clark, via Robert
Talbert]
MATH 215 uses a real-world policy on due dates—but this may not
mean what you think! In the real real world, due dates exist but
they are often not ironclad. Assignments have due dates to help you
make progress in the course and solidify your knowledge before moving on
to something new. Your life and schedule may not perfectly coincide
with the due dates I have chosen. If you need more time to
get the job done well, you email whoever set the deadline to ask if
you can have more time. Studies have shown that deadline extension
requests—in moderation and when truly needed—often lead to
better employee evaluations (not to mention better work). [See Go
Ahead and Ask for More Time on that
Deadline
by Ashley Williams.]
If you need an extension on a due date, email me and explain what
you need, and it will probably be fine. It helps if you propose a
concrete new deadline (e.g. “I can get it done by 5pm on
Wednesday”). If you ask for lots of extensions, we’ll work together
to find a way to help you keep up. Note, however, that late
submissions may not receive feedback as quickly as on-time
submissions.
If you have significant extenuating circumstances that cause you to
miss multiple deadlines, please come to office
hours to discuss broader accommodations. I’m
happy to be flexible, but it helps to know what you need so I can
figure out the best way to help.
Important: You must be in communication with me anytime an assignment is late.
If you would like to improve an assignment after it has been graded and improve your grade, you may revise and resubmit the assignment until you do. This must be within two weeks of receiving feedback. If you need more than two weeks, you must schedule a meeting with me to discuss your reasons for the delay.
However, the above only applies if you made a reasonable attempt at the assignment the first time. You cannot turn in a half-finished assignment before the deadline and then “revise” it by completing the rest. If your assignment is only half-finished, you must request use late days as described above.
Important: All work and revisions must be completed the day of the final exam period for this course at 5pm.
In each section, there will be Checkpoint exercises that you need to complete. These will be due on Wednesdays at 5pm. You may repeat the checkpoints to improve your score, and the best score will be recorded. I will be able to see your progress on these checkpoints and other exercises in the text.
These quizzes are designed to encourage you to study the course material throughout the semester rather than waiting until the midterm exams.
A partially complete checkpoint will earn at least 60% of the points available.
A complete checkpoint will earn at least 80% of the points available.
Much of your experience with statistics in this course will be through weekly labs. Each lab will be assigned with time allotted to work through the materials in class, and will be due on Saturdays at 5pm.
As you work to answer the questions in the labs, you will need to be recording your answers in a Kaggle notebook. Use the Markdown sections to write up your thoughts and answers to the prompts, and use Code sections to write R code and generate your answers. To submit your labs, you will download your notebook (it will be a *.ipynb file) and hand it in through Teams. Here are the notebook templates to get started with your lab work.
On these labs, you may work with a partner on the lab assignments. Their name must be listed on any code you hand in as joint work. A partnership should only turn in a single copy of the assignment.
A partially complete lab will include
- correct code to answer each question
- minimal written answers to the lab prompts
- minimal data visualizations
A complete lab will include
- a clear narrative constructed from your written answers to the lab prompts
- correct code to answer each question
- richly labeled and titled data visualizations for each question
- full explanations of each step of your code and reasoning
- a reflection on your experience working through the lab.
You will have a final project in this course, where you analyze a dataset with statistics, write a paper summarizing your conclusions about the data, and give a short presentation during our finals period. This will be similar to the labs, but will be using a data set and research questions of your choice.
You must work individually on this project. You may discuss concepts and ideas with your classmates, but the work you turn in must be your own. More details on the final project will be provided in the middle of the semester. All deadlines are noted on the course calendar.
There will be two in-class exams, on Thursdays. They will consist of short answer questions along with writing and debugging code. The checkpoints and labs are great practice for the exams. There will be a review day the Tuesday before.
There is no final exam; you will complete a final project instead, as described above.
Three times throughout the semester, you are expected to
make an office hours appointment for conversation and feedback on your progress in the course. Ideally, these checkins should be scheduled during the weeks shown
on the course calendar.
Each of you will choose one class throughout the term to find statistics used in a piece of popular press about a current event. You will prepare a brief presentation (5 minutes) of the current event you chose and describe the statistics used in it.
You may work in pairs for this assignment (8 minutes total).
Use this form to submit your topic, I will then assign you a presentation date.
A complete presentation will address how an understanding of statistics
- made the information more valuable
- allowed you to consider it critically.
Attending class and being an active participant in the class community
is one of the most important contributors to your learning at Hendrix.
Attendance is especially important in this class since you will often engage in group learning activities. Active participation is expected in order to achieve higher grade levels in the course.
If you know that you will be absent, please email me so that we can find accomodations. If there is an emergency, please get in touch with me as soon as is possible once the emergency is resolved. I trust you to be honest with me about your reasons for the absence (I do not need details), and honest with yourself about if you truly need to be absent.
A Level Work
- Complete 8 Labs + 1 Partially Complete
- Complete 18 Checkpoints + 2 Partially Complete
- Complete 2 Exams
- Complete Final Project
- Complete 3 Checkins
- Complete 1 Stats In The World Talk
- Abundant Participation in Classroom Activities
B Level Work
- Complete 7 Labs + 2 Partially Complete
- Complete 16 Checkpoints + 3 Partially Complete
- Complete 2 Exams
- Complete Final Project
- Complete 2 Checkins
- Complete 1 Stats In The World Talk
- Active Participation in Classroom Activities
C Level Work
- Complete 6 Labs + 2 Partially Complete
- Complete 14 Checkpoints + 4 Partially Complete
- Complete 1 Exam + 1 Partially Complete
- Partially Complete Final Project
- Complete 1 Checkin
- Participation in Classroom Activities
D Level Work
- Complete 5 Labs
- Complete 12 Checkpoints
- Partially Complete 2 Exams
- Partially Complete Final Project
- Complete 1 Checkin
Commitments
It is my ultimate goal for this course, and my teaching, to
develop your academic skills, advance your learning
of computer science concepts, and support the liberal arts in general. To do so
will require commitments from myself and from you toward meeting this goal.
Active Participation
I will be prepared and on time for class each day, ready to use class time
to help you understand the course material. I will respectfully listen to,
understand, and answer questions asked in class.
You are expected to attend class and actively participate in discussions every day,
answering questions, asking questions, presenting material, etc. Your
participation will be respectful of your classmates, both of their
opinions and of their current point in their educational journey, as we
each approach the material with different backgrounds and contexts.
Constructive Feedback
I will keep office hours and be available for outside appointments, and respond
to emails within one business day (not including weekends).
I will provide feedback on group presentations within one day. For exams, projects,
and homeworks, I will provide graded feedback within two weeks.
You are encouraged to provide constructive comments for improving this
course for furthering your learning throughout the semester.
There will be an opportunity for
anonymous course feedback
at the end of the term, in which I hope you all participate. Through your
feedback I can improve this course and others for future students.
Academic Integrity
I will abide by the above syllabus and grade your work fairly.
As stated in the Hendrix Academic
Integrity Policy, all students have agreed to adhere to the following principles:
- All students have an equal right to their opinions and to receive constructive criticism.
- Students should positively engage the course material and encourage their classmates to do the same.
- No students should gain an unfair advantage or violate their peers' commitment to honest work and genuine effort. It follows that any work that a student submits for class will be that student's own work. The amount of cooperation undertaken with other students, the consistency and accuracy of work, and the test-taking procedure should adhere to those guidelines that the instructor provides.
- Members of the Hendrix community value and uphold academic integrity because we recognize that scholarly pursuits are aimed at increasing the shared body of knowledge and that the full disclosure of sources is the most effective way to ensure accountability to both ourselves and our colleagues.
More details of our departmental stance on integrity can be found in the
Hendrix
Computer Science Academic Integrity Policy
Learning Accomodation
I will make this classroom an open and inclusive environment,
accommodating many different learning styles and perspectives.
Any student
seeking accommodation in relation to a recognized disability should inform me
at the beginning of the course.
It is the policy of Hendrix College to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant
to federal and state law. Students should contact Julie Brown in the
Office of Academic
Success (505.2954; brownj@hendrix.edu) to begin the accommodation process.
Physical and Mental Health
I am willing to work with you individually when life goes off the rails.
Coursework and college in general can become stressful and overwhelming, and
your wellness can be impacted when you least expect it. You should
participate in self-care and preventative measures, and be willing to
find support when you need it.
- The Office of Counseling Services
welcomes all students to see a counselor
in a private and safe environment regardless of their reasons for making an
appointment. Counseling services are available to all Hendrix students
at no cost.
- Student Health Services
provides free healthcare to Hendrix students. Services are provided by an
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in collaboration with a local physician.
Hendrix Student Health Services is now located in Conway Regional's Hendrix Medical
Clinic at 1700 Altus in The Village at Hendrix
The Offices of Counseling Services and Student Health Services are located in the white house
behind the Mills Center for Social Sciences at
1541 Washington Avenue.