Introduction and Course Overview
Introduction and Course Overview 1 / 16
Course Logistics
Email:
Use the course name (STAT 3470) in the subject line of any email
communication to ensure I see it and can respond.
Communication directly to my email ([email protected]) or via Carmen’s
messenger and discussion boards are the best ways to reach me. I will
respond within 48 hours during normal working hours.
Make an effort to check first if the question is already answered in the
syllabus, the notes, the textbook, or a general announcement or discussion
board post before asking over email.
Consider whether your question might be a general content question better
suited to the Carmen discussion board before sending it via email.
The syllabus is posted in Carmen, along with a tentative schedule. You are
expected to review it and be familiar with its contents.
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Course Structure: Lectures
Approximately 3 hours of video lecture will be posted to Carmen weekly.
The week’s content schedule will be posted on Tuesdays, and this will be the
primary lecture posting day. If lectures are split between two topic areas (and
correspondingly, distinct homework assignments), some lectures may be
posted on Friday
Please follow lectures carefully. They will be the primary avenue for
presenting course content, and may cover content beyond the textbook.
Incomplete slides will be posted in Carmen which I will annotate in video
lectures. I will not post annotated notes for pedagogical reasons (active
participation, e.g. writing, has been clearly shown to aid in understanding
and memory retention, and my lecture annotations are not intended as
comprehensive notes).
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Course Structure: Discussion Boards
Discussion boards on Carmen are available as a convenient spot to ask
questions on course material.
Please do not post homework solutions on the discussion boards.
You are welcome to discuss and answer other students’ questions. I will also
check discussion boards frequently to answer questions.
Feel free to post requests for me to elaborate further on topics covered in
lecture, or for topics not covered in lecture you may be interested in. I will do
my best to accommodate these requests where possible or to refer you to
additional resources to explore further.
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Homework
Homework will be assigned throughout the summer via WebAssign. You are
responsible for logging into Carmen and WebAssign regularly to ensure you
are keeping up with announcements and assignments.
I recommend you log in to WebAssign as soon as possible to verify there are
no technical issues well in advance of the first assignment. Resources,
including a schedule of office hours with a WebAssign representative who can
help resolve any technical issues, will be posted on Carmen.
Each assignment will be equally weighted.
To accommodate WebAssign’s sometimes picky tendencies with solution
formatting, overall homework grades will be increased by 5%.
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WebAssign and How to Approach Homework
You should write out full solutions to problems (as if you were submitting
written homework) before entering final answers into the boxes that
WebAssign will check.
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to approach a problem, try checking
your notes and the posted course materials first, but seek additional help if
necessary.
If your submitted response is graded as incorrect, carefully review your
solution and revise as necessary before submitting an updated answer. If
you’re struggling to figure out why your solution is incorrect, don’t hesitate
to ask for help:
If you have a specific conceptual/course content question, it may be
appropriate for posting on a Carmen discussion board. Please do not post
problem solutions in the discussion boards.
I am available over email and in my office hours (posted in the course syllabus)
to answer conceptual questions or more specific concerns, and TAs hold shared
office hours through the MSLC and can help as well. Please have your partial
work prepared when asking questions related to specific homework problems.
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Exams
There will be 3 Exams: a first midterm covering probability, a second
midterm covering statistics, and a comprehensive final exam.
Each exam will be available for a 48-hour period, with no additional time
constraints.
You are permitted to access posted course materials and your personal course
notes during the exam.
You are NOT permitted to discuss the exam with other students or to use
online resources outside posted course materials for reference during the
exam.
You highest exam score will be weighted as 30% of your final grade, with the
other two making up 20% each.
Curves: I will “curve” grades for each exam. The curve will not be based on
performance relative to other students. Rather, I will evaluate each exam to
determine which point values correspond with the level of understanding
which should earn an “A,” “B,” “C,” etc., and adjust raw scores
appropriately.
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Instructor Responsibilities
Clearly present course material, including practical motivation and application
where possible.
Answer student questions clarifying and elaborating on concepts covered in
course.
Assign homework to develop students’ understanding.
Design exams to effectively evaluate and reinforce students’ understanding.
Assign grades fairly and in a way that accurately reflects the development of
students’ knowledge and ability.
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Student Responsibilities
Review prerequisite materials if necessary. This course assumes fluency in
calculus and elementary algebra.
Approach homework with the goal of developing understanding of course
topics.
Log in frequently to Carmen and WebAssign to complete course materials
and stay up-to-date on announcements and newly posted materials.
Ask questions when necessary to further understanding of course material.
Complete assignments by posted deadlines.
Put forth a reasonable effort to engage with and learn course content.
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Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
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Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
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Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Some ideas for better strategies:
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Some ideas for better strategies:
Log in several times throughout the week and complete the material over
time, working through the homework well in advance of the due date so any
questions that arise can be addressed.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Some ideas for better strategies:
Log in several times throughout the week and complete the material over
time, working through the homework well in advance of the due date so any
questions that arise can be addressed.
Actively follow the lectures, including composing your own notes and reviewing
the material from the previous lectures. Try to connect ideas from different
lectures together.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Some ideas for better strategies:
Log in several times throughout the week and complete the material over
time, working through the homework well in advance of the due date so any
questions that arise can be addressed.
Actively follow the lectures, including composing your own notes and reviewing
the material from the previous lectures. Try to connect ideas from different
lectures together.
Work out exercises presented in lectures, and review examples to ensure you
are confident in your understanding of them.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Some ideas for better strategies:
Log in several times throughout the week and complete the material over
time, working through the homework well in advance of the due date so any
questions that arise can be addressed.
Actively follow the lectures, including composing your own notes and reviewing
the material from the previous lectures. Try to connect ideas from different
lectures together.
Work out exercises presented in lectures, and review examples to ensure you
are confident in your understanding of them.
Ask questions as soon as possible if experiencing difficulty.
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
It is NOT enough to:
Log in once a week and complete the week’s content in one sitting or one day.
Watch the lectures and copy down the exercises and annotations.
Passively read the lecture notes before a test.
Follow worked out examples step-by-step to solve homework problems without
understanding the logic.
Some ideas for better strategies:
Log in several times throughout the week and complete the material over
time, working through the homework well in advance of the due date so any
questions that arise can be addressed.
Actively follow the lectures, including composing your own notes and reviewing
the material from the previous lectures. Try to connect ideas from different
lectures together.
Work out exercises presented in lectures, and review examples to ensure you
are confident in your understanding of them.
Ask questions as soon as possible if experiencing difficulty.
Review your calculus prerequisite (especially integration and optimization).
Introduction and Course Overview 10 / 16
Succeeding in this Course
Logical Problem Solving and Communicating your Argument:
Train yourself to always follow a logically consistent argument when solving a
math problem. Be clear both to yourself and the grader what you are trying
to accomplish and how you are doing it.
This class is about learning to communicate your argument in writing, as you
would in any math class or job in addition to the technical skills presented.
An answer to an exam question that is incorrect without a clear, logical
explanation will almost certainly receive a grade of 0.
An answer to an exam question that is incorrect but has a clearly reasoned,
logical argument associated with it, will receive partial marks (often high
marks) as the grader will be able to assess the issue or spot a typo.
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Succeeding in this Course
Ask questions when you have them!
Ask for help when you need it!
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General Terminology
Statistics: “The science of basing inferences on observed data and the entire
problem of making decisions in the face of uncertainty” - Freund and Walpole
(1987)
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General Terminology
Statistics: “The science of basing inferences on observed data and the entire
problem of making decisions in the face of uncertainty” - Freund and Walpole
(1987)
Probability: A branch of mathematics that deals with modeling uncertainty
or randomness.
Introduction and Course Overview 13 / 16
General Terminology
Statistics: “The science of basing inferences on observed data and the entire
problem of making decisions in the face of uncertainty” - Freund and Walpole
(1987)
Probability: A branch of mathematics that deals with modeling uncertainty
or randomness.
The first part of this course focuses on probability, which provides the
theoretical foundation for statistical inference.
Introduction and Course Overview 13 / 16
General Terminology
Statistics: “The science of basing inferences on observed data and the entire
problem of making decisions in the face of uncertainty” - Freund and Walpole
(1987)
Probability: A branch of mathematics that deals with modeling uncertainty
or randomness.
The first part of this course focuses on probability, which provides the
theoretical foundation for statistical inference.
The remainder of the course will be focused on statistics, divided into
estimation, hypothesis testing, and linear regression.
Introduction and Course Overview 13 / 16
General Terminology
Statistics: “The science of basing inferences on observed data and the entire
problem of making decisions in the face of uncertainty” - Freund and Walpole
(1987)
Probability: A branch of mathematics that deals with modeling uncertainty
or randomness.
The first part of this course focuses on probability, which provides the
theoretical foundation for statistical inference.
The remainder of the course will be focused on statistics, divided into
estimation, hypothesis testing, and linear regression.
The goal of this course is to teach the fundamentals of modeling and
interpreting experimental results and other data in the presence of
uncertainty or variability.
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Statistical Inference
Statistical inference is the practice of learning about a larger population
from a representative sample.
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Statistical Inference
Statistical inference is the practice of learning about a larger population
from a representative sample.
Characteristics of a population (or process) are called parameters.
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Statistical Inference
Statistical inference is the practice of learning about a larger population
from a representative sample.
Characteristics of a population (or process) are called parameters.
Characteristics of a sample are called statistics, and are often used to
estimate population parameters.
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Probability and Statistics
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The Big Picture: Applying Models in the Real World
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