SDS 201 Syllabus, Spring 2019

Instructor: Miles Ott, mott@smith.edu, McConnell 212

Lab Instructor: Jenny Smetzer, jsmetzer@smith.edu, Bass 403
Class: MWF 1:10-2:130, Lab: W 2:40-4:00 or TH 10:30-11:50, Room: Sabin-Reed 301
Miles Ott’s Student Hours: Mon 2:45-4:00, Tues 9:30-11:00, Wed 2:45-4:00, Fri 9:30-10:30, McConnell 212
Jenny Smetzer’s Student Hours: Tuesday: 11:00-12:20, Wednesday: 10:00-12:20 & 1:00-2:00, Bass 403

Course Motivation
Welcome to SDS 201. Every moment in your day there is some element of uncertainty that you have to cope with. In Statis-
tics we use concepts from Probability to figure out the likelihood of events given the information that you have. Statistics
can be used to make coherent inference about all manner of questions. What kind of cancer treatment should be used for a
specific patient? Does a new vaccine for HIV work? Is the earth really warmer than it used to be? Is it going to rain today?
How long will my new laptop last before it crashes? With Statistical Skills and Data we can answer these questions and more.

Course Goals
The main goal of this course is to “enable students to effectively collect data, analyze data, and interpret conclusions drawn
from data”. Another goal is to help each of you to change your world view to see Statistics as a way to deal with the
uncertainties that we encounter in everyday life. By the end of this course I would like for each of you to consider yourselves
to be a Statistician. The United States Department of Labor defines the term “statistician” as a person who “uses mathematical
techniques to analyze and interpret data and draw conclusions.”
More concretely, by the end of the semester you will be able to:

• Organize a data set

• Distinguish between different types of variables

• Understand how to collect data to answer a particular question

• Identify confounding variables

• Distinguish between and design different kinds of studies

• Visualize and numerically summarize data

• Understand the importance of variability in data

• Calculate and interpret relationships between variables

• Use RStudio to determine regression lines, and correctly interpret output

• Calculate and Interpret Confidence Intervals

• Perform Hypothesis tests

• Use the χ2 (chi-squared) distribution to test hypotheses

• Understand how to build and interpret a regression model with multiple covariates
COURSE OVERVIEW
Text
Statistics: Unlocking the Power of Data (1st Edition) Lock5 .
The textbook is not just a reference to use after the instructor has presented new material but a sourcebook to use at every
stage of learning. When all students read the text before class, the nature of the class meeting changes to the benefit of
everyone. You will have thought about the material, and you will arrive with your own questions. You’ll be ready to discuss
what you understand, to clarify what you do not understand, and to hear more on the topic. You need to read the book
prior to class as well as review the material after we have discussed it in class.

Computers in class
The open source (and free!) program RStudio will be introduced. Please bring your a laptop to class and labs and be willing
to pair up with a classmate. I hope it goes without saying, but while the class is in session, you should not use your computer
or cell phone for personal email, web browsing, or any activity that’s not related to the class.
While we will be using RStudio in class and labs, we will not be going into great detail about programming and coding in R
and RStudio. If that is something you would like to learn, I suggest that you enroll in SDS 192.

Prerequisites
An open mind is the only prerequisite. Be open to trying, and possibly even liking, new programs, new ideas, and new
methods!

Classrooms
Class will meet Monday, Wednesday, Friday (1:10-2:30) in Sabin-Reed 301. There are two lab sessions which meet on
Wednesdays 2:40-4:00 and Thursdays 10:30-11:50 also in Sabin-Reed 301, and Dr. Jenny Smetzer will serve as the instructor
for the labs. Please attend your assigned lab section.

Course Expectations
• Attend and participate in every class and lab meeting. Be on time and prepared for every class and lab.

• Check your Smith email account at least once between classes.

• Do all of the assigned reading and homework. For each in-class period, spend two to three hours outside of class reading,
working on homework, writing, and studying. If you finish your assigned readings and work sooner, spend the remaining
time reading the text and notes, looking over returned homework, or beginning to study for tests.

• Submit work when due and take exams when scheduled.

• Work with others in the class when asked to do so. Work alone when asked to do so. Follow all academic honesty rules.

• Get help when you need it. Arrange to meet with classmates outside of class, if possible.

• Keep me up-to-date with how class is going. Let me know of any special needs or concerns that you have.

• Treat your classmates with the respect that you wish to receive.
Resources
Office Hours / Student Hours
Student hours with Professor Ott will be held in 212 of McConnell Hall, and for Dr. Smetzer, office hours will be held in
Bass 403. As you are scheduling other time commitments (for example your work schedule) please try to make sure that you
are available to come to at least one student hour per week.

Miles’ Office Hours / Student Hours: Monday 2:45-4:00, Tuesday 9:30-11:00, Wednesday 2:45-4:00, Friday
9:30-10:30, McConnell 212

Jenny’s Office Hours / Student Hours: Tuesday: 11:00-12:20, Wednesday: 10:00-12:20 & 1:00-2:00, Bass 403

Statistics TA Drop-in hours

There is free, drop-in, student-led assistance for SDS/MTH 220 on Sunday-Thursday evenings 7:00-9:00 pm in McConnell
301.

Moodle
The Moodle page will be regularly updated with lecture handouts, project information, assignments, and other course
resources. Your lab assignments will be submitted via Moodle. You should check the Moodle page regularly.

Computing
The use of of the R statistical computing environment with RStudio http://rstudio.org interface is integrated throughout the
course. You have two options for using RStudio:

• The server version of RStudio on the web (http://rstudio.smith.edu). The advantage of the server version is that all
of your work will be stored in the cloud, wher it is automatically saved and backed up. This means that you can access
your work from any computer with a web browser (Firefox is recommended) and an internet connection.

• A desktop version of RStudio installed to your machine. The downside of this approach is that your work is stored
locally, and you will have to manage your own installation. Can you tell that I am biased towards the server?

Note that you do not have to choose one or the other, and indeed you may use both. However, it is important that you
understand the distinction so that you can keep track of your work. Both R and RStudio are free and open-source, and are
installed on most computer labs on campus.
Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that it will be helpful to bring a laptop to class and lab.

Writing
Your ability to communicate your technical results to a non-technical audience is critical to your success as a data analyst.
The assignments in this class will place an emphasis on the clarity of your writing.
Course Schedule
These dates are subject to change
Week Dates Reading Topic
1.) January 25 Chapter 1 Collecting Data
2.) January 28, 30, February 1 Chapters 1, 2 Types of Studies & Variables
3.) February 4, 6, 8 Chapter 2 Correlation and Linear Regression
4.) February 11, 13, 15 Chapter 3 Confidence Intervals
5.) February 18, 22 Exam 1 Self-schedule Feb 23-25
6.) February 25, 27, March 1 Chapter 4 Hypothesis Tests
7.) March 4, 6, 8 Chapters 5, 6 Normal Distribution, Inference fro Proportions
8.) March 11, 13, 15 Spring Break
9.) March 18, 20, 22 Chapter 6 Inference for Means and Proportions
10.) March 25, 27, 29 Exam 2 Self-schedule March 30-April 1
11.) April 1, 3, 5 Chapter 7,8 χ2 and ANOVA
12.) April 8, 12 Chapters 8, 9 More ANOVA and Regression
13.) April 15, 7, 19 Chapters 9, 10 Regression
14.) April 22, 24, 26 Exam 3 Self-schedule April 26-28
15.) April 29, May 1 , May 2 Project Presentations

Collaboration
Much of this course will operate on a collaborative basis, and you are expected and encouraged to work together with a
partner or in small groups to study, complete homework assignments, and prepare for exams. However, every word that
you write must be your own. Copying and pasting sentences, paragraphs, or blocks of code from another student is not
acceptable and will receive no credit. No interaction with anyone but the instructors is allowed on any exams or quizzes. All
students, staff and faculty are bound by the Smith College Honor Code, which Smith has had since 1944.

Cases of dishonesty, plagiarism, etc., will be reported to the Academic Honor Board.

Smith College Academic Honor Code Statement

Smith College expects all students to be honest and committed to the principles of academic and intellectual integrity in
their preparation and submission of course work and examinations. Students and faculty at Smith are part of n academic
community defined by its commitment to scholarship, which depends on scrupulous and attentive acknowledgment of all
sources of information, and honest and respectful use of college resources.

Accommodations
Smith is committed to providing support services and reasonable accommodations to all students with disabilities. If you have
a documented accomodation, please bring me your accommodation letter, or have the Office of Disability Office work with
me. To request an accommodation, please register with the Office of Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. To
do so, call (413) 585-2071 or email ODS@smith.edu to arrange an appointment with Laura Rauscher, Director of Disability
Services.
ASSIGNMENTS
Homework [20%]
Homework is an extremely important part of this class, which is why Homework counts for 20% of your grade. Home-
work will be assigned weekly, and usually will be due on Monday. It is supremely important that you apply what you learn
from class and reading through the Homework problems. Practicing with many problems will allow you to deepen your
understanding and identify topics that you do not understand. For homework questions: use complete sentences, and write
your answer as if the person reading it is unaware of the question you are answering.

I expect homework to be completed on time and handed in on time (by Monday at 4:30 pm). Late homework will be accepted
with a 25% penalty if turned in within 48 hours (and no credit otherwise).

Quizzes [10%]
Quizzes will be posted on Moodle every Monday (usually by 4 pm), and are due by 2:30pm on Wednesday. There is no grace
period for submitting quizzes, a late quiz will not be accepted by moodle and you will get 0%.

Labs [20%]
Labs provide the opportunity to delve into real data sets and build your computational and analytical skills. All labs will
use the statistical programming language R/RStudio.Be sure to bring your laptop to every lab. Lab reports will be
written in R Markdown and the resulting HTML files will be submitted via Moodle, generally on Tuesdays.

Project and Presentation [15%]

Each group of three or four students will complete a research project during the term, and you will present your results
in a final report and oral presentation. Your group will conduct a statistical investigation of a question of interest to you.
Rather than collect primary data, you will use data available on the Internet or from faculty research. You will prepare a
project proposal describing your study and obtain approval from your instructor before you begin the investigation. During
the last week of class, you (and your group) will give an oral presentation of your study. The project will give you experience
planning a statistical study, acquiring data, creating and testing a linear model, and writing a technical report. We will talk
a lot more about the project as the semester proceeds.

Exams [30%]
There will be three closed-book exams. The exams will be held as self-scheduled exams over the weekend in Seelye Hall.
You will want to bring a scientific calculator and you may bring a double-sided, handwritten piece of paper as a note sheet.
You are expected to be conscientious about the timing when you return your exam. Those who return their exams after the
alloted amount of time must self-report to the honor board.

Exam Dates: As noted in the calendar above your first Exam will be available from Saturday Feb 23-Monday Feb 25. There
will be no class on Monday Feb 25. The second exam will be available from Saturday March 30- Monday April 1. There will
be no class on April 1. The third exam will be available from Friday April 26-Sunday April 28. There will be no class on
Friday April 26.

Participation [5%]
Active participation in class and regular attendance will comprise the remainder of your grade. Students who miss many
classes will get 0% for participation.