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STAT 800: Introduction to Applied Statistics

Pennsylvania State University via OPEN.ED@PSU

Description

Users of statistics -- researchers, government agencies like the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, companies like the automakers and drug industry, etc. -- make extensive use of the computer in applying statistical methods to their problems. So will you! You will have plenty of practice in analyzing data from a variety of areas and should be well prepared for problem-solving involving statistics in the rest of your college courses, as well as gaining an understanding of the role of statistics in your daily life.

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Syllabus

Understandably many of you enter this course under some apprehension, be it a math phobia or some other mental block. As a time expectation, students on average take 8-10 hours per week in this course. This is comparable to resident courses where students meet with me 3-4 hours per week in a classroom plus time outside of class completing assignments. We find, though, that the successful students in most online statistics courses are those students who do not wait until the last minute to complete the assignments, review the solutions or feedback provided, post questions on the discussion board as if they were in class, and complete the assignments on time.

Most importantly, like it or not statistics is in your everyday life! For instance, did you ever have your alarm go off in the morning and decide whether you had time to hit the snooze and still get up in time to get to work or class? This is a statistics problem: what is the probability that if I hit snooze I am not late? Or, when you go on vacation, shopping, or out for an evening and you plan on how much money to bring. Again statistics! You estimate how much money you will need and this estimation is based on prior experience, some math calculation (e.g. budget restraints), or some other considerations. Another common example relates to any medicines you take. Each went through an expansive drug study to be FDA approved and/or to be advertised as “working faster than Drug X”. Of course, as we see in the news with drug recalls these studies are not always performed properly! And finally, on a more personal level to all of you, when you go to study for an exam did you ever sit back and think about how much time to spend studying, or decide between studying or doing something else and still being able to properly prepare? Once again, a hidden statistical-based choice in your everyday life!