Assignments

Coursework and submission expectations

Problem sets

Problem sets reinforce the statistical reasoning behind the methods used in class and labs. They consist primarily of selected exercises from OpenIntro Statistics, 4th edition.

Students should:

  • show the reasoning or calculations used to reach an answer;
  • explain answers in context when interpretation is requested;
  • submit their own work through Canvas; and
  • begin early enough to use Friday sections for questions.

Students may discuss approaches with classmates, but each student must prepare and submit their own answers.

Labs

Labs provide guided practice with real data in R. Most coding will be completed together on Wednesday. Friday sections revisit the central ideas, troubleshoot code, and support the On Your Own work.

For each lab, students will use:

  • a detailed online teaching guide; and
  • a downloadable student lab template in Quarto.

Unless otherwise specified, submit both the source .qmd file and the rendered HTML output through Canvas.

View all labs

Midterm

The midterm covers Units 1–4 and emphasizes statistical reasoning, interpretation, and manageable calculations. It does not require R coding. Students may use one double-sided reference sheet prepared by them.

Project proposal and final applied project

The project asks students to formulate an empirical public-policy question, analyze appropriate data, interpret the results, and communicate the findings clearly.

The final project has two connected products:

  1. Individual reproducible analysis and report (20%): A Quarto report containing the question, data documentation, analysis, results, interpretation, uncertainty, and limitations.
  2. Policy poster and presentation (10%): A concise poster translating the project for a nontechnical policy audience, accompanied by a brief oral explanation during the class poster session.

The poster should emphasize one clear question, one or two effective visualizations, the principal finding, substantive importance, and limitations. The poster does not replace the individual code and report.