Schedule
Fall 2026
The schedule is the main course hub. Readings refer to OpenIntro Statistics, 4th edition. Problem-set exercise numbers correspond to that edition.
Weekly rhythm: Monday lecture · Wednesday guided lab · Friday review, troubleshooting, and On Your Own support.
The schedule may be adjusted to match the pace and needs of the class.
Unit 1: Data, measurement, and exploratory analysis
| Date | Class activity | Preparation and assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Aug. 24 | Introduction: data analysis for public policy | Day 1 slides |
| Wed., Aug. 26 | Lab 0: R, RStudio, and Quarto | Lab guide · Student lab template |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Setup help and Lab 0 support | Complete Lab 0 On Your Own |
| Mon., Aug. 31 | Data collection, observational studies, and experiments | OpenIntro Ch. 1 |
| Wed., Sept. 2 | Lab 1: Introduction to data analysis in R | Lab guide · Student lab template |
| Fri., Sept. 4 | Lab 1 review and troubleshooting | Complete Lab 1 On Your Own |
| Mon., Sept. 7 | Labor Day — no class | |
| Wed., Sept. 9 | Exploratory data analysis | OpenIntro Ch. 2, Sections 2.1–2.3 |
| Fri., Sept. 11 | Guided practice: variables, summaries, and interpretation | Work on Problem Set 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 14 | Describing data and distributions | Review OpenIntro Ch. 2 |
| Wed., Sept. 16 | Lab 2: Introduction to data | Lab materials forthcoming |
| Fri., Sept. 18 | Lab 2 support | Problem Set 1 due |
Problem Set 1 — Data and exploratory analysis
OpenIntro exercises: Ch. 1: 1.2, 1.6, 1.16, 1.22, 1.30, 1.34; Ch. 2: 2.15, 2.22, 2.24, 2.27.
Unit 2: Probability and distributions
| Date | Class activity | Preparation and assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Probability and conditional probability | OpenIntro Ch. 3, Sections 3.1–3.2 |
| Wed., Sept. 23 | Lab 3: Probability | Begin Problem Set 2 |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | Lab 3 review and probability practice | Complete Lab 3 On Your Own |
| Mon., Sept. 28 | Normal and binomial distributions | OpenIntro Ch. 4, Sections 4.1 and 4.4 |
| Wed., Sept. 30 | Distribution practice and applications | Work on Problem Set 2 |
| Fri., Oct. 2 | Review and problem-set support | Problem Set 2 due |
Problem Set 2 — Probability and distributions
OpenIntro exercises: Ch. 2: 2.2, 2.8, 2.18, 2.20, 2.22, 2.26; Ch. 3: 3.4, 3.6, 3.12, 3.18, 3.26, 3.30, 3.36.
Unit 3: Sampling, uncertainty, and foundations for inference
| Date | Class activity | Preparation and assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Oct. 5 | Sampling variability and the central limit theorem | OpenIntro Ch. 4 |
| Wed., Oct. 7 | Lab 4: Sampling and uncertainty | Begin Problem Set 3 |
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Lab 4 review and simulation practice | Complete Lab 4 On Your Own |
| Mon., Oct. 12 | Confidence intervals | Review OpenIntro Ch. 4 |
| Wed., Oct. 14 | Confidence interval practice | Work on Problem Set 3 |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Interpretation and problem-set support | Continue Problem Set 3 |
Unit 4: Hypothesis testing and comparisons
| Date | Class activity | Preparation and assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Oct. 19 | Hypothesis testing | OpenIntro Ch. 5 |
| Wed., Oct. 21 | Lab 5: Inference for numerical data | Lab 5 work |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Lab 5 review and interpretation | Complete Lab 5 On Your Own |
| Mon., Oct. 26 | Comparing groups | Review OpenIntro Ch. 5 |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | Lab 6: More statistical inference | Lab 6 work |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Lab 6 and problem-set support | Problem Set 3 due |
Problem Set 3 — Statistical inference
OpenIntro exercises: Ch. 4: 4.2, 4.8, 4.10, 4.12, 4.16, 4.20; Ch. 5: 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.12, 5.20, 5.22.
Unit 5: Correlation and regression
| Date | Class activity | Preparation and assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Midterm: Units 1–4 | One student-prepared double-sided reference sheet permitted |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | R review and project preparation | Bring project ideas and coding questions |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Project and R support | Project preparation |
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Correlation and simple linear regression | OpenIntro Ch. 7 |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Lab 7: Simple regression | Lab 7 work |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Lab 7 review and interpretation | Complete Lab 7 On Your Own |
| Mon., Nov. 16 | Multiple linear regression | OpenIntro Ch. 8, Sections 8.1–8.3 |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Lab 8: Multiple regression and predicted values | Lab 8 work |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Lab 8, predicted values, and project support | Complete Lab 8 On Your Own |
Fall Break
| Date | Class activity |
|---|---|
| Nov. 23–28 | Fall Break — no classes or sections |
Unit 6: Communicating quantitative findings
| Date | Class activity | Preparation and assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Communicating findings to policy audiences | Project draft |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Case study and project workshop | Bring reproducible analysis |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Final project support | Complete remaining analysis |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Final policy-poster session and course synthesis | Present poster and discuss findings |
The individual reproducible report will be submitted through Canvas during the university’s final submission period. The exact deadline will be posted once the official final-exam schedule is confirmed.