| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to class |
| 2 | Inferential and Descriptive Statistics & Research Design |
| 3 | Graphing and Summarizing Distributions |
| 4 | Describing Bivariate Data & Regression |
| 5 | Probability & Normal Distrubtions |
| 6 | Sampling Distrubtions & Hypothesis Testing |
| 7 | Test of Means & ANOVA |
| 8 | Research and Statistical Presentation |
APCV 302: Statistics in the Information Age
| Meeting time | Tuesdays 6:00 PM Arizona time - Online |
| Instructor | Prof. Robert Kumar (robertkumar@arizona.edu) |
| Office hours | Virtual open-door and Tuesdays 12:00 - 13:00 by appointment. |
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. It also presents an introduction to data complexity, uncertainty and variation in information age and discusses techniques for interpreting the data.
Course Overview
On completing this introductory statistics course, students will have explored the following topics: descriptive and inferential statistics, research design, bivariate data (correlation), regression, probability, normal & sampling distributions, hypothesis testing, t-tests, and analysis of variance.
We will cover many topics in this class, we will find ourselves in many places and times, and we will be both historians and futurists. Any study of the intersection of technology and education requires a foray into myriad topics, including psychology, sociology, media studies, gender studies, geo-politics, security, futurism and more. Be prepared to become both consumers and creators. Bring your passion to this collaborative experience and we will all benefit greatly.
Course Objectives
This course is broken down into weekly topics and is constructed based on the following course objectives. Students will:
- Understand and evaluate descriptive and inferential statistics using quantitative data.
- Understand and evaluate visual methods of communicating statistics.
- Describe statistical properties, concepts, and issues.
- Collaborate with other students to understand statistics and solve problems.
- Research an advanced topic, apply statistical tests, present results, and receive feedback from class.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Through the achievement of said course objectives, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of inferential and descriptive statistics
- Evaluate and critique research literature and included statistical tests within their field
- Present raw data in both textual and visualization to improve understandability
- Use industry-standard statistical software
- Create visually pleasing and understandable data-driven reports
Required Readings
There are no required purchases for this class.
Lane, D. (2016). Online Statistics Education: A Multimedia Course of Study. 2nd ed. Houston: Rice University. http://onlinestatbook.com/2/.
Takahashi, S., & Trend-pro Co Content Provider. (2008). The Manga Guide to Statistics. San Francisco: No Starch Press. Available for free through the UA library website.
Additional readings are also required and can be found in the module pages.
Content and Assessment
Assessments in this class rely heavily on you (and not in the way you may expect). Read below to find out how.
Schedule
The general course schedule is maintained in detail in the LMS. Recorded class sessions are available through Teams. Attending class sessions (or watching the recorded session if you missed class) is absolutely necessary and vital to your success in this class (not to mention required!).
For the purposes of this class, weeks begin on MONDAY.
Assignments
See Table 2 for a basic list of assignments and their point values. Note that this may change throughout the semester depending on class needs. Drill down into each assignment to learn more. There is a final project in lieu of a final exam, due as described above.
| Assignment | Point value | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly quizzes | 150 (12 quizzes x 15 pts, drop 2 lowest) | |
| Participation | 36 (6 weeks x 6 pts (3 pts per chapter)) | |
| Activities | 100 (across 5 activities) | |
| Advanced topic research project | 100 | |
| Final reflection | 4 | |
| Total: 400 |
Evaluation
You’ll notice this course does something a bit different with project grades: it is your responsibility to explain how you achieve the targets listed, not to simply state that you did. Once the declaration is submitted, the assignment submission folder will open and you will submit your assignment files there.
Note
Gateway Requirements
Also be aware that there are gateway requirements prior to reaching the assessment rubric. For example, if a project requires you to submit an 8-10 page paper and your submission is only 6 pages (ie, does not meet the gateway requirements) I will simply not grade it. These gateway requirements are made clear in each assignment document.
Requirement means Requirement!
Class Policies
Generative AI1
Students are allowed to use advanced automated tools (“artificial intelligence” or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Copilot) on assignments in this course if that use is properly documented and credited. For example, text or code generated using ChatGPT-3.5 should include a citation such as:
ChatGPT-3.5. (YYYY, Month DD of query). “Text of your query.” Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/
Your full prompt must be cited, including any modifier variables (temperature, et cetera), and you may not use it to draft any assignments, only to clarify, clean, or check your original work. Material generated using other tools should follow a similar citation convention. This is true for all cases of use, whether it involves cleaning up markdown, debugging a Tidy pipeline, or simply checking your narratives for fluency and grammatical errors.
It is important to stress that generative AI platforms cannot and should not be trusted without verification. This means that, should you use it for anything, you still need to know enough about the content that you can explain what choices were made and why. If you’re finding there’s more ChatGPT than you in your work, your mastery of the content will be called into question and it’s unlikely you will receive credit.
In short, use of generative AI is acceptable but only with acknowledgement and contextualization. It may be used to improve your work, not replace it. Be sure you read the University of Arizona’s “Student Guide to ChatGPT” before considering using it in any academic setting.
“Quicksand” Policy
In this class we cover all the technical tools and skills that you will need to complete the projects and more (considerably more). That said, if you want to explore beyond this and use skills or techniques that are not covered in class, the rule is: like quicksand, if you get yourself in, you must get yourself out. This does not mean that I do not encourage these explorations; quite the opposite! Just that I cannot be responsible for techniques that we haven’t covered. That said, you must check if you wish to make changes that will significantly alter the nature of an assignment (i.e., using a different coding language, changing a gateway requirement, and so on). (Adapted from Dr. Sarah Sweeney’s policy.)
Communication
I am nearly always available through electronic means. My policy is that I will respond usually immediately, mostly within 24 hours, and at the latest to questions within 48 hours (or by Monday morning if sent during the weekend, during which I do not work). If I do not respond in this windows do not hesitate to bug me. All questions that are class-related and not personal in nature should be posted in Teams to the class channel so everyone can benefit from the response (or chime in). Personal issues may be sent via direct message (DM). All emails sent to me should have subjects beginning with APCV 302. All emails I send (that are not automatically created by the LMS) will have the same. This makes finding things considerably easier. Still, I reiterate: Teams is far and away the better way to contact me.
Also note that I do not respond to communications about making up missed work or improving grades during the end of the semester. It is your responsibility to keep an eye on your grade throughout the semester and contact me with your concerns before the course is nearly ended. If you missed some points in week 2 you should not be petitioning in week 7 to make them up.
Program Technology
Classes in this program are technology-driven, as you may expect. As such, you are required to have ready access to a relatively modern computer and an account that allows you to install software on that computer. You should also be excited to try and use new technologies. We do a lot of that.
- The Learning Management System: the class LMS can be found on D2L at https://d2l.arizona.edu/. Log in with your NetID. This is where you will find assignment dropboxes and grades.
- Discussion: we will have a full-class chatroom/discussion board/forum on Microsoft Teams. You will find the link to join the team in the LMS and should be added automatically.
- Social: updating your profiles in both D2L and Teams is required. We’re spending a lot of time together, so no excuse to just be a NetID for 8 weeks. A current image is the bare minimum for this (note that students may not be able to add a Teams profile picture; this is fine).
- Tools: you may be asked to use software that requires more processing power than your computer has. Contact the instructor if you feel this will prevent you from participating.
- Meetings: class meetings are hosted via Microsoft Teams video meetings (not Zoom!). It is optional but very much appreciated if you have a microphone and headphones for the class meetings. (A cheap set of earbuds will work if your laptop has a mic and you will be from a relatively quiet place.) It makes for a much more engaging class session if folks interact!
- Browser: you will need to install the latest edition of the Chrome browser for this class. Tech support is vastly simpler if everyone uses the same browser.
- Assignments: document submissions may have specific and unique format requirements. Assignments should also be in APA style (7th preferred, 6th acceptable). You may or may not need the more formal aspects of APA like a cover page, but the citation formatting is non-negotiable!
- Coding: our program, as noted, relies heavily on a variety of technologies and you will be learning, as such, a variety of different coding languages. Being proficient with the IDEs for various languages is required (though you will learn as you go). The suggested IDEs for the languages we cover are:
- R: RStudio and Posit Cloud
- Python: Jupyter Notebook, Replit, Spyder, IDLE
- C++: Replit
- Java: Netbeans, Eclipse
- Kotlin: Android Studio
- AWS: Cloud9
- Azure: Visual Studio
- Swift: Xcode
Other technologies and software may be required in specific classes, which can be found in the Required or Special Materials section.
Student Workload
The material covered and assignments required in a shortened 7.5 week semester are equal to those in a full 16 week semester with half the time allotted. Time management and “working ahead” are practical necessities in an accelerated semester. Do not fall behind. “I didn’t have time” is not an acceptable excuse for missing assignments or readings.
According to University policy, at least 15 contact hours of recitation, lecture, discussion, seminar, or colloquium, as well as a minimum of 30 hours of student homework are required for each unit of student credit. A contact hour is the equivalent of 50 minutes of class time or 60 minutes of independent-study work. For an online course this equates to 45 hours of work per credit; 135 hours total for the semester in a 3-credit class (9 hours per week). The hour requirements specified above represent minimums for average students, and considerable deviation (more or less) of these requirements may occur. In shortened, accelerated 7.5 week classes this workload is doubled. You should expect to spend 18 hours per week on this class. Budget your time wisely and always look ahead.
http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/credit-definitions
Use of Student Work
Assignments completed for this course may be used as examples of student work in an instructor or program portfolio. Names and other identifying elements will be removed before inclusion. Students who do not wish their work to be used must inform the instructor in writing before the start of the second week of classes.
Academic Dishonesty
Cheating and plagiarism are unethical. Students are expected to do their own work. Plagiarism includes copying or cutting and pasting from online sources, taking information from a book or article, copying someone else’s paper, or having someone else do your work for you. Research sources must be properly documented. Students found cheating or intentionally plagiarizing will receive a zero for the assignment and may be dismissed from the class with a failing grade, required to attend workshops, have a permanent note included on his or her transcript, or any combination thereof to the instructor’s discretion.
I take this very seriously and, as professional academics in this field, I expect you to, as well. When in doubt, cite! See your program materials for a primer on APA style, citation, and avoiding plagiarism and cheating.
In a course like this it is likely you will come across much in the way of inspiration, be it in class or through your own research. Keep a constant log of all assets you either use in your work (code snippets or free vectors or audio clips, for example) or note down what the inspiration was for submitted work. Being inspired by something you love is perfectly fine, provided you note it; simply using it is not.
Syllabus Policies
The full text of the UA policies no longer needs to be included in syllabuses and can be found at: Syllabus Policies | Academic Affairs
These include:
- Absence and Class Participation
- Threatening Behavior Policy
- Accessibility and Accommodations
- Code of Academic Integrity
- Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy
- Subject to Change Statement
The following sections are supplemental to these required policies. Be sure to read them in their entirety!
Classroom Behavior Policy
While we meet only virtually, in order to foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed. To that end, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities. Please focus on the meeting during the meeting.
Attendance and Meetings
Unless otherwise stated, all my classes meet entirely online with synchronous, weekly live meetings that are optional to attend live but not optional to have at least watched the recording. You’re an adult – be responsible for your attendance. If you miss a class you are to watch the recording and participate in any relevant discussion. There are also a number of things that you are expected to complete within the first week of class, namely reading this syllabus in full, reading the FAQ, understanding, and completing the Introduction assignment (if applicable), among others. Failure to do these can result in being administratively dropped from the class. Likewise, if your particular financial situation requires you to physically attend a class (veterans’ benefits, some international enrollment requirements, et cetera), no/poor attendance can result in being administratively dropped from the class. Note: instructors are not obligated to administratively drop students for failure to participate. If a student is administratively dropped in the first half of the class a “W” will be administered if s/he has maintained a passing grade (60% or higher). An “E” will be administered for anything lower unless extenuating circumstances dictate otherwise as deemed appropriate by the instructor. See the class attendance policy in the General Catalog: http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/class-attendance-participation-and-administrative-drop
Paper/Assignment Submission
All assignments, papers, projects should be submitted in the specified method based on the system time in the LMS. Due to the frantic nature of the accelerated semester, generally no late work will be accepted for partial points. Keep in mind, however, that much work is iterative and you are still expected to complete it as later assignments/work are predicated on earlier assignments/work. Be aware that instructors are not obligated to accept late work at all! Students are responsible for ensuring proper delivery of their assignments/papers/projects. If an agreement has been made with the instructor to accept work after the due date or in a unique format it is the student’s responsibility to let the instructor know when this is done. Submissions of this nature may not necessarily be graded and returned along the same schedule as others. This policy may change for individual assignments. Do not wait until the last minute to submit. Your router going down or your computer’s clock being different from that of the LMS are not valid reasons for being late. It is also highly suggested you keep your work backed up and iterated.
Style guide
All formal written assignments submitted should be properly formatted and stylized. I require that APA format be followed when appropriate. For creating PDFs, you should consider using this APA-like “manuscripty” template. When writing in HTML, you can include csl: apa.csl in your YAML and add the APA csl file to your document’s directory.
Grading Turn-Around Time
Please note that I generally do not begin to grade an assignment until after the due date since it is my preference to grade all students’ submissions at one time, as well as return grades and feedback simultaneously. I will do my best to provide grades and useful feedback expediently.
However, some submissions require me to spend a significant time working through the materials. This may cause me to be delayed in grading that project. Additionally, if I am traveling I may be delayed in grading your submission. If this happens I will let everyone know. Rest assured: if you’ve submitted your assignment, it’s in the grading queue!
Office Hours and Scheduling Meetings
I have a virtual open-door policy. That is to say, feel free to send me a DM and see if I’m available to chat any time. I like to think of it as dropping by the department’s building and peeking your head in my door. Just as it is in person, I’m not always available right that second, so you’re welcome to ‘wait in the hall’ (until I’ve finished doing whatever I was doing) or schedule an appointment with me. I’m happy to do a video conference via Teams.
For lecture recordings, which are used at the discretion of the instructor, students must access content from an approved source only. Students may not modify content or re-use content for any purpose other than personal educational reasons. All recordings are subject to government and university regulations. Therefore, students accessing unauthorized recordings or using them in a manner inconsistent with UArizona values and educational policies (Code of Academic Integrity and the Student Code of Conduct) are also subject to civil action.
Life, Physical, and Mental-Health Challenges
If you are experiencing unexpected barriers to your success in your courses, please note the Dean of Students Office is a central support resource for all students and may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office can be reached at (520) 621-2057 or DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu.
If you are facing physical or mental health challenges this semester, please note that Campus Health provides quality medical and mental health care. For medical appointments, call (520) 621-9202. For After Hours care, call (520) 570-7898. For the Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS) 24/7 hotline, call (520) 621-3334.
Basic Securities
Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable them to provide any resources that they may possess. (Adapted from Sara Goldrick-Rab.)
What to Expect
Given the nature of our field, it is entirely possible that materials considered adult, controversial, or objectionable in nature will crop up from time to time. We will be spending the majority of our time on the Internet and we should not only understand but respect the fact that it is a free and open place. As responsible adults, I encourage and expect everyone to be safe, smart, and secure when engaged online. Should you have any questions or concerns about content, please email me to discuss an alternative assignment.
A Personal Note
We live in a digital age. We communicate through digital means. While I fully expect your submitted assignments to employ proper spelling, grammar, construction, and styling, I not only allow but expect and encourage you to express yourself using whatever communicative means you like, presuming it stays true to the conduct policies listed above. I will use emoticons; I will type in the text chat without using proper capitalization and punctuation; I will use reaction gifs and make references to memes in casual situations; I will share entertaining but relevant media. If I can do it, so can you. Just remember: a place and time for everything, just as the way you speak with friends on a Friday night out is not the same as when you’re giving a conference presentation. Context is everything. Be yourself but be respectful and always work in good faith.
Change Notice
Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor and as needed to accommodate students’ progress. Always link to this document instead of downloading a local copy, though you are encouraged to keep a copy for your records.
Syllabus dated: 2024-January-03.
Footnotes
Adapted from the Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning at the University of Delaware.↩︎
Social Media Policy
Should this course require participation in social media you have the option of using “burner” accounts if you feel uncomfortable with using a personal account for academic work. You may even choose to use a unique, unrelated email account to sign up for various platforms. You are in no way required to follow, friend, etc., your instructor, only to provide information about the account you decided to use. If this is the case for this class, you will be notified of the social media requirement.
The reason for this policy is as follows: if you are active on social media already and want to combine your personal and professional/academic activities, you may; if you are active on social media and do not want to mingle your personal and professional/academic activities, you have that option (this method is preferred for students); if you are not active on social media and have no intention of maintaining a presence after this course, simply abandon or delete your burner account. It is your instructor’s wish to reap the benefits of developing personal learning networks and getting global perspectives while maintaining a safe, secure environment for you.
If you use a “professional” account, you are encouraged to connect with the program, college, and university on social media.