Dates:
September 11th to October 2nd 2009
Aim of the Course: This three-week course
will provide an easy introduction to R and its use
in statistics and in organizing data. Once you've
completed this course you'll be able to enter,
save, retrieve, summarize, display and analyze
data, run simulations, construct confidence
intervals and test hypotheses using R.
Who Should
Take This Course: Anyone who encounters
statistics in their work and wishes to program
their own procedures in a convenient, widely-used,
open-source (free) language.
Instructor:
Dr. Phillip Good, former Calloway Professor of
Computer Science at the University of Georgia
(Fort Valley) and graduate of the program in
mathematical statistics at UC Berkeley, is the
author of Introduction to Statistics via
Resampling Methods and R (Wiley, 2005), Common
Errors in Statistics (and How to Avoid Them)
(Wiley, 2003 with James Hardin), Resampling
Methods (Birkhauser, 2nd ed, 2005), Permutation,
Parametric, and Bootstrap Tests of Hypotheses
(Springer, 3rd ed, 2004), Manager's Guide to
Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials (Wiley,
2002), and Applying Statistics in the Courtroom
(CRC, 2001). He has given tutorials at the Joint
Statistical Meetings (U.S.) and Deming Conference,
lectured in Belgium, France, Holland, Ireland, and
Spain, and was twice a traveling lecturer for the
American Statistical Association. This is his
fourth year of providing on-line interactive
courses.
Prerequisite:
You should have familiarity with basic statistical
concepts. If not, we highly recommend Introduction
to Statistics via Resampling Methods and R/S-Plus
(Wiley, 2005). Prior use of some computer language
is helpful, but our interactive bulletin board
plus supplementary material guide even the novice
to successful mastery of R.
Organization
of the Course: The course takes place over the
Internet, at statisticsonline.info. During each course
week, you participate at times of your own
choosing - there are no set times when you must be
online. Course participants will be given an alias
and access to a private bulletin board that serves
as a forum for discussion of ideas, problem
solving, and interaction with the instructor. The
course is scheduled to take place over three
weeks, and should require no more than ten hours
per week. At the beginning of each week,
participants receive the relevant material, in
addition to answers to exercises from the previous
session. During the week, participants are
expected to go over the course materials and work
through exercises. Discussion among participants
is encouraged. The instructor will provide answers
and comments.
Course
Requirements: The optional text is Introduction
to Statistics Through Resampling Methods and
R/S-PLUS (Wiley, 2005), by Dr. Good. The
previous link allows you to order the text
directly from Wiley. Wiley typically offers a 15%
discount to statisticsonline.info customers during
checkout time. PLEASE ORDER YOUR COPY IN TIME FOR
THE COURSE STARTING DATE. Also, you must have a
copy of R for the course. Click
Here to download a free copy of R for use
during the course and afterward.
Course
Program: The course is structured as follows
SESSION 1:
Basic Concepts
- Downloading and Installing R
- Entering, Saving, and Retrieving Data
- Arithmetic Operations and Summary Statistics
- Character Variables and Frames
- Simple Graphics
SESSION 2:
Selecting Data Elements
- Generating Artificial Data
- Selecting Random Samples
- Loops and the Bootstrap
- If ... Then
- Getting Help
SESSION 3:
Testing Hypotheses
- Testing Hypotheses
- Expanding R's capabilities
- Downloading, installing, and Using R
Libraries
- Building Your Own R Functions
