HW 1
Syllabus and Introduction to Statistical Modeling
Assignment Goals
- Engage with the course syllabus and Moodle page
- Identify explanatory and response variables as well as the goal of a statistical model
- Learn how to submit an assignment on Gradescope
Please be sure to read and reference the “Homework Instructions and Grading Rubric” document on Moodle before beginning this assignment. This assignment only may be submitted as either a typed or a scanned, handwritten document.
Q1: How many exams are there in SDS 291? On which dates are these exams scheduled?1
Q2: Name at least three resources from the syllabus that you can use to get help in SDS 291.
Q3: Log in to the class Slack. Introduce yourself (name, class year, and major or academic interests), and identify which section you are in.
Your “answer” to this question should be a screenshot of your Slack post.
Q4: How many hours should you expect to spend each week (outside of the regular class meeting times) on work related to SDS 291?
Q5: Summarize the course policy on the use of generative AI in your own words. You may not use generative AI to answer this question!
Q6: What is the process for requesting an extension?
Q7: What can you do to effectively prepare for class each day? Your response should draw from the syllabus, but please feel free to also reflect/comment on what specific practices work well for you as a learner!
Q8: Download and read the letter to the editor of Journal of Medical Virology (Marı́n-Hernández, Schwartz, and Nixon 2020) and use it to answer the following questions:
(a) What was the primary goal of the regression analysis that the authors conducted? Data summary? Prediction? Quantifying an association? Something else entirely? Explain your reasoning.
(b) Where did the authors’ data for the analysis come from? In particular, please answer: who is represented in the data set? where was the data collected? when was the data collected?
(c) What was the observational unit in this analysis?
(d) What was the outcome (response variable)?
(e) What was the explanatory variable?
(f) Does the authors’ analysis suggest that increasing the rate of flu vaccination will cause reductions in the rate of COVID-19 deaths? If so, why are we able to make this claim? If not, what is one other variable that might explain the authors’ findings?
(g) Do you think that the authors’ findings apply to COVID-19 mortality rates in the United States? Why or why not?
References
Footnotes
Now that you’ve written down the dates of the exams, do you have any conflicts with these dates? If so, private message your instructor on Slack now!↩︎